Another sudden death playoff decides the annual Nevada Open (12/18/2011)
Possibly the best way to highlight a golf course is by presenting dramatic tournaments just as the CasaBlanca Golf Club has done in the past two years during the Nevada Open.
That point was driven home for the second consecutive year Friday when Las Vegas native Drew Scott won a two-hole playoff over Farmington, Utah resident Daniel Summerhays to capture the Nevada Open at the CasaBlanca Golf Club.
“We like to showcase the fact that this is the best place to play golf – in Mesquite,” said Mesquite Gaming COO Randy Black, who saw Phoenix golfer Brady Schnell capture a three-hole sudden death victory at the same location in 2010. By the time the officials of the tournament determined after regulation play that a playoff was needed after each golfer ended up with regulation scores of 203, the staff of the CasaBlanca had already started getting the golf carts ready to go in what appeared to be business-as-usual. On the first hole of the playoff on the CasaBlanca’s 426-yard No. 18 layout, each golfer was on the green in two shots. Each two-putted for pars to prompt another playoff hole. On the 396-yard No. 1 hole, Summerhays hit down the center ending about 100 yards from the flag before both used short wedges to reach the green. Summerhays was about ten feet past the pin before his putt broke to the left. Scott, who was only inches away, sank his putt to end the tournament. A veteran of the game who said he has been playing golf since he was eight years of
Page 1 of 4 age, the 28 year-old standout now plans to participate in the Nationwide Tour beginning in January. Scott won big-time, too, taking home $10,000 for his efforts for his sudden death victory. The showdown was classic for both golfers, who are highly-respected for their talent. Summerhayes recently completed Q School and earned his PGA Tour card for the 2012 season; while Scott’s talent is highlighted by the fact that he plays out of the prestigious Cascata Golf Club in Boulder City. The tenth annual appearance of the Nevada Open at the CasaBlanca certainly had its share of drama in a three-day event that drew about 190 players to the All-American playground for golf. It also had a fascinating ending considering that the top amateur Joseph Harrison and Scott both graduated from Green Valley High School in Henderson. “I played in the Nevada Open when I was 16,” recalled Scott after the tournament had been concluded. “Bob May won it that year.” The strong talent in the tournament was illustrated by the fact that two top players didn’t make the cut. Brian Prouty, the 2009 winner from Phoenix; and Steve Saunders, who tied with Brady Schnell at the end of regulation play in the 2010 Nevada Open, both failed to make it to the final round. Mesquite Gaming Director of Golf Scott Sullivan, who joined the CasaBlanca after first serving as general manager of the Oasis Golf Course, lauded the event. “It went really well,” he said. “We had great weather for this time of year. We had a lot of good players show up and the cut line was under par. We have done a lot of work on the golf courses and we feel that the caliber of golfers in this tournament was true testament to our efforts.”
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Sullivan pointed out that the hard work was exemplified by the fact that the staff and management of Mesquite Gaming resurrected the fifth hole after it was severely washed away last December. “We took what we had and instead of trying to rebuild the hole the way it used to be, we used two men named Bill Atkin and Brad Vowels of Turf Tech Inc. out of Boulder City,” said Sullivan. “Bill built all the Boulder City golf courses and he knew right what to do. He got two bulldozers and brought everything down to grade. Then he used his imagination and got it all back together under budget – without damaging much of the native vegetation. “The fifth hole was literally brought back from the dead. It now plays 466 yards into a prevailing wind.”
CAPTIONS:
HUG – Southern Nevadan Drew Scott receives a hug from girl friend Melissa McCann after winning the 2011 Nevada Open in a sudden death playoff Friday at the CasaBlanca Resort.
WINNERS: Mesquite Gaming COO Randy Black, right, congratulates 2011 Nevada Open winner Drew Scott, center, and the tournament’s top amateur Joseph Harrison following Friday’s final round played at the CasaBlanca Golf Course in Mesquite.
FAIRWAY: The fairways of golf courses in Mesquite were busy for the annual Nevada Open tournament played Wednesday through Friday. The tournament concluded at the CasaBlanca Golf Course.
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LINING UP: Drew Scott lines up a putt during the final round play in the Nevada Open at the CasaBlanca Golf Course Friday.
FINALHOLE: Daniel Summerhays of Farmington, Utah, left, congratulates 2011 Nevada Open winner Drew Scott of Las Vegas for winning the tournament on the second hole of sudden death Friday at the CasaBlanca Golf Course in Mesquite.
SUMMERHAYS: Daniel Summerhays of Farmington, Utah, heads for a two-hole sudden death playoff during the final round of the Nevada Open Friday at the CasaBlanca Golf Club. The event was won by Drew Scott of Las Vegas.
CONTACTS: Darrell Edwards, Mesquite Gaming General Sales Manager, 888-711- 4653, ext. 11; Mike Henle, 702-279-3483, www.mikehenle.com, [email protected].
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