Las Vegas, Nevada (June 12, 2014)–In 2011, Kevin Na became the first professional with strong ties to Las Vegas to win the hometown PGA TOUR event. Na won the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open. The following year another hometown pro, Ryan Moore, won the tournament. After one round of the U.S. Open at Pinehurst, Na was at -2 and well inside the top five of the leaderboard. Na and Moore are just one of several Las Vegas PGA TOUR pros who play and practice at TPC Summerlin and TPC Las Vegas when they are away from the Tour. –By Brian Hurlburt
Na was pleased with his first round at Open and enjoyed it despite the pressure of playing in America's championship. "It was a lot of fun," Na told the media after his round. "I hit it great today. I hit it well. I hit my irons great. The only thing I thought was a real mistake was I think on 14, I had about a 22 or 3-footer for a birdie. And it was such a fast putt and I knew. I got a little too aggressive and a three-putted. Besides that, I felt like I played great. I did make a couple more bogeys out there, but you're going to do that. If you miss a green out here — I want to say I only missed three, maybe four greens out of 14 or 15 greens. I think I missed one fairway. Obviously my ball-striking was there."
Prior to the win in Las Vegas in 2011, Na spent two weeks at home practicing at TPC Summerlin, the event's host course. Na is also known to practice at TPC Las Vegas, the sister course to the private TPC Summerlin. TPC Las Vegas is a resort course and is known as the home of pro golf in Las Vegas because of how many local pros play and practice at the course on a regular basis. In fact, one of Na's old golf bags hands in the golf shop along with several other pros including Moore, Craig Barlow, Alex Cejka, Charley Hoffman, Bill Lunde, and several others.
TPC Las Vegas was designed by PGA TOUR Design Services Lead Architech Bobby Weed with consulation by World Golf Hall of Fame member Raymond Floyd. The course is best described as desert elegance and is kept very near PGA TOUR tournament conditions. Hoffman, a multiple winner on the PGA TOUR, thinks it is an advantage to play and practice TPC Las Vegas during his off time.
"It's invaluable to be able to play and practice at TPC Las Vegas," says PGA Tour champion and Las Vegas resident Charley Hoffman. "The staff is very welcoming and they also make sure the greens are Tour speed and the fairways are tour cuts and conditions. It's a huge advantage for those of us who have that access on an everyday basis over those that don't."
Click to the official website of TPC Las Vegas to reserve your PGA TOUR tee times in Las Vegas.