Las Vegas, Nevada (December 10, 2010)–There is always a ton going in the world of Las Vegas golf courses, and even though the holidays are upon us, there is much happening. First up is that Las Vegas golfers Andres Gonzales and Cameron Tringale successfully earned PGA Tour playing privileges at Q School earlier this week. Gonzales is a former UNLV golfer while Tringale moved to the Las Vegas area in 2009 along with newly-crowned PGA Tour Rookie of the Year Rickie Fowler. Tringale is said to still live in the are while Fowler has moved to Florida. —By Brian Hurlburt.
The Las Vegas Golf Region is the home to many Las Vegas golfers who have strong ties to Las Vegas golf courses in addition to Tringale and Gonzales. But those two are just the latest to join the dozen or so who have official PGA Tour playing privileges in 2011. Tringale was a three-time All-American at Georgia Tech, the Californian has successfully navigated q-school for the second straight year. He was a rookie on TOUR in 2010 after tying for 19th at q-school last year. He only made five cuts in 22 starts but three of those were top-25 finishes, including a tie for 11th in Las Vegas. He plays and practices at TPC Las Vegas and TPC Summerlin. TPC Las Vegas is a resort Las Vegas golf course operated by the PGA Tour while Summerlin is a private PGA Tour course and the home layout of the PGA Tour's Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open. He finished fourth at Q School.
Gonzales is a former UNLV golfer will be a rookie on the PGA TOUR in 2011. Gonzales, who is from Olympia, Wash., played in seven events on the Canadian Tour this year, posting two top-10s, and is the 2009 winner of the Saskatchewan Open on the Canadian Tour. He finished in a tie for 22nd at Q School and now joins fellow Rebels Adam Scott, Chris Riley, Chad Campbell, Ryan Moore, Bill Lunde and Charley Hoffman on the PGA Tour. Scott, Lunde and Hoffman each won on the PGA Tour in 2010. Gonzales plays and practices at the private Las Vegas Country Club among other courses.
In other Las Vegas Golf Region news, an article on BBC News has brought back memories of the world record long drive that was recorded at Las Vegas' Winterwood Golf Course in 1974. It was since renamed Desert Rose Golf Club, and the drive was a 515-yard blast by Mike Austin. The BBC article was pondering the question of how the record has withstood being broken for more than 30 years, especially with the advent of new technology. The blast was aided by a 30 mph tail wind and occurred during the National Seniors Open Championship (the pre-cursor of the U.S. Senior Open). Click to read the BBC story. While really no relation to the BBC story, annually, the RE/MAX World Long Drive Championship is held in Mesquite, Nevada, 77 miles north of Las Vegas.
Also, the Wrangler National Finals Rodeo is in town this week in Las Vegas, and there have been at least two golf tournaments held in conjunction with the biggest rodeo in the world. Last week was the annual Tough Enough to Wear Pink Classic hosted by George Strait and Butch Harmon while today is the Spurs and Spikes Golf Classic, an official PRCA golf tournament. The Pink Classic was held at Cascata, one of the top golf courses in the country and benefited the Susan G. Komen Foundation. The Spurs and Spikes takes place at one of the more historic Las Vegas golf courses, Las Vegas National Golf Club. That event benefits the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame.