Local qualifying opens for world’s largest putting tournament
Cirque du Soleil founder gets behind event which will wrap up in Las Vegas
Guillaume Béland said a postdinner competition at the celebrated Oakmont course outside Pittsburgh provided the inspiration for the world’s largest putting tournament.
“After dinner, we went back out to the putting green and had a little contest,” recalled Béland. “A while later, Guy Laliberté was organizing a fundraiser for the One Drop Foundation, which promotes water projects in developing countries, and I suggested a putting contest. It turned out to be very popular.”
So popular that Laliberté, the cofounder of Cirque du Soleil, joined Béland in creating the Majors Series of Putting. The event, which features a series of qualifying events across North America, will culminate in the final event, Oct. 27 to Nov. 5 in a stadium adjacent to the Planet Hollywood resort in Las Vegas.
The course was created by Nicklaus Design with Southwest Greens Construction providing the artificial turf putting surface.
“The beauty of the event is that even if you’re not a great golfer, you can compete,” MSOP marketing director Mathieu Dépatie said Wednesday as he watched a parade of hopefuls tackle the putting green in a local qualifying event at the picturesque Club de Golf Montcalm. “You don’t have to hit 300 yards off the tee.”
The qualifying format is simple. You play nine holes and the top golfers move on to the regional qualifier.
From there, there is a Quebec final with two golfers qualifying for Las Vegas, where there will be 72hole stroke play, match play and team events.
While the event has the blessing of the United States Golf Association, there will be one noticeable change from conventional tournaments. Rule 15 reads: Because of the particular nature of the course and stadium, players are expected to play in a dynamic and noisy environment. In other words, competitors can expect to hear cheering and even the occasional heckler as they line up to putt.
Béland said the most anticipated event in Vegas will be a high-roller competition on Nov. 4-5. A number of celebrities are expected to join the battle for $240,000 in prize money. There’s an entry fee of $11,111, with $1,111 earmarked for the One Drop Foundation.
Dépatie said the concept was rolled out last winter at the annual PGA Merchandise Show in Orlando. Brad Faxon, a three-time PGA Tour putting champion who serves as a spokesman for MSOP, was upstaged by one of the qualifiers.
“There was a guy who was seven-under and that’s the best score we’ve seen,” said Dépatie. For those of you who don’t want to do the math, that means the golfer sank his first shot on seven of the nine holes.
None of the qualifiers here challenged that mark, but Carole Lepine, Gilbert Gaudet, Sonny Morrow, Benoit Gagné, Marc-André Grenier and Laurent Malo all checked in at minus-3. They advanced to the regional qualifier along with nine other golfers who were tied at minus-2.
The first round of local qualifying is free, but Gino Verilli, the pro who sets the courses, said many golfers pay $10 to play additional rounds.
“They use the first round to see how the putts break and they can make adjustments on their net try,” Verilli said. “They may post a score and then come back a few hours later to see if someone has moved ahead of them.”
Local and regional qualifying events continue at Montreal-area clubs through the summer. Further information is available at www.msop.com.
The beauty of the event is that even if you’re not a great golfer, you can compete. You don’t have to hit 300 yards off the tee.