Frys.com takes up Las Vegas sponsorship

BY Bruce Young | US PGA Tour | 2006 Frys.com Open | Preview | 11 Oct 2006

The tournament which for so long was known as the Las Vegas Invitational and in more recent years under various sponsorship titles has a new sponsor and a new name in 2006 – the Frys.com Open.

Frys.com is an internet based electronics shop which has come on board this season as the sponsor of an event first played back in 1983.

The tournament, which for so long was a 90 hole affair has been reduced to 72 holes in the past two years. Recent winners have been Wes Short Jr (the defending champion), Andre Stolz (2004) and Stuart Appleby (2003).

The two courses used will be the Bobby Weed and Fuzzy Zoeller designed TPC at Summerlin, which is the host course, and the Ray Floyd designed TPC at the Canyons. The first two rounds will be rotated over both courses with the host course alone being used over the weekend.

The raging hot favourite to take the title is the world number two golfer at present Jim Furyk, who won his first USPGA Tour event at this tournament back in 1995 and has been a regular contender since. He has won on two further occasions and last year did his best to beat Short with a last round 65 before falling victim to a bogey on the second playoff hole. Furyk is in stunning form at present.

David Howell is an interesting entrant. He was 13th at the American Express before missing the cut at last week’s Alfred Dunhill links event in Scotland. He has not played this event previously but as a member of the successful Ryder Cup team and number three on the European Tour money list he deserves respect.

Chris DiMarco has played well on occasions in Las Vegas but although his form has improved in recent weeks he has struggled for much of this year.

Another Howell, Charles Howell III, has begun to play better of late after an indifferent run of form earlier this year and he returns to a tournament where he has often played well.

Ryan Moore is beginning to realise the potential that saw him as one of the United States greatest amateur golfers of all time and now that he has found his feet on the PGA Tour with three top tens in his last five starts he could again go well. His 16th place finish last year in his debut in this event suggests he likes what he sees of the two courses.

Scott Verplank was struggling with his game prior to the Ryder Cup and did not fare much better there or at the American Express. He is one of the higher ranked players in the tournament and does possess a reasonably good record in this event.

Shigeki Maruyama seemed to be on the improve before a surprising missed cut last week. He was 6th last year in this event.

Aaron Oberholser has played very well in recent weeks and although he missed the cut at his only start in this event he is playing well enough to improve on that record.

Like Moore, Nick Watney seems to have discovered the form that made him such a brilliant amateur before turning professional and his recent form along with his 6th place finish last year in this event suggest that he might again be a serious contender.

Harrison Frazar has been very solid in recent weeks and with a third and runner up placing in this event in the past two years he has the credentials to be a challenger on Sunday. He was 10th three weeks ago in Texas.

Will MacKenzie finished 8th here twelve months ago in a finish that stood out like a beacon in his 2005 season. Now as a winner on the PGA Tour at Reno this year, he is far better placed to handle contention than he was last year and might be a factor.

The Australasians are perhaps headed by Nathan Green, who will be keen for a big week to challenge the top thirty on the money list and make the Tour Championship in three weeks time. He has not played this event previously but seems to keep making cuts wherever he plays.

Aaron Baddeley, Craig Parry, Mark Hensby, Stephen Leaney, Mathew Gogggin, Steve Bowditch, Greg Chalmers and previous winner Phil Tataurangi make up the rest of the Australasians.

Photo – Anthony Powter