Tickets recently went on sale for the 2008 Justin Timberlake Shriners Hospitals for Children Open which, despite its long, clunky name, could be a refreshing addition to the Tour's Fall schedule.
Sure the Las Vegas tournament is now in its 26th year, but Timberlake's presence could raise the tournament's profile. (Right now it's best known for being the site of Tiger's first professional win.)
Based on Timberlake's golf "skillz" (see his "respectable" 99 at Torrey Pines pre U.S. Open) and his recent top notch performance at the ESPY awards, there's no reason why he can't pull off some magic come October.
Still, it'll be hard for the JTSHCO to attract an A-list field. For one thing it's played post FedEx and Ryder Cups, for another the purse ($4.1 million) is about $2 million below the Tour average. Add to that its Fall placement and non-network TV coverage and the chances are slim that it'll ever reach the status of a mid-summer tournament.
That said, I'll watch...for two reasons. One, because I enjoyed watching tournaments more when they weren't just called the "XYZ Corporate Open." And two, because I'm too young to remember when Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra and Jackie Gleason lent their name to events, I'm looking forward to the "old-school vibe" of the JTSHCO.
By the way, the only other PGA Tour event with an entertainer's name attached to it is the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic, which has lost what little pizazz it had since the passing of its namesake five years ago. George Lopez hosted it for the past two years, but was given the boot this year. His duties will be inherited by the King, Arnold Palmer in '09.
The JTSHCO is played in Las Vegas at TPC Summerlin, October 13-19. For tickets and info visit jtshrinersopen.com.
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