April 5, 2009–The World Series of Golf event that combines golf and poker to determine the champion, is back in Las Vegas at the three Pete Dye Las Vegas golf courses of the Las Vegas Paiute Golf Resort. The event, scheduled for May 11-15, is capped at just 125 golfer/poker players who pay $10,000 to enter the tournament. A first-place bonanza of $300,000 is there for the taking with a total purse of $1,000,000. Invites to huge parties and rooms at The Mirage, golf, and more is also included with the entry fee.
In the event that combines the wagering format of Texas Hold 'Em with the skill of golf, Andrew "AJ" Johnson, a 36-year-old car salesman from Davison, MI, outlasted a field of 80 amateur golfers – including several of the world's greatest poker players – to win the second annual World Series of Golf and its $250,000 top prize in 2008. Johnson successfully knocked out poker pros Allen Cunningham, Erick Lindgren and Dee Tiller, sealing his victory by nailing a tee shot just a few yards short of the pin on the first playoff hole, a 163-yard par three at Las Vegas Paiute Golf Resort in Las Vegas. Lindgren, a member of Team Full Tilt, finished second, winning $60,000.
The Las Vegas Paiute Golf Resort, complete with the Pete Dye-designed Snow Mountain, Sun Mountain and The Wolf Las Vegas golf courses, is home to other prominent events including the ESPN National Golf Challenge, James R. Hoffa Memorial Scholarship Fund Tournament, Golf's Greats – honors legendary golfers such as Hale Irwin, Johnny Miller, and Hubert Green, Fat Boy Open, Perini Green Weekend and several PGA Section events. The resort has also earned many PGA approved and industry recognized awards including the very coveted "4 ½ Stars" by Golf Digest – an award The Paiute has received since 1995; GolfWeek's "Best Resort Golf Courses,"; PGA Magazine's "One of the Best 27 Courses in the West," and "Best Playing Conditions in Southern Nevada" by Greenskeeper.org.
High-profile participants for the event included Ray Romano, actor ("Everyone Loves Raymond"), comedian; John Daly, TV personality ("Real TV"); Phil Gordon, world-class poker pro, author and television host; Phil Ivey, five-time World Series of Poker bracelet winner; Tom Schneider, 2007 World Series of Poker Player of the Year; Daniel Negreanu, two World Poker Tour titles; Rhett Butler, 2006 World Series of Poker main event 5th-place finisher; Chris "Jesus" Ferguson, 2000 World Series of Poker Champion; Erick Lindgren, 2004 World Series of Poker Player of the Year; Dusty Allen, former major league baseball player; and Emily Jilette, wife of magician Penn Jilette (of Penn & Teller).
The World Series of Golf is a sports and entertainment company founded in 2004 whose activities include land based golf events, media and an online, skill-based method of play for the game of golf. The company's first land-based amateur golf tournament took place in Las Vegas in 2007 and is the basis and launch pad for subsequent events internationally and for the company's overall strategy to leverage its patent-pending method of play, which combines the skill of golf and the wagering format of Texas Hold 'Em poker, into a leading global event and online enterprise. The company plans to achieve its objectives through strategic partnerships, sponsorships and the founders' extensive experience and contacts in the sports world and broadcasting.