Reno-Tahoe Open poised for unprecedented success as tournament celebrates 10th anniversary

Newly appointed Legends Reno-Tahoe Open tournament director Michael Stearns has had to squeeze what is typically twelve months of tournament preparation into three or four. However, his upbeat attitude is indicative of the places northern Nevada's premier professional sporting event is going.

This year the tournament will feature its first-ever title sponsor in RED Development's The Legends at Sparks Marina and offer an enhanced entertainment selection for spectators. The event will also celebrate a milestone and showcase an excellent group of golfers. 

Celebrating its 10^th anniversary, the Legends Reno-Tahoe Open annually hosted at Reno's Montreux Golf and Country Club, showcases a bevy of talented players that are winning on Tour now, have done so in the past or have great potential for future success.

Despite its standing as an "opposite" event on Tour, the Reno-Tahoe Open takes place the same weekend as the World Golf Championships - Bridgestone Invitational, Stearns contends that there is no shortage of talent at his event.

"Our field is pretty darn good," said Stearns who came to the Reno-Tahoe Open with 23 years of tournament-management experience that includes over 100 professional and celebrity tournaments held nationally and internationally.

Three past winners of the Reno-Tahoe Open have already committed to the 2008 event: Will MacKenzie (2006), Chris Riley (2002) and Notah Begay III (1999). Chris DiMarco, runner-up to Tiger Woods in the 2005 Masters, is in the field for the first time since 2000. The field will also include past major champions Mark Brooks, Bob Tway and Larry Mize and up-and-coming stars like Jeff Quinney, Ryuji Imada, Alex Cejka and Jason Gore.

Also making headlines will be 18-year-old Michelle Wie, who has received a sponsor's exemption to play in the tournament, marking the eighth time in her career she has played on the PGA Tour. Wie has yet to make a cut playing with the men.

"It's not every day that a woman is given the opportunity to play on the greatest tour in the world," Wie, who was disqualified from a recent LPGA event for failing to sign her scorecard, said in a statement. "This is a tremendous opportunity for me to learn from these great players and take those lessons to the LPGA. This is another step in the process of making me a better player." 

The field will have an international flavor with 32 players representing 15 countries from every continent outside of Antarctica.

Stearns said the wealth of activities in the immediate area and the golf course itself has made this event a player favorite in the past and will continue to do so.

"I think Montreux Golf Club is a very challenging course and wide open in many other ways," he said. "It's a great test of golf...It is the 20^th hardest golf course on the PGA TOUR.  Pin locations are key and the greens are always difficult to read. Players just love coming here to play. They're well taken care of and the casinos are good to them, plus you have Lake Tahoe," Stearns continued. "I just think the whole package is really something. They (the players) even plan family vacations depending upon where we are on the schedule."

As is the case with any stop along the PGA Tour, community involvement and fan experience are also important elements that largely contribute to the success of any tournament. New additions to the 2008 Legends Reno-Tahoe Open start on the 16^th hole with "Fiesta Loco," a fiesta-themed hospitality area featuring margaritas, a taco bar and even a Mariachi Band. There will also be "Taste of Reno" on Hole 17 and the "Kids Par-Tee Zone" in addition to many other avenues for entertainment and community involvement during the week of the event.

Stearns believes that a combination of factors has helped make the tournament what it is and will be crucial if the event aspires to land an unencumbered date on the PGA TOUR.

"It's one big pie and some pieces may be a bit larger but they are still parts," he said. "What still stands on top is running a good event but it's a community event first and foremost and the community has been amazing and stood behind us.  The players enjoy playing and that part is done; they have a great environment to showcase their skills."

That environment was sculpted into a championship layout by the legendary Jack Nicklaus, who set out to build the finest golf course in Northern Nevada. By all accounts he has succeeded. Montreux, which opened for play in 1997, is a majestic setting framed by forests and mountains set just outside of downtown Reno. Nicklaus called it one of his finest efforts.

The Legends Reno-Tahoe Open will be played from the Golden Bear tees which stretch to a length of nearly 7,500 yards, making the course third longest on Tour. The course plays to a par-72 and has a slope of 145 from the tips.

"The scenery is dramatic and the woodlands magnificent," said the 18-time Major Champion. "Of all the courses I have designed, Montreux will certainly be one of my top four or five."

Golf fans will have an opportunity to catch all of the action from Reno on the Golf Channel, giving them a chance to become further acquainted with northern Nevada and marvelous Montreux.

"It's an important platform for us to get the word out about America's Adventure Place," said Stearns.

In an effort to the grow the game of golf, the Legends Reno-Tahoe Open has teamed with the Nevada Interscholastic Athletic Association to create an opportunity that is the first of its kind on the PGA Tour.

Golf champions from across the state of Nevada in all four classes will have a chance to work in close proximity to the professionals the week of the event. It will be an all-expenses-paid trip to give them an idea what it's like for a player out on Tour.

"We'll get them up here and give them uniforms and they'll work the tournaments as volunteers while they're in high school," said Stearns. "It will give them a chance to understand how the professionals handle their lives; get up front and personal and get to see that experience."

All supplementary activities at the 2008 Legends Reno-Tahoe Open take place Thursday, July 31 - Sunday Aug. 3. For more complete schedule information, visit www.LegendsRenoTahoeOpen.com.

For more information on this year's Legends Reno-Tahoe Open, including ticket sales, volunteer and sponsorship opportunities, contact The Legends Reno-Tahoe Open office at 775-322-3900 or visit the Web site.