PGA Tour: Going Low in the Desert

There is an adage that goes “what happen in Vegas, stays in Vegas.” 

Well, that would certainly hold true for the astounding display of scoring we have seen at the Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals For Children Open in Las Vegas, Nev., this week.

The lowest 36-hole cut this year was -3 at the Buick Open at Warwick Hills Golf & Country Club in Michigan. 

This week at TPC Summerlin, players that were -6 or better got to continue playing on the weekend, doubling the previous low cut of the year. 

After the first two rounds, co-leaders Matt Kuchar and Marc Turnesa are at 18 under par. Zach Johnson, last week’s Valero Texas Open winner, is one back of the lead at 17 under par after firing a 62 and 65 in his first two rounds. 

46 players in the field are currently at 10 under par or better after 36 holes. 

Yesterday afternoon, Tim Herron followed a front-nine 36 with a 29 on the back nine.  No, that is not a typo.  Herron actually broke 30 on the back nine at TPC Summerlin yesterday afternoon.

Herron birdied the 10th, parred the 11th and birdied every other hole on the back nine other than the 240-yard par-3 17th.

The Tour’s biggest stars typically call it a year after the Tour Championship in September.  The Fall Series is normally reserved for those who are around the 125 mark on the Tour’s money list and are desperately trying to play themselves into the top 125, avoiding a demoralizing return to Q-School.

TPC Summerlin plays 7,243 yards, which is about average for a PGA Tour stop. 

However, out in the Nevada desert there is virtually no wind and the thin air allows the ball to travel further.  Combine that with rock hard fairways where 300 yard drives can easily roll an additional 30-40 yards and you have the perfect combination of conditions to facilitate the absurdly low scoring we have seen this week.

If ever you had any doubt as to just how good even the average PGA Tour player is, you need look no further than this week’s event.

TPC Summerlin is playing slightly easier than the average Tour stop and has seen the bottom half of the PGA Tour absolutely maul this beautiful desert course. 

Now, if the winds pick up over the weekend, TPC Summerlin could turn into a much more difficult course. 

But if the same pristine conditions remain on Saturday and Sunday, look for someone to flirt with and possibly even break the inconceivable -30 mark.