Big Sky finds new home at Boulder Creek for conference tournaments
Boulder Creek Golf Club officials always have embraced college golf, so it shouldn’t be surprising that the Boulder City course will host the men’s and women’s Big Sky Conference championships for the next three years.
The women finished their 54-hole championship Wednesday at the 27-hole facility, with Idaho edging Sacramento State by one stroke for the title. The men’s tournament is scheduled for April 29 to May 1.
Boulder Creek has been the home course for the nationally ranked UNLV women’s golf team for most of the decade and is the site for its home tournament each October. And the Bucknell women’s team hosted two invitationals at the course this season.
Other prominent tournaments, including state high school championships and a Monday qualifier for the PGA Tour’s Shriners Hospitals for Children Open, have been played at the course.
“I have always believed our course is very challenging but also a lot of fun to play, and it sets up perfectly for a college tournament,” said director of golf Andy Schaper, also a strong supporter of junior golf. “I think it was made for this because of our location, the playability of the course, and our practice area can accommodate 100 players practicing at the same time.”
Big Sky officials were convinced.
“We mandate that we hold our golf championships in a warm-weather climate, and from there we rely on the recommendations of our coaches about where to play, and they were in favor of moving to Boulder Creek from Arizona,” Big Sky assistant commissioner Jon Kasper said.
The women’s tournament was a homecoming for two freshmen from Las Vegas. Green Valley graduate Mercedes Khumnark plays at Eastern Washington, and Faith Lutheran graduate Julia Becker plays for Sacramento State. They finished tied for 11th.
Khumnark was the 2014 Sunrise Region individual champion, and Becker won two consecutive Division I-A individual titles.
Top pro on the move
Mike Davis, a Golf Channel contributor and recognized as a top 100 teaching professional by Golf Magazine, has been named the director of instruction at DragonRidge Country Club. He is creating a state-of-the-art teaching experience in a building that formerly housed the Jack Nicklaus Golf Academy. Davis previously worked at Walters Golf.
Deal of the week
Rhodes Ranch twilight rates for Clark County residents start at $29 and include two draft beers.
Rebels lose captain
UNLV captain AJ McInerney will be out indefinitely after falling at a family event. That means the senior will miss the Mountain West men’s conference tournament Friday through Sunday at Tucson National Golf Club in Tucson, Arizona.
Stars on course
Future Baseball Hall of Famer Derek Jeter’s Turn 2 Foundation tournament began Wednesday and ends Saturday at Shadow Creek. Ken Griffey Jr., Rob Riggle, Cal Ripken Jr. and Misty May-Treanor are among those expected to play.
The golf notebook appears Thursdays. Freelance writer Brian Hurlburt is a two-time author who has covered golf in Las Vegas for more than two decades. He can be reached at bhurlburt5@gmail.com or @LVGolfInsider
