Las Vegas, Nevada (October 13, 2011)–The Wendy's 3-Tour Challenge returns to Las Vegas with the official event being playing November 8 at Las Vegas golf course Rio Secco. Making up the Champions PGA Tour team will be Mark Calcavecchia, Jay Haas, and Kenny Perry. The LPGA Tour team was previously announced and is Las Vegas Golf Region resident Natalie Gulbis, Cristie Kerr and Paula Creamer. –-By Brian Hurlburt.
The Wendy's 3-Tour Challenge benefits the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption and celebrates its 20th year in 2011. Most of those years have been played in the Las Vegas area, with Rio Secco becoming the host course a few years ago. Rio Secco is a Las Vegas resort course and open for all to play. You click now to view the official website and reserve your tee times in Las Vegas. Also click now to meet the famous T-Mates female caddies.
Kenny Perry will be making his third appearance at the Wendy’s 3-Tour Challenge; in 2008 he joined Stewart Cink and Rocco Mediate as a member of the PGA TOUR team and in 2010 made his Champions Tour debut at Rio Secco with Bernhard Langer and Nick Price. Perry, who turned 50 in August of 2010, has enjoyed a late surge of success on the PGA TOUR. Last year he recorded five top-20 finishes and his two victories in 2009 gave him his fourth career multi win season and second in a row after posting three first place finishes in 2008. Earlier this year Perry won the SAS Championship on the Champions PGA Tour.
Jay Haas has been one of the most dominant players on the Champions Tour over the past five years. He was the Tour’s Rookie of the Year in 2005 and recorded his first victory in just his seventh career start at the Greater Hickory Classic at Rock Barn. He has since won a staggering 14 times, including two majors at the 2006 and 2008 Senior PGA Championships. Mark Calcavecchia is enjoying tremendous success in his first full year on the Champions Tour. In August he recorded his first victory at the Boeing Classic to go with 17 top-25 finishes in 19 events entered so far this season.
Calcavecchia currently ranks No. 1 in top-10 finishes on Tour with 12 and is No. 2 and No.3 in Charles Schwab Cup Points and on the Champions Tour money list respectively. The 30-year Tour veteran has 13 career PGA TOUR victories to his credit, including the 1989 British Open Championship. He has played in four Ryder Cups (1987, 1989, 1991 and 2002) and one Presidents Cup (1998). This will be Calcavecchia’s fourth Wendy’s 3-Tour Challenge appearance. He was a member of the PGA TOUR team in his three previous trips, recording victories in 2001 with John Daly and Fred Couples and in 2003 with Daly and Peter Jacobsen.
About Rio Secco: Gracefully draped across 240 acres in the foothills of the Black Mountain Range and located 15 miles from the Las Vegas Strip, Rio Secco Golf Club is renowned for its world-class golf experience and acclaimed Butch Harmon School of Golf. The 7,318-yard, par 72 course was named in USA Today newspaper among the “Top Ten Golf Destinations in the World.” Offering instruction for newcomers and professionals alike, The Butch Harmon School of Golf is famed for working with such talents as Tiger Woods, Greg Norman, Ernie Els, Phil Mickelson, Stewart Cink, Dustin Johnson and Natalie Gulbis. Located in Henderson, Nevada, Rio Secco is a Caesars Entertainment golf destination. Other Caesars Entertainment golf courses are: Grand Bear, in Biloxi, Mississippi; The Links at Cottonwoods, in Tunica, Mississippi; the historic Atlantic City Country Club, in Atlantic City, New Jersey; Chariot Run, in Laconia, Indiana; Cascata, in Boulder City, Nevada; and Caesars Golf Macau.