August 2, 2008--Looking in from the outside, it appears Justin Timberlake, one of the world's reigning superstars, dives into each new project with dedication and commitment. Just this year he has hosted ESPN's ESPY awards, appeared in a movie, toured, played in the Golf Digest U.S Open Challenge at Torrey Pines, and, oh yeah, jumped in as the host of his own PGA Tour event, the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open (click to check out the official new website with video and more) to be played at Las Vegas golf course TPC Summerlin October 13-19. And that's just what we know that he's done thus far in 2008. And Timberlake appears to be just hitting his stride as a true cross-over star. His ESPY appearance introduced him to a new audience, and when he declared "I LOVE sports" several times during the show (and really meant it), sports fans from all over the world could relate. And word from those close to the planning for this year's JT Open are reporting that Timberlake is going above and beyond expectations, and is jumping in at every level to help ensure big success for the tournament. Timberlake has donated cash from his own check book to support the event, made calls to big-name players to persuade them to play Vegas, and plans to play in two pro-celebrity amateur events during the week. He is also hosting a VIP concert on October 17 at Planet Hollywood that will see a few of Timberlake's friends appearing with him. A few A-list names have been mentioned but nothing is official. Tickets are now on sale for the golf tournament and will go on sale August 20 for the concert.

July 22, 2008--Ernie Els, the 5th-ranked player in the world, is heading to Las Vegas to work out some issues with his putter, the club that he says contributed to what he calls "A major of missed opportunities" in reference to last week's Open Championship at Royal Birkdale. Els will head to the Butch Harmon School of Golf located on the backend of the driving range of Las Vegas golf course Rio Secco Golf Club for some time with the world's number one golf instructor, Butch Harmon. These days, three of the top five players in the world (Phil Mickelson and Adam Scott are the other two) work with Harmon and have spent time at the school. "I’m going to try to find time to travel over to Las Vegas to spend a couple of days with my coach Butch Harmon," Els wrote in his weekly diary at ernieels.com. "Basically, I want to work on my short game and especially my putting to see if I can get it sharp. You know, these past couple of years I've tried different putters and different methods, but that hasn’t really worked out for me. I think it’s time to get back to basics. There's a method that worked for me in the past and I think I'll look to go back to that." Els finished in a tie for 7th at the Open.

July 18, 2008 (UPDATED JULY 21)--Jim Furyk, who finished in a tie for 5th at the 2008 Open Championship, is the only multiple champion of Las Vegas' PGA Tour event, this year to be called the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open. He has hit the jackpot three times in Las Vegas, including in 1995 when he won his first PGA Tour event at what was then called the Las Vegas Invitational. Furyk went on to win the Las Vegas Invitational (played over three Las Vegas golf courses) two more times--in 1998 and 1999--and has finished in the top 10 six times. He has cashed checks in Las Vegas that total more than $2.1 million. Furyk had to make a lot of birdies to win in Vegas, unlike what he needed to do in an event like the British Open. Following his second Vegas win, he commented about how people perceived his game to be. "I think more people think of my game as playing solidly in the U.S. Open, when even par is a good score," Furyk told Brian Hilderbrand for a story in the official tournament program. "People think of my game as that I can grind it out and play on a real good, hard golf course and hit the ball straight and keep it in play. I don't think many people think of me in the style of going out there and shooting 66 every day and firing numbers like that." Furyk went a combined -82 during his Las Vegas golf tournament wins. LIVE OPEN SCORING.

June 25, 2008--The U.S. Women's Open kicks off this week with several golfers with strong ties to Las Vegas golf in the field headed by Natalie Gulbis who lives on the holes of Reflection Bay Golf Club, one of three Las Vegas golf courses at Lake Las Vegas Resort. Other Las Vegas golfers going for the women's national championship this week include Kim Hall, Charlotte Mayorkas, Sunny Oh, Amy Hung, Inbee Park, and Jennie Lee. All of these ladies live in Las Vegas, but while Christie Kerr (pictured), the 2007 champion, doesn't live here, she says Gulbis is one of her best friends on the LPGA Tour, and Kerr also won an American Junior Golf Association event that was played in Las Vegas. Kerr won the 1995 Las Vegas Founders AJGA event played at Las Vegas' Legacy Golf Club with a three-round total of 209. 

June 14, 2008--Torrey Pines--10:30 PST--Tiger Woods could be on the way to his third U.S. Open win, and the 14th major victory of his career. He is 13 for 13 when he enters the final round of a major with the lead or tied for the lead, and heading into Sunday he is one stroke in the clear. But the big question surrounding Tiger's invincibility is his left knee, and if it can hold up for 18 more holes. Tiger appeared to aggravate the knee several times during the Saturday round, so now the most valuable player on Team Tiger could be Las Vegas physical therapist Keith Kleven (pictured), who is reportedly in San Diego working with Tiger at The Lodge at Torrey Pines. Kleven has worked with Tiger for more than a decade, and says that he is one of strongest and fittest athletes he has ever seen. Now Tiger will need to use all of that strength to add another legendary performance to his resume. "In overall balance and structure, he probably exceeds all world-class athletes that I work with," says Kleven. "We have done a lot of things that I haven't done with others. He is very gifted." US Open LIVE SCORING

June 7, 2008--It would be easy to throw Justin Timberlake under the bus today for not representing Las Vegas golf very well en route to shooting a 27-over par 98 in US Open conditions on the Friday before the big boys tee off at Torrey Pines next week. Very easy, especially considering he's about a six handicap. But we won't because in life and golf it's not how you start, it's how you finish and Timberlake went 'Jordan' over the final few holes to shoot a 'respectable' 98. Timberlake was one-fourth of a foursome that featured The Today Show host Matt Lauer, Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo and amateur golfer John Atkinson. They took up a challenge thrown down by Golf Digest to try to and break 100 on a US Open layout. Timberlake, who for the next five years will be the host of the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open played in October at Las Vegas golf course TPC Summerlin, reportedly finished with two pars and two bogeys on the final four holes to shoot the 98 and beat the challenge. Timberlake was helped by Las Vegas golf's Butch Harmon, who operates the Butch Harmon School of Golf at Rio Secco Golf Club.

June 1, 2008--The World Series of Poker is underway in Las Vegas at the Rio. The Rio is the home hotel of the Rees Jones-designed Rio Secco Golf Club, a Las Vegas golf course that is the official site of the Butch Harmon School of Golf. Thousands of poker players are vying for the millions and millions of dollars that are on the line in the many different events that are being played over the next month or so. Many of the poker pros are also golfers, and because of that, Las Vegas' dealership of Southwest Putting Greens has installed a practice putting green in the VIP area of the World Series of Poker. Southwest owner Randy Kleiner says the green was a big hit last year and organizers asked for a larger one this year. And, Kleiner says, he is in the final construction stages of a 3,000-foot Nicklaus Design green at the home of Daniel Negreanu, one of the poker world's biggest stars. Click here to check out the official Southwest Putting Greens website.

May 28, 2008--Las Vegas golf courses are continually the sites for major Las Vegas charity golf tournaments, and there's no telling how much money has been raised by these many Las Vegas golf events. From Tiger Jam to Danny Gans' Partee Fore Kids to the PGA Tour's Justin Timberlake Shriners Hopsitals for Children Open and many, many more, Las Vegas golf courses are the place to be to raise big money for char-i-tee. And UNLV head basketball coach and former Atlanta Hawks head coach Lon Kruger has been busy this off season raising dollars for various causes including the Nevada Cancer Institute and the American Cancer Society, and for UNLV's upcoming exhibition trip to Australia. In total, Kruger helped net $152,000 for the cancer cause, and $72,000 for his program in two separate events played at Las Vegas golf courses Southern Highlands Golf Club (pictured), TPC Summerlin and Spanish Trail Golf and Country Club.

May 14, 2008--The Las Vegas Paiute Golf Resort is an open-to-the-public facility that is the home of the only three Pete Dye-designed Las Vegas golf courses in this area. And this week, the Las Vegas Paiute Golf Resort is the site of the 2nd FullTilt,net World Series of Golf event that pits golfers against each other in a format inspired by both poker and golf. And Ray Romano and Alan Thicke are just two of the notables teeing it up in the event that will be televised by CBS on June 28-29. Romano is a huge golfer who performs regularly at The Mirage, while Thicke is also a long-time golfer. Romano is off to a good start, reportedly having made it into the final 20 players. The champion will earn a $250,000 first prize. You, too, can play Las Vegas Paiute Golf Resort. Click now for easy, online Las Vegas golf tee times.