Four golfers added to LV Senior Classic field

Steven Veriato certainly will be one of the long shots when the $1.4 million Las Vegas Senior Classic begins Thursday morning.

And that's fine with him.

Veriato, from Buda, Texas, shot a 2-under-par 69 in Monday's open qualifier at the Tournament Players Club at The Canyons and claimed one of four spots into the 78-player field for this week's 14th annual Las Vegas Senior Classic.

James Barker of San Antonio, Texas, also shot a 69 to share low honors with Veriato. Bob Wynn of La Quinta, Calif., shot a 70 to qualify and Howard Broun of Calgary, Alberta, Canada, survived a two-hole playoff and captured the final spot in the field. Broun was one of five golfers who shot even-par 71 Monday.

"We're used to being the underdog -- all of us are underdogs here -- and there are quite a few of us who can really play if we just had the chance," Veriato said.

Veriato, 53, has had this type of an opportunity before, making the field for 30 Senior PGA Tour events through Monday qualifiers since 1996. His best finish was a third place in Hawaii in 1996. He finished fifth twice last year en route to earning $104,630 in eight starts.

This will be Veriato's second Senior PGA Tour start this season. He qualified for the Toshiba Senior Classic in Newport Beach, Calif., in March and tied for 49th place, earning $3,380.

"That's what brings me out on Mondays," Veriato said of his limited success on the tour. "Every day is an experience, every qualifier is a learning experience and you learn more and more about yourself and your game and hopefully it all comes together some day.

"But Monday qualifiers are mighty difficult. There are basically a handful of guys out of 156 guys that really can make it."

Veriato was one of 156 non-exempt golfers who attempted to qualify for four available spots and one of only three golfers to break par in ideal conditions at the TPC at The Canyons.

"I was a little surprised that it only took 69 (to qualify), but it is difficult out there," Veriato, a former PGA Tour player, said.

Now that he is in the Las Vegas Senior Classic, Veriato said he wants to stay patient for the the first three rounds of the tournament.

"I have no specific goals, other than to just try to keep myself calm and play somewhat conservative," he said. "If my game is on, then I can do some attacking.

"You just want to be around for three days and hope you're close on the last day and maybe do something a little different on the last day."

* SENIOR NOTES: The Georgia Pacific Super Seniors tournament for players 60 years of age and older will be held Wednesday at Del Webb's Anthem Country Club in Henderson. The tournament, which offers a $60,000 purse and $14,000 to the winner, is free to the public.

Scheduled to play in the 9 a.m. shotgun start are Butch Baird, Gay Brewer, Billy Casper, Terry Dill, Lee Elder, Al Geiberger, Harold Henning, Dave Hill, Don January, Orville Moody, Tom Shaw and Walter Zembriski.

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