Major Series of Putting begins championship series in Las Vegas
Montreal native Guillaume Beland shot a 95 at Pennsylvania’s Oakmont Country Club — host of nine U.S. Opens and three PGA Championships — and followed his round with a makeshift putting tournament on the practice green alongside 18 other golfers
“Putting levels the playing field,” said Beland, a former PGA Tour promoter.
And an idea was born.
Now, after six years of conceptualizing, Beland is the president of the Major Series of Putting, which began its championship series Friday on the Strip as the most lucrative putting tournament in American history.
More than 300 qualifiers from across the United States and at least five other countries are competing to win millions of dollars in prize money in a series of tournaments, and nonqualifiers have the opportunity to buy their way into special skills competitions to win cash.
“This is a stage where … any participant can see what it feels like to have a putt to win thousands of dollars,” Beland said. “That was the idea that I had in my head.”
Beland “at some point” met Cirque du Soleil founder and fellow Quebec native Guy Laliberte, who was looking to promote a local golf event.
Inspired by his evening at Oakmont, Beland pitched a putting tournament, and the two examined the market for the MSOP, realizing there was a ubiquitous appeal behind its prototype.
The two visited golf courses all over the country and organized tournaments and qualifying events in 14 of North America’s biggest markets to serve as play-ins for the 10-day championship series, which Beland calls “the search for America’s greatest putter.”
“We’ve gone to their course, their place, trying to bring them to the championships,” he said. “I’m very, very happy about this tournament and what we have this year … I think it’s just the beginning of something bigger.”
MSOP started constructing a temporary stadium on the Strip behind Planet Hollywood Resort in August, and it opened Monday to host several pre-events. The course features 18 unique putting greens, a luxurious clubhouse and lights for night play.
David Hill, 50, was working as a club professional in Montreal, where MSOP originated, and learned about the putting tournaments through social media.
He lost the open qualifier in Quebec by one stroke but traveled to Ontario and won its qualifier to earn a berth in Las Vegas.
“I had no idea what to expect,” Hill said. “I knew it was going to be grandiose, pretty cool, and I actually think it’s exceeded expectations.”
Contact reporter Sam Gordon at sgordon@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BySamGordon on Twitter.