In the spring of 1994 I received a call from Eric Dutt who was the Tournament Operations Director of the Las Vegas Invitational. The Desert Inn CC had asked to bow out of the three course rotation of TPC Summerlin, Las Vegas Country Club and Desert Inn and Eric was inquiring whether I would be interested in hosting the event at Las Vegas Hilton Country Club. Although it would seem like a no brainer, the early October dates of the event made it very difficult to have a course in condition for a tour event. Las Vegas temperatures are cooler at night so courses usually overseed in the middle of September. With an early October date a course needed to overseed early and take the green height down quickly or wait to seed until after the event and risk that an early frost would render $50,000 of seed a total waste. We decided that it was worth the risk to overseed early and agreed to host the PGA Tour Las Vegas Invitational. Within weeks we received a visit from a PGA Tour Agronimist who outlined the expectations for green speed, bunkers, fairway height, rough height and other details that needed attention. I do not recall receiving any income for the event but I believe that the PGA paid the course $50,000 which also happened to be the fee that the course paid back to the tour for the opportunity to have some television coverage.
As the tournament date neared things were going well with course preparations, the golf shop was stocked with an endless array of Las Vegas Invitational Merchandise and the food and beverage operation was stocked to the gills with hot dogs and beer. The Las Vegas Hilton Country Club (originally Sahara Nevada CC), now Las Vegas National, had hosted many professional tournaments beginning with the LPGA Championship in 1961. The PGA tour also hosted events at the course beginning in 1967 with the Tournament of Champions. From 1969 through 1976, the Tournament continued forward as the Sahara Invitational and the tournament winners of both the LPGA and PGA events reads like a Hall of Fame list of professional golfers. Mickey Wright and Sandra Haynie were among the LPGA winners. For the PGA events, Jack Nicklaus, Lee Trevino, Lanny Wadkins, and Al Geiberger all won the Sahara Invitational event. The Course record of 63 was initially set by Arnold Palmer in 1967 during the Tournament of Champions. Great history, but as the modern tour players arrived for practice rounds there was only one thing on their minds, “ Are the fairways going to be this wet during the tournament?” Any speck of mud on a ball was cause for great concern and the tour staff assured the players that the course would be dry for the tournament. I asked one prominent player how he liked the greens and he said, “Bruce, the greens are fine but here’s how it works. If I putt well during the tournament they are great greens. If I putt poorly they suck. That’s just how it is.” The weather during the event was perfect, the players liked the course and Bruce Lietzke was crowned the champion. The thing I recall most about the event was the graciousness of Davis Love III. He was the defending champion and we had a large sign at the front entrance welcoming people that featured the statement that Davis Love was here to defend his title. Love had arrived needing to at least make the cut in order to qualify for the Tour Championship. He did not play well and had just finished his round at my course when one of my staff approached him with a request. “Mr. Love, would you mind posing for a few pictures with our Pro out by the entrance sign?” I was within earshot and cringed a little bit as I knew how disappointed Love was in his play. Love’s reply, “I’d be glad to. I really enjoyed your course today.” That is class.
The course hosted the event for three years with Jim Furyk winning in 1995 and Tiger Woods posting his first Professional win in 1996. I do remember that Woods played the first round of the event at Las Vegas Hilton Country Club and shot a 70. He finished at 28 under for the five round event. I wonder if he would have posed for a picture with me….
