Southern Nevada’s PGA Tour players finish West Coast swing
The PGA Tour begins its Florida swing this week, which is when many fans start to pay attention. The Players Championship is two weeks away, and the Masters beckons in six weeks.
As the tour changes coasts, it’s a good time to check in on the plethora of Las Vegas golfers after the eight-tournament West Coast run. There were a few clear winners among the group, a large pack of average performances, and a few players who hope a change of time zones will change their fortunes.
Three players stand out for their early-season efforts: Doug Ghim, Maverick McNealy and UNLV alum Charley Hoffman.
Ghim has made a habit of hanging around the top 125 bubble at the end of seasons, sweating out whether he’ll keep his playing card. He’s trying to flip that script this year, with his past three tournaments being ties for 13th at Torrey Pines, 12th at Phoenix and eighth at Puerto Vallarta. He’s moved from No. 201 at the end of 2023 to No. 147 in the world rankings, and rests comfortably at No. 54 in the FedEx Cup standings.
One spot above Ghim in the FedEx Cup race is McNealy, who counts a tie for sixth at Phoenix and a tie for 13th in Puerto Vallarta among his five made cuts in six starts. The results show McNealy is back from a labrum injury that sidelined him for a huge portion of 2023.
Another bounce back from injury belongs to Hoffman, who spent the past two-plus years fighting a balky back. His West Coast swing highlight was a playoff loss at Phoenix, but he also made three other cuts and has moved in the world rankings from No. 299 to No. 105.
Other players worth noting include Kurt Kitayama, who tied for eighth at Phoenix and was 5 for 5 in made cuts; Collin Morikawa, who tied for fifth at Kapalua among four starts; and UNLV alum Adam Scott, who tied for eighth at Phoenix and made all three cuts in his usual early-season limited schedule.
Among the rest:
Joseph Bramlett: Three made cuts in five starts. Best finish: T25 at Torrey Pines.
Harry Hall: Three made cuts in five starts. Best finish: T33 at Puerto Vallarta.
Garrick Higgo: Three made cuts in five starts. Best finish: T49 at Phoenix.
David Lipsky: Missed every cut in his five starts.
Taylor Montgomery: Five made cuts in six starts. Best finish: T13 at Waialae and Torrey Pines.
Ryan Moore: One made cut in five starts when he tied for 60th at Puerto Vallarta.
Seamus Power: Five made cuts in six starts. Best finish: T31 at Riviera and Pebble Beach.
Justin Suh: Two made cuts in five starts. Best finish: T22 at Phoenix.
Norman Xiong: One cut made in four starts. Best finish: 79th at Waialae.
Scott Piercy and Nick Watney, with limited status, each missed the cut in their only start.
Missing from the list is Xander Schauffele, the fifth-ranked player in the world, who has left Las Vegas after four years and relocated to Jupiter, Florida.
Nye County Amateur
Daren Johnson was the only player to shoot two subpar rounds at Mountain Falls Golf Club in Pahrump to win the championship flight at the Nye County Amateur.
Johnson went 68-71 over the weekend to finish at 5-under 139, good for a two-shot win over Jonathan Minkoff. With his lead down to one shot, Johnson birdied his 12th and 13th holes on Sunday, then parred in to secure the win.
In the Senior division, reigning player of the year Todd Roberts finished at 3-under 141 for a one-stroke win over Kelly Knievel and Robert Futrell. David Foggia won the Silver division by four shots after finishing at 3-over 147.
Other winners included Aaron Bartels (Championship net), Artie Miller (Senior net) and Ian Zuniga (Silver net).
Greg Robertson covers golf for the Review-Journal. He can be reached at grobertson@reviewjournal.com.