PGA Tour Champions trio takes on Vegas putting challenge

By Brian Hurlburt Special to the Review-Journal

7 years ago

Frank Blood putts at the Major Series of Putting, Oct. 30, 2017 in Las Vegas. Brian Hurlburt

Tommy Armour III putts on second hole while John Cook watches at the Major Series of Putting, Oct. 30, 2017 in Las Vegas. Brian Hurlburt

Brad Faxon on second hole at the Major Series of Putting, Oct. 30, 2017 in Las Vegas. Brian Hurlburt

Tommy Armour III, John Cook, Brad Faxon are pictured at the Major Series of Putting, Oct. 30, 2017 in Las Vegas. Brian Hurlburt

Brad Faxon, left, and Founder Guillaume Beland, right, at the Major Series of Putting, Oct. 30, 2017 in Las Vegas. Brian Hurlburt

John Cook won 11 times on the PGA Tour, including the 1992 Las Vegas Invitational at TPC Summerlin, but he might never have seen anything like this week’s Major Series of Putting.

Cook is a competitor in the All-Pro Putting Championship being played on 18 synthetic green holes in a pop-up putting stadium located adjacent to Planet Hollywood.

“A spectacle is exactly what this is, and there’s no better place to have it than Las Vegas,” Cook said. “The city already has the World Series of Poker so now we have the Major Series of Putting, and it goes hand in hand. It really correlates to each event.”

The two-day All-Pro Championship features a total purse of $50,000 and a first prize of $15,000. Faxon is the official host and got involved early when MSOP founder Guillaume Beland approached him with the idea. Fellow PGA Tour Champions players Brad Faxon and Tommy Armour III and other male and female professionals of varying levels are also in the field.

“I heard about the idea a couple years ago and I was maybe a little apprehensive at first and skeptical, but every time I spent more time with Guillaume and his team I started to think, ‘Yeah, this thing could work,’ ” Faxon said. “It seems like this would only work in Las Vegas, doesn’t it?

“I think every player will be nervous when they start the round, especially those players who don’t compete week in and week out like Tommy, John and I do. Everybody knows what it’s like over a 3-foot putt when you have to make it, whether it’s on synthetic turf or a real green. You get a little bit nervous and little bit excited, and that’s what it will be like out here.”

Armour is involved with the new exclusive Summit community in Summerlin that features a Tom Fazio course and is a fan of anything that can help grow golf.

“Anything that promotes golf I am down with, and I think this is going to be fun,” Armour said. “It’s a big stage for more golf.”

Putting Rebel

Former UNLV golfer Taylor Montgomery earned $75,000 for winning the Stroke Play Championship played Saturday and Sunday. The event featured 108 holes of competition and Montgomery only had two three putts throughout the event.

“It’s crazy that I won, and it’s a really cool event,” Montgomery said. “Something I noticed is the course is always changing even though the tees and holes are the same. People walking on it changes it, and the course seems to be getting faster. But then they sweep it and it gets slower. Having good speed on your putts is key.”

Montgomery is also playing in the All-Pro Championship and considering entering this weekend’s One Putt for One Drop high stakes event that has an $11,000 entry fee.

Freelance writer Brian Hurlburt is a two-time author who has covered golf in Las Vegas for more than two decades. He can be reached at bhurlburt5@gmail.com or @LVGolfInsider.