ESPN.com - Golf Online - Invensys Classic at Las Vegas breakdown

By Greg Robertson
ESPN Golf Online
Sunday, October 15

Details
When	Wednesday-Sunday
Courses	TPC at Summerlin (Host); Desert Inn Country Club; Southern Highlands Golf Club, Las Vegas, Nev.
Par/Yardage	Par 72; 7,243 yards (Summerlin) Par 72, 7,111 yards (Desert Inn) Par 72, 7,381 yards (Southern Highlands)
Purse	$4.25 million (Winner: $765,000)
1999 champion	Jim Furyk
Tournament record	31-under 329 (Andrew Magee, 1991; D.A. Weibring, 1991)
Television	Wednesday: 3-5 p.m. ET (ESPN) Thursday-Friday: 4-6 p.m. (ESPN) Saturday-Sunday: 5-7 p.m. ET (ESPN)

The tournament

Hole by hole TPC at Summerlin
Hole	Par	Yards
1	4	408
2	4	469
3	5	492
4	4	450
5	3	197
6	4	430
7	4	382
8	3	239
9	5	563
Out	36	3630
10	4	420
11	4	448
12	4	442
13	5	606
14	3	156
15	4	341
16	5	560
17	3	196
18	4	444
In	36	3613
Total	72	7243
Key holes: The 15th and 16th holes could decide the tournament, depending upon the guts of the players. The 15th is a drivable par-4, but there are huge risks. The desert runs the length of the hole down the left. Those who lay up can take alternate routes. The 16th is a long par-5 which, depending on the wind, can be reached in two. But that means risking a 3-wood over a lake fronting the green after an uphill drive.

Leave it to a London-based electronics and software company to put a jolt into the late-season doldrums on the PGA Tour.

Invensys has become the new sponsor of the former Las Vegas Invitational, and the company has drastically increased the purse. The bump -- up to $4.25 million this year, 4.5 million in 2001 and $5 million in 2002 -- makes the Las Vegas tournament the richest co-sponsored tournament on the PGA Tour.

That has opened the eyes of many players and brought out some big names to a tournament formerly bypassed by many.

Davis Love III, Fred Couples, Phil Mickelson and Hal Sutton are just some of the stars that will play in the five-day event, one of just two 90-hole tournaments on the PGA Tour schedule.

Pros are teamed with a group of amateur partners for the first three days, as the tournament alternates between the TPC at Summerlin, Desert Inn Country Club and Southern Highlands Golf Club. After a Friday cut, the final two rounds are played at Summerlin, the host course.

Summerlin is a rare course in that both the PGA and Senior tours use it as a stop. While many cities host more than one tour during the year, Summerlin is one of the few courses to do so.

This is the final year for the Desert Inn, which is destined to be torn apart in the coming year. New owners have taken over the property and already closed the legendary hotel, and a new resort being planned doesn't include the golf course.

The LPGA has already pulled out of the Desert Inn, moving its Tour Championship in November to Florida because of the deteriorating condition of Desert Inn.

While Desert Inn is bidding farewell, Southern Highlands is making its debut. Open for just six months, the course features a number of fairway bunkers, numerous elevation changes and other features typically found on a Robert Trent Jones course.

Three groups of players stand out in the Invensys field: Those tuning up for the Presidents Cup next week; those fighting to get into the Tour Championship; and those trying to keep their playing privileges for 2001.

With the Presidents Cup next week, 11 of the 24 players in the match are tuning up in Las Vegas, including several of the International team members. Also in that group is defending champion Jim Furyk, who has won three of the past five Las Vegas tournaments.

And with just three events left to crack the top 30 and qualify for the Tour Championship, almost all of the bubble players and those within striking distance are hoping to hit a jackpot in Las Vegas.

Finally, those trying to reach or stay within the top 125 on the money list to remain exempt for next season are in the field.

A dozen players to watch
Stephen Ames: Ames tied for fifth last week at Kingsmill, his fourth top-10 finish of the year. He finished ninth last year at this event and has a game that adapts to different courses.

Greg Chalmers: Already over $1 million for the season, he's making a push to reach the Tour Championship. He arrives at Vegas on a roll, having shot 21 of his last 23 rounds at par or better, with the two failures rounds of 72.

John Cook: In an unfamiliar position of trying to retain his playing card, he gained a little breathing room last week and stands at No. 117. Cook won in Las Vegas in 1992 and has played well here in other years.

Fred Couples: Couples is playing for the first time since the PGA Championship in mid-August and has always enjoyed playing in Las Vegas. Always a threat, but a rusty Couples may not hold up over five rounds.

Edward Fryatt: After some early flashes to begin the season, Fryatt has missed six consecutive cuts. But Fryatt honed his game in college on the courses of Las Vegas and can make birdies in bunches.

Jim Furyk: Furyk has owned this tournament in recent years, winning in 1995, 1998 and 1999. One of his keys to success, however, has been his play at Las Vegas Country Club, which has been taken out of the rotation.

Davis Love III: Love won this tournament in 1993 and lost a playoff to Tiger Woods in 1996. His length is a huge asset on the desert courses. Now that Justin Leonard and David Duval broke winless streaks, Love should be next.

Andrew Magee: Magee's greatest success has come at desert tournaments in Vegas, Palm Springs and Arizona. That includes his record-setting, 31-under triumph here in 1991. He was fifth last year.

Bob May: The Las Vegas resident was bumped to No. 31 on the money list last week, meaning he has some work to do to reach the Tour Championship. But he'll have the fans and his own bed to help him. He holds the course record at Southern Highlands.

Phil Mickelson: Playing for the first time since August, Mickelson has played 21 consecutive rounds at par or better. That string doesn't include The International, where he finished second using a Stableford scoring system.

Hal Sutton: One of six Americans tuning up for the Presidents Cup, Sutton is on the verge of cracking $3 million in earnings for the year. Has top-10 finishes in three of his past five starts.

Mike Weir: After flirting with leaderboards early in the year, Weir finally broke through last week at Kingsmill. He birdied four of his last five holes to reach a playoff, only to lose to David Toms. Weir is a streaky player who should be hot for another week.