Tuesday, March 18, 1997 | 11:59 a.m.
When Jim Colbert won the Las Vegas Senior Classic last year at the TPC at Summerlin, his winning score was nine under par.
Chances are it will take a lower score to win this year's event, April 25-27, as the tournament has moved across the street to the new TPC at The Canyons.
For starters, The Canyons plays to a par of 71 (unlike the traditional par-72 design at Summerlin). But, more to the point, professional-level players may find the course challenging yet tameable, tricky yet susceptible if the player is on his game.
"I think you're right," Canyons head pro Chuck Bombard said. "There are some challenging holes, but these are the best players in the world who'll be coming in here. It's amazing what they can do.
"I don't think they'll shoot 60 or 61, but if the weather conditions are right and the wind is down, we could see guys like Hale Irwin and Raymond Floyd shoot 64."
Whatever Floyd shoots, attach an asterisk. He was the hands-on consultant who assisted course architect Bobby Weed design the newest TPC layout, one that opened last November.
Weed, a prot'eg'e of sorts of famed course architect Pete Dye, constructed The Canyons to reward accuracy and touch over length and power. It's not target golf, yet the premium is clearly on well-placed shots that avoid the sand, waste bunkers and ravines that add to the course's aesthetic appeal.
"It's a course that requires patience and creative shot making," Bombard said. "The advantage the pros will have is that they're all great shot makers.
"Look at it this way: The normal player just tries to advance the ball toward a general target; the good amateur will aim for a more specific location; and the top pros will hit the ball to within a foot of where they intend.
"Out here, if there's no wind, there'll be a lot of holes that will tempt the pros to go for the pin."
As advertised, the four-tee design of The Canyons allows players to be comfortably challenged regardless of their skill level. While the course can be stretched to 7,063 yards, it will be set up for approximately 6,900 yards for the Senior Tour event.
PGA Tour pro Robert Gamez of Las Vegas holds the current, unofficial course record of 70, a mark sure to fall the first day the Seniors are turned loose on it.
"The course will be in great shape," Bombard said. "The rough will be grown out to 3 inches, which I think will be challenging. The greens are faster than I anticipated and they'll be faster yet after we top-dress them to get the bumpy spots smoothed out."
The course -- newest of 14 in the nine-state TPC network -- will close April 19 for final preparations for the tour event. Stimp-meter readings for the greens right now are 10, and they'll be an even quicker 11 for the pros.
Those items will affect scoring, as will the fact new greens are always marginally unpredictable due to a lack of grain. Factor in the pros' unfamiliarity with the course and not everyone is going to shoot 65, at least until they learn the nuances.
Yet Colbert's 207 -- on rounds of 63, 74 and 70 -- is apt to be bettered.
"This is a traditional-type course," Bombard said. "There are a lot of holes where you've got to run the ball up, the way the game was originally meant to be played, instead of trying to land right at the pin.
"We might see some low scores, but (Colbert's) nine under still sounds pretty good to me."
A quick look at each of the 18 holes:
* #1 ... 359 yards ... par 4 ... wide fairway greets the player and provides an early birdie opportunity.
* #2 ... 196 yards ... par 3 ... it's all club selection ... birdie hole but only for those accurate off the tee.
* #3 ... 466 yards ... par 4 ... No. 1 handicap hole because of its length ... waste bunker on right of fairway interesting but maybe not a great threat ... second shot requires keeping the ball in front of the hole, not behind.
* #4 ... 544 yards ... par 5 ... some potential trouble ... pros will weigh going for the green in two, although surrounding greenside bunkers will penalize wayward shots.
* #5 ... 378 yards ... par 4 ... with front of green sloping severely and a bunker as protection, best advice is to take par and move on.
* #6 ... 590 yards ... par 5 ... no going for this in two ... important to place second shot on plateau, which affords good look at green for final approach ... traps are troublesome.
* #7 ... 209 yards ... par 3 ... looks and plays a bit longer ... green slopes back to front ... bogeys not likely but neither are birds.
* #8 ... 458 yards ... par 4 ... relatively simple despite its length ... with left-to-right tee shot, danger is minimized.
* #9 ... 349 yards ... par 4 ... semiblind second shot to green that is wide but not deep ... final-round pin placement could make this a tough par.
* #10 ... 419 yards ... par 4 ... fairly routine ... wide fairway ... uphill ... green receptive to run-up second shot.
* #11 ... 444 yards ... par 4 ... testy hole with prevailing crosswind ... won't be many birdies here.
* #12 ... 145 yards ... par 3 ... peninsula green, separated into two levels by ridge, with desert surrounding ... tricky despite short length.
* #13 ... 381 yards ... par 4 ... back tee is in ravine, which leads to blind drive, yet hole won't play quite that tough as Seniors will tee off from spot behind 12th green ... still won't be easy ... "Rattlesnake Habitat" warning signs don't ease jitters either.
* #14 ... 365 yards ... par 4 ... blind, uphill tee shot, perhaps with 3-iron ... short iron to green.
* #15 ... 598 yards ... par 5 ... downhill but it's three to the green unless Sunday challenger feels need to gamble ... figures to be a pivotal hole in tournament's outcome ... could be some birdies but only if players want to take a risk.
* #16 ... 202 yards ... par 3 ... scenic view of the valley ... green is on a ridge just beyond natural barranca, with bunkers to right.
* #17 ... 443 yards ... par 4 ... will be 3-wood off tee if wind is from behind ... green falls slightly away ... players will have to use care and rely on shot-making ability.
* #18 ... 447 yards ... par 4 ... downhill from elevated tee ... tight fairway with water left and bunkers right ... green protected by water and sand ... "It's a classic finishing hole," Bombard said. "It's designed to create excitement and it'll be great for the spectators."
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