Las Vegas Weekly

May 11, 2009 · 1:29 PM

Photo Gallery: World Series of Golf tees off today for $300,000 top prize

By Robin Leach

World Series of Golf.

Photo: World Series of Golf

Although the entry fee is a stiff $10,000 for only 125 of America’s best golfers, the grand prize for the 3rd Annual World Series of Golf is $300,000. The five-day event tees off today at our Paiute Golf Resort and will be covered by cameras for WGN as 13 one-hour shootout episodes.

The World Series of Golf merges golf with the wagering format of No-Limit Texas Hold ’em poker.

World Series of Golf President Terry Leiweke explained: “Our high-stakes format combines the best of golf and No-Limit Hold ’em poker. Players ante at each tee box; after teeing off in a pre-determined order, they have the option to call or raise the bets of competitors in their pairing or to fold the hole. Players who fold lose any bets they have committed to the pot and rejoin play on the next tee. Players who remain in the action continue to bet prior to each subsequent shot, building the pot as they move from the tee to the green. The player who wins the hole -- either by stroke count or by forcing his or her competitors to fold -- wins the pot.

“Players are eliminated when their $10,000 purse is exhausted or so depleted they cannot pay the ante on the next tee. Players who win their initial pairing advance to the tournament’s second round and recoup their $10,000 buy-in. Players who win their second-round pairing advance to the final round and are guaranteed a cash prize of at least $30,000. The winner of the event receives a cash prize of $300,000.”

Vegas DeLuxe will keep track of the progress during the week until the all-star winner is announced Friday.

Robin Leach has been a journalist for more than 50 years and has spent the past decade giving readers the inside scoop on Las Vegas, the world’s premier platinum playground.

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