Steve Wynn is widely known as one of the world's great casino operators, though his reputation as a golf course designer is more of a secret.

But Wynn played a large role in the design of Shadow Creek Golf Club in North Las Vegas, now rated 20th on "Golf Digest's" list of the 100 greatest courses in the country.

And Wynn is just as happy with his newest work, the Wynn Las Vegas Golf Club.

But unlike Shadow Creek, Wynn has lifted the veil of exclusivity around his latest creation just a bit. He has agreed to have The Ultimate Game, a high-stakes tournament with golf's richest prize, played on his course and televised nationally.

Fox will broadcast the final two rounds of The Ultimate Game, which is open to anyone who has never been a fully exempt member of the PGA Tour, the European PGA Tour, the Champions Tour or the Nationwide Tour, on tape delay June 9 and 10.

Organizers announced at a Tuesday news conference that the field of 160 will compete in match-play rounds at Reflection Bay Golf Club and The Falls Golf Club at Lake Las Vegas in Henderson from May 29 through June 1. The surviving 12 will advance for two rounds of medal play at Wynn Las Vegas on June 7 and 8, with the winner taking home $2 million.

Wynn said he had literally hundreds of offers to host tournaments at Shadow Creek and always resisted. But he said he loved the concept of The Ultimate Game when he heard about it from executive producer Terry Jastrow.

"This is a different kind of pressure than you normally see, even for these great golf hustlers," Wynn said. "This is Jack Nicklaus' pressure. Alone, Phil Mickelson would have his hands full with a whole bunch of guys. A whole bunch of guys. He'd tell you that in a second.

"But what happens when they get into Jack Nicklaus' game? That's what Jastrow is going to do. He's going to put them on Fox TV in prime time. Whoo. That's the heart of it. It's a giggle. It's worth watching. We'll get an audience for this."

A big lure for the public will be to see the golf course. The gallery will be by invitation only, so the only chance for most to see the course will be on TV.

Wynn worked with Tom Fazio on Shadow Creek, and Wynn said he used most of the same principals when designing Wynn Las Vegas with Fazio and Andy Banfield. Wynn wanted no blind shots. He wanted holes to run north-south instead of east-west so golfers weren't playing into the sun.

He wanted the holes to have sides. Water always had to be below the players, not above them or hidden around a corner.

In both cases, he said no dirt was brought in or taken out to build the holes, but the existing dirt was scooped and moved.

"This is a triumph of the creativity of Tom Fazio and Andy Banfield, my two pals who worked on Shadow Creek," Wynn said. "My contribution was very small. I am quite proud of the job they did. I think the golf course plays beautifully.

"I wish we had a great big practice area, like they do at Shadow Creek, but that was one of the things we couldn't afford here in terms of (available land). But as far as the 18 holes go, it's spot on."

Wynn said he is confident the course will be a test for players vying for the $2 million first prize. And though he said he's proud of both courses, he didn't want to pick which was better.

Like a parent talking about his children, Wynn said he loves them equally.

"There are some guys who like it better than Shadow Creek," Wynn said. "It's got its own appeal. It's like singing: You can't compare Elvis to Frank Sinatra. You can't compare Augusta to Pine Valley. ... All the great golf courses have one thing in common, and that's that they have their own personality. When we design a golf course, we're more interested in its own internal consistency, that it has a beginning, a middle and an end, and that the holes build to a natural climax, than we are whether it's as good as another place or like another."

• ULTIMATE ENTRIES -- David Ping and Garth Mulroy, who won the forerunner of The Ultimate Game last year when it was a team competition and known as Big Stakes Match Play, are entered as individuals.

So, too, are former NFL quarterbacks Billy Joe Tolliver and Chris Chandler and actor Jack Wagner, said tournament co-founder Steve Bartkowski.

• NO WIRES -- Jastrow, who has won seven Emmy Awards and produced 68 golf major championships, said one of the requirements Wynn made before accepting the tournament was that Fox use no wires.

"We're going to use RF (Radio Frequency) technology, but I think the guys at Fox want to really push the envelope and see if they can't use RFHD technology," Jastrow said.

Kevin Iole's golf notes are published Thursday. He can be reached at 396-4428 or kiole@reviewjournal.com.