RTO, American Century Delivers Fun the Open Can’t

by Vic Williams | posted July 19, 2010

Now that everyone knows Lous Oosthuizen’s name (even if we still can’t pronounce it), we also must acknowledge one inescapable fact about this year’s Open Championship at St. Andrews: Its Sunday finale was all but devoid of any real drama. Phil faded (as usual in this event), Tiger couldn’t find the right putter (or mojo) and the South African winner’s playing partner, Paul Casey, never got closer than three strokes.

Indeed, the 26-year-old Oosthuizen pulled off a pretty good Tiger Woods circa 2000 impression. He plodded along. He kept his head. He never looked wobbly. He made the shots and buried the breakers.

And, he smiled that gap-toothed grin of his, time and time again. The joke was on us — this guy was for real, at least for one blissful week at the home of golf. We have no idea whether he’ll join Paul Lawrie, Ben Curtis and Todd Hamilton in the ranks of one-time wonders, but for now, he’s king, and he ascended the throne without resistance. Or excitement.

Meanwhile, way out West, up in the rarefied air of the Sierra Nevada, another PGA Tour stop came right down to the final putt, literally. The Reno-Tahoe Open — which I’ve covered for all of its 12 years — ended with Northern Cal native Matt Bettencourt breaking through for his first tour win after what had been a shaky season of missed cuts and, perhaps, a bit of career reconsideration. He gutted out a one-stroke win over Bob Heintz, who could have pushed the proceedings to a sudden-death playoff by making a 40-inch putt. Instead he yanked it ever so slightly, and the personable, emotional Bettencourt became the event’s sixth first-time winner, bagging a $540,000 paycheck and, more importantly, a two-year PGA Tour exemption. That’s big stuff for any player, but especially for a guy struggling to get his bearings in one of the earth’s most competitive and exclusive fraternities.

Now he belongs, while Heintz — a Nationwide Tour alternate who only got a spot in the RTO after nearly a dozen guys bailed at the last minute — gets a bit of breathing room, too. He’s not even a PGA Tour member at the moment, which means he didn’t get in an FedEx Cup points. Nor did he beat himself up for blowing that last little putt. He played well. Stuff happens. That’s golf.

Veteran, 45-year-old Scott McCarron knows that all too well. The host of this year’s RTO and former Reno resident (he moved to the desert a couple years ago) led going into the final round, which helped jack up Sunday’s attendance after a week of admittedly dinky crowds. But after the front nine it was clear he didn’t have the magic. The back nine was a disaster. He shot 81. That’s golf at its cruelest. But I’ve got to hand it to McCarron for skipping a chance to qualify for his favorite tournament on his favorite course — the Open at St. Andrews — and throw his support behind the RTO, which could use a lot of love right now, since it appears it’ll continue to go up against not only the Open, but the American Century Celebrity Championship just up the road at Edgewood Tahoe.

That event, which is admittedly “just for fun” though there is some serious money involved for the contenders and its pet charity — Lance Armstrong’s Livestrong also wrapped its 21st edition on Sunday. In terms of competition, it wasn’t all that close; former Atlanta Falcons quarterback Billy Joe Tolliver bombed and gouged his way to a third win, icing the deal with an eagle on the final hole to rack up a record 84 points in the modified Stableford scoring system. Four guys tied for second, 19 points back — pitcher John Smoltz, Dallas QB Tony Romo, Hall of Famer John Elway and actor Jack Wagner. Wagner has won before. Elway has come close several times. Smoltz and Romo will both take the prize someday. But Tolliver proved untouchable as a player and with his prodigious gut and redneck humor, he’s pretty tough to beat as an ambassador for the event.

And the British Open will never have him. Maybe Bettencourt will get his shot at the Claret Jug someday, but not Tolliver. He’s pretty damned happy showing up at Tahoe every year to yuk it up with 80 or so other celebs, including this year’s designated comedy team, Charles Barkley and Ray Romano. Good for him, and us.

One more thing: In terms of TV, both Montrêux and Edgewood looked so gorgous on the Golf Channel and NBC respectively, it’s a wonder people aren’t jumping in their cars as we speak to get themselves some o’ that mountain magic.

Maybe they are. It would only be right.

www.renotahoeopen.com | www.tahoecelebritygolf.com

Vic Williams is executive editor of Reno, Nev.-based Fairways + Greens magazine, part of the Madavor Media family. He lives in Reno with his wife, two daughters and three dogs. An older son is a specialist in the U.S. Army and a daughter attends the University of Nevada, Reno. He's a lifelong West Coast resident who enjoys golf, writing, reading, music of all genres, movies, the outdoors, cooking and eating. Contact him at   This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it