Putt for Dough

They came from as far away as Las Vegas and Hesperia, driving four or five hours, searching for their 15 minutes of fame.

Trusty putters in hand--some hickory-shafted, others high-tech space shuttle metals--they make their way toward the putting green at Green River Golf Course in Corona.

It begins and ends with 50-foot lag putts. In between, knee-knocking and sweaty palms are commonplace.

Welcome to the American Putting Tour, a newly formed series of putting competitions that started in Las Vegas and expanded to Southern California this year.

The course is laid out on a normal practice green, 23 holes of varying length. The goal is to finish those holes in as few strokes as possible and be crowned best putter for the day.

This is not miniature golf--no windmills, no bridges, no artificial turf greens.

Just regular putts similar to those any golfer would face during a regular round--with one added element: The purses can be as high as $20,000, with a $3,500 first prize.

“At one time or another, everyone who plays golf has lined up a putt and thought, ‘This is to win the U.S. Open or the Masters,’ ” said Richard Wade, director of operations for the APT. “Well, this gives players an opportunity to try and putt with something on the line.”

Surprisingly, the three Southern California events have had difficulty drawing participants. The first at Green River drew only 12 players. The next, at The Greens in Irvine, had 24. Last Saturday at Green River, 19 players showed up.

The large purse and payout of the top 60 players is based on full, 200-player fields. First prize Saturday was $350, won by Jack Thobe of Las Vegas. It barely covered his $120 entry fee and travel expenses.

“It’ll start to happen in California,” Wade said. “It just takes awhile for it to catch on. It might not be until our 15th event out here, but we anticipate full-field events eventually.”

Word is spreading, albeit slowly. Leon Matthews, a 50-year-old former Asian Tour pro from Huntington Beach, found out about the tour on the Internet. He jumped at the chance to compete while searching for sponsorship, so he can give the Senior PGA Tour a try.

“This is a great way to keep you in competition, to keep you sharp,” Matthews said. “Instead of just going to the practice green, you have something on the line here.”

Matthews said he was surprised there weren’t more local pros in the field. With most Golden State Tour events paying in the $1,000 range for first place and Southern California PGA events about the same, the purses for a one-hour putting contest seem too good to pass up.

“There are a lot of pros in Southern California,” Matthews said. “Once word spreads, this is going to fill up. All of us don’t have millions of dollars, all of us don’t have sponsorships. A lot of us are just trying to make some money.”

The money, in fact, is what attracts many of the participants.

“Heck, you can go to any putting green and play for nothing,” said Jerry Parker, a Costa Mesa resident who finished 12th at Green River. “That’s no fun.”

Wade feared the numbers would decrease, thinking that the players who didn’t fare well in the first event would drop out. He was surprised to find the opposite was true.

“I have people coming up to me and telling me how it’s made them practice putting a lot more,” Wade said. “People are telling me that they’re thinking about the contest when they line up their putts during a regular round.”

Amateurs over 18 must declare before the competition if they are renouncing their amateur status to compete for the cash prizes. Those who chose not to get a reduced entry fee of $60 and any prizes awarded in gift certificates.

Plans are to continue holding events about once a month in the region, the next scheduled for Sept. 25 at a site to be determined. There will also be events once a month in Las Vegas and a national championship in Las Vegas Oct. 23-24.

Wade would like to see expansion into San Diego, Los Angeles and Ventura counties and remains optimistic about that possibility.

“This is extremely accessible to the average guy,” Wade said. “You don’t have to have a lot of experience to get fired up about it. You can come out an hour before your round and then go out on the course to play.”