Brutally honest Charley Hoffman looks to improve Shriners finish
Charley Hoffman gave an honest assessment when asked about his thoughts entering his hometown PGA Tour event, the Shriners Hospitals for Children Open from Nov. 3 to 6 at TPC Summerlin.
“Well, I don’t really have a very good track record in that event, and I’d like to think that will change in a couple weeks,” Hoffman said with a chuckle.
Hoffman, a former UNLV All-American and member of the 1998 national championship team, has missed the cut in Las Vegas the past two years, but did finish fourth in 2014. On the course, the four-time PGA Tour winner hasn’t performed up to his lofty standards.
However, if off-the-course success was measured by a leaderboard, Hoffman’s name would be at the top. He and his wife, Stacy, annually host the Charley Hoffman Foundation Pro-Am on Sunday and Monday of tournament week and have raised a combined $1.8 million for worthy organizations through his Las Vegas event and another one he holds each year in his native San Diego.
This year’s Las Vegas festivities include a public event at Topgolf Las Vegas with a pro-am at TPC Summerlin. Hoffman said Ernie Els, Chad Campbell, Andres Gonzales, Bryson Dechambeau, Ricky Barnes, Colt Knost, Pat Perez and several other players are scheduled to attend.
“Our Las Vegas event gets stronger and stronger each year, and it’s very special for me to have the opportunity to support this community,” Hoffman said. “I’ve lived here for more than half of my life now, and I never dreamed I would be in a position to give back like this. Stacy and I are fortunate to be able to help so many great organizations.”
When asked if his demands during Shriners week could play a role in his lack of success, Hoffman was quick to not make excuses.
“I’d like to say no, but it might play a small part of it,” Hoffman said. “But truthfully, the TPC Summerlin course of today is much more difficult than the one I played in college. The rough is longer, and they have tightened up the fairways. The course really doesn’t fit my eye very well for some reason. The fact is that if I hit more fairways on the par-5 holes, I would probably have a lot more success.”
Tickets to the Hoffman Foundation Topgolf event Oct. 30 are $75. Information is available at CharleyHoffman.com.
MOLASKY INTERVIEW
The annual Las Vegas Golf Hall of Fame Night of Induction is scheduled for Oct. 28 at The Hill at TPC Summerlin. A highlight will be an interview that I recently filmed with inductee Irwin Molasky, who gets emotional when he reminisces about his friendship with Arnold Palmer and relives other compelling life moments.
Molasky is a longtime developer and benefactor who helped create the PGA Tour’s Tournament of Champions, played in Las Vegas from 1953 to 1968, and the LPGA Championship, a major played in Las Vegas from 1961 to 1966.
Other inductees are Bill Rohret, Mike Dunaway and Dean Wilson. Tickets are available at LasVegasGolfHOF.com.
FINKELSTEIN EARNS CARD
Dana Finkelstein, a former UNLV All-American and three-time Mountain West player of the year, finished seventh on this year’s LPGA Symetra Tour Volvik Race for the Card standings to qualify for the 2017 LPGA Tour.
Finkelstein, who played for UNLV from 2011 to 2015, won the Garden City Charity Classic in September and totaled $76,314 in season earnings. She is the fourth former Lady Rebel to earn official LPGA Tour status.
“It’s really a dream come true,” Finkelstein said. “Coming into this year, I probably wouldn’t have expected to get my card, but obviously that was my ultimate goal. I’ve wanted it a lot this year, and I feel ready to compete on the LPGA Tour next year.”
STARS ON, OFF COURSE
Dozens of PGA of America club professionals from the South Central PGA section played their annual Las Vegas pro-am this week at SouthShore, Southern Highlands and DragonRidge.
The golf notebook appears each Thursday. 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.
