Dove Canyon Event Adds Gamesmanship to Golf

Will the deluge of football finally get to you? Will you finally be ready for a couple hours of finesse?

That’s what Dave Williams, president of SPO Productions and the man who conceived the Pro Stakes Championship, is betting on. And betting is the key word here.

Williams’ brainchild is a designed-for-TV event that matches Fuzzy Zoeller, Craig Stadler, Peter Jacobsen and Chi Chi Rodriguez. They will be miked for sound and encouraged to bring their best shtick.

The players will tee off at noon today and Sunday at Dove Canyon Country Club in south Orange County and the event will be telecast from 4-6 p.m. both days. The players will play nine holes each day and compete for a share of $100,000 in a traditional low-score tournament with $40,000 for the winner. The real action, however, will be for a $400,000 “challenge” purse.

Saturday, they aim for a low score, plus accrue points for:

--In the fairway off the tee: 200 points

--Longest drive in the fairway: 200 points

--Closest to the pin in regulation: 400 points

--First on the green: 200 points

--On the green in regulation: 200 points

--Par: 200 points

--Birdie: 400 points

--Eagle: 800 points

--Hole in one: 2,000 points

--Double eagle: 3,000 points

--Sandies (up-and-down out of a bunker): 200 points

--In the hole with a club other than a putter: 400 points

The player with the lowest score today will receive 1,000 bonus points, 700 for second, 400 for third and 300 for fourth.

But Sunday, on the back nine, players will challenge in any of the categories. If a player wins a challenge, he gains those points. If the challenged player wins, he gets the points and the challenger loses them.