Summerlin ready for Invensys event

The master-planned community of Summerlin is once again set to host the PGA Tour's Invensys Classic at Las Vegas this week. Two of the tournament's three courses are located in Summerlin, with the final two days of championship play held exclusively at Tournament Players Club at Summerlin.

For the 11th consecutive year, TPC at Summerlin is the home course of the tournament, formerly known as the Las Vegas Invitational. TPC at The Canyons, another Summerlin course, will host the three opening days of Pro-Am competition Wednesday through Friday, along with the Southern Highlands Golf Club in the southwestern valley.

"We know it's October in Summerlin when the golf tournament rolls around," said Dan Van Epp, president of The Howard Hughes Corp., developer of Summerlin. "The community has been hosting this tournament for more than a decade, and we have seen the event grow in stature and popularity."

With a $5 million purse, one of the five largest on the PGA Tour, the tournament will draw some of the world's best golfers to Summerlin with a $900,000 first prize. Bob Estes, the tournament's 2001 champion who posted nine birdies during his final round of competition last year, will return to defend his title.

Other golfers already committed include five players who recently competed in the Ryder Cup: Stewart Cink, Mark Calcavecchia, Jim Furyk, Jesper Parnevik and Scott Verplank.

"Summerlin residents take pride in the fact their community hosts this prestigious event every year," Van Epp said. "This event puts Summerlin center stage in the national media spotlight of professional golf."

ESPN will broadcast coverage Wednesday through Saturday, while ABC will cover the final championship round next Sunday. According to Van Epp, the national media coverage typically sparks an interest in the community via phone calls to the Summerlin Home Finding Center.

Located along the western rim of the valley, Summerlin has ranked as the nation's best-selling master-planned community nine of the past 10 years. The community is unfolding in villages, each with a major park or golf course. It is home to eight golf courses, more than 100 parks, nearly 105 completed miles of trails, 17 schools, houses of worship, shopping centers, medical facilities, cultural facilities and business parks.

Nearly 100 models of houses, townhomes and condominiums are featured, priced from the mid-$100,000s to more than $700,000. Custom lots ranging from one-half acre to three-quarters of an acre are priced from the high $300,000s to nearly $1 million, and predesigned custom homes are priced from $1.5 million. Apartments offer monthly rents starting from the high $700s.

To visit the community's home finding center, travel west on Sahara Avenue past Hualapai Way to Town Center Drive and turn north. Or, take Interstate 215 to Sahara Avenue and head east to Town Center Drive. It is open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.

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