Surgery limiting LVI champ Glasson

Bill Glasson has spent more time in interview rooms talking about his myriad surgeries than his tournament victories -- which is not so surprising, because he has undergone 12 operations and won seven PGA Tour titles.

Just 17 months after undergoing a career-threatening operation on his right elbow, Glasson capped his comeback with a one-shot victory in last year's Las Vegas Invitational. He played -- and won -- in Las Vegas with a torn tendon in his left elbow.

Before that, it was elbow surgery, four sinus operations, four knee surgeries, lip surgery and forearm surgery.

Less than a month after winning in Las Vegas, Glasson was back under the knife, this time facing yet another potentially career-ending surgery to reattach the torn tendon in his left elbow.

The surgery has limited the 39-year-old to only seven tournaments this season. But Glasson is taking his latest medical setback as just another challenge.

"Half of it is a challenge to see if I can regain it," said Glasson, who was in town Tuesday as part of the LVI's Champions Day at the Desert Inn hotel-casino.

"I have never really felt like, 'Why me' or felt sorry for myself. I look at it as just another challenge. It would be pretty boring, I think, if I was healthy all the time."

Boring, perhaps, but Glasson can't help but think what he might have accomplished on the tour had he remained healthy for more than two seasons in a row.

"People joke about that, about how I only need one arm and things like that," Glasson said. "It was a tremendous accomplishment, looking back, that I was able to (win the LVI) with the amount of damage I had. On the other hand, I think I could be that much better if I were healthy."

But Glasson refuses to dwell on "what-ifs" and prefers to count his blessings.

"I have been on tour for 15 years now -- more or less, but I've never really played consecutive years healthy -- but because I have been away from it (with the injuries), I have a better appreciation for it.

"I've been kind of on that line where I've wondered if I'd ever play again, especially to the quality that you have to play. So I think I have a better appreciation for the opportunity that we have than maybe some people who have never looked at it from, 'Am I ever going to play again?' It makes you a little bit more appreciative."

Although his most recent surgery has left Glasson unable to practice as much as he would like and prohibits him from playing two weeks in a row, he said he already is looking forward to returning to Las Vegas in October to defend his LVI title.

"Right now, I'm confident that I can play about every other week," Glasson, who finished tied for 13th at last week's PGA Championship, said.

"When I get into October and the Invitational, I hope to be able to play back-to-back tournaments. I'm looking forward to playing here. I always come here thinking that I'm going to play well here -- even if I haven't been playing well leading up to it."

Glasson obviously is hoping that history will repeat itself this fall in Las Vegas and that he can prove to himself, once again, that he can play golf at the highest level.

"When you go through potentially career-ending surgery, you never know if you're completely back or if you can survive the experience until you win," he said.

* LVI NOTES: Five former Las Vegas Invitational champions already have committed to play in this year's tournament, including Fuzzy Zoeller, Andrew Magee, John Cook, Davis Love III and Bruce Lietzke. Also, Las Vegas native Robert Gamez and 1998 PGA Tour winners Mark Calcavecchia, Olin Browne and Joe Durant have announced their intentions to play in the Oct. 14-18 event, which will be held at the TPC at Summerlin, Las Vegas Country Club and Desert Inn Golf Club. Other players who have sent in early commitments include Jay Don Blake, Stewart Cink, Peter Jacobsen, Scott McCarron, Jeff Sluman and Craig Stadler.

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