May 5, 2009–Thus far, 2009 has been a pretty big year in professional golf for players who have strong ties to Las Vegas golf
courses. Currently, there are more than two dozen pro golfers on the PGA Tour, Champions Tour, Nationwide Tour and LPGA Tour that either live here, played collegiately at UNLV, grew up here or lived here for a long period. 2008 U.S. Women's Open Champion Inbee Park (pictured) played high school golf in Las Vegas and is just one of no fewer than 28 golf stars listed on official money lists who have ties to Golf's Ultimate City. The following guide will educate and allow you to easily click to the official profiles and official player websites for our favorite Tour players. The guide is listed in alphabetical order, with 2009 official tour affiliation status. But to give you an idea of the depth of Las Vegas golf talent, before we get to the nitty, gritty guide, here is a listing of golfers with strong ties to Las Vegas golf courses: Tommy Armour III, Bob May, Natalie Gulbis, Stephanie Louden, Seung Su Han, Adam Scott, Ryan Moore, Charley Hoffman, Kim Hall, Erica Blasberg, Charlotte Mayorkas, Bill Lunde, Craig Barlow, Dean Wilson, Robert Gamez, Alex Cejka, Nick Watney, Jim Colbert, Jeremy Anderson, Andres Gonzales, Chris Riley, Inbee Park, Alex Prugh, Chad Campbell, Skip Kendall, Scott Piercy, and others. Tommy Armour III, PGA Tour, grew up on the fairways of the old Desert Inn Country Club, and was a standout golfer at Las Vegas' Bishop Gorman High School before moving on to play for current UNLV Head Golf Coach Dwaine Knight at the University of New Mexico. Armour III holds the PGA Tour's all-time scoring record, fired at the 2003 Valero Texas Open. He fired rounds of 64-62-63-65–254 to set the low total in PGA Tour history. He also fired a 60 during the 1999 Las Vegas Invitational, tied for the second-lowest in PGA Tour history. He is known for his fun-loving ways in addition to his excellent golf, and he is also the grandson of World Golf Hall of Famer Tommy Armour. Armour III is a member of the Las Vegas Golf Hall of Fame class of 2008. Click now for his official . Erica Blasberg, LPGA Tour, moved to Las Vegas a few years ago following an All-American golf career at the University of Arizona. She won six times in college and was the 2003 PAC 10 Player of the Year. She has played the LPGA Tour for five years and now practices out of Las Vegas' Southern Highlands Golf Club. She has earned more than $300,000 during her LPGA Tour career. Click now for . Chad Campbell, PGA Tour, nearly won the 2009 Masters, but is one of the more accomplished PGA Tour stars with deep ties to Las Vegas. Campbell was an All-American at UNLV from 1995-96, and has gone on to huge success on golf's biggest tour. Through 2009, he was a three-time United States Ryder Cup team member and had earned more than $17 million during his PGA Tour career. Click now for his official . Alex Cejka, PGA Tour, is arguably the most traveled PGA Tour player with ties to Las Vegas. Cejka fled the Czech Republic as a child, landing in Germany, but several years ago moved to Laughlin, Nevada, a river gambling town located about 90 miles south of Las Vegas. Cejka than made the move to the Las Vegas area where he plays and practices out of TPC Las Vegas, as many other Las Vegas pros do. Cejka is a veteran PGA Tour player, but is still looking for his first PGA Tour win. He does have 11 international victories and had earned more than $5.5 million during his PGA Tour career. “I feel very comfortable in a lot of places,” said Cejka. “But there is no airport in Laughlin, and I grew tired of the long drive back and forth to the airport in Las Vegas. I had played TPC Las Vegas and TPC Summerlin, and I grew to love the area so I decided to make the move here.” Click now for his official , or if you speak German, for alex-cejka.com. Jim Colbert, Champions Tour, is a member of the Las Vegas Golf Hall of Fame, and is one of the most influential members of the Las Vegas golf community. While he no longer lives in the area, Colbert's impact on the Las Vegas golf community is everlasting. He was instrumental in bringing the PGA Tour back to Las Vegas in 1983, and helped form the Las Vegas Founders Club, who, in turn, helped raise more than $13 million for Las Vegas charitable organizations. Colbert won the 1995 and 1996 Las Vegas Senior Classic events, becoming the first Vegas resident to win an officially-sanctioned PGA Tour event in Las Vegas, and was a Senior Player of the Year. He is still is active on the Champions Tour. Ran his own golf course management company, Jim Colbert Golf, prior to joining the Champions Tour, and one of the courses he operated was Las Vegas Golf Club and the old Sunrise Country Club. Click now for his official .
Jeff Gallagher, Nationwide Tour, is a pro golf veteran who has played in more than 125 PGA Tour events, earning more than $800,000, in addition to playing in more than 250 Nationwide Tour events, earning more than $500,000. His older brother is Jim Gallagher, Jr., of the PGA TOUR and sister is Jackie Gallagher-Smith of the LPGA. Lists qualifying for the 1996 PGA TOUR season as his biggest thrill in golf. Gallagher is continually offering his services to area charities and is seen practicing at DragonRidge Country Club and Souther Highlands Golf Club. He has won two Nationwide Tour events. Click now for his official .