New Motto for Team Matches at Pelican Hill: Easier Does It

In an effort to boost attendance, a more user-friendly version of the Hyundai Team golf matches will be staged this weekend at Pelican Hill in Newport Coast.

After a pro-am today, the competitive rounds, featuring two-player teams from the PGA, LPGA and Senior PGA tours, will be played Saturday and Sunday. Featured players include Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson, Fred Couples, Phil Mickelson, Dottie Pepper, Juli Inkster and Annika Sorenstam.

Ticket prices have been cut nearly in half from last year, an on-course shuttle will transport spectators to remote locations and the course layout has been changed for easier maneuverability.

A three-day pass will cost $65 for adults and $35 for children 12 and under. Single-day passes are priced at $25 and $15 for today’s pro-am and $35 and $20 for Saturday and Sunday.

Last year, three-day passes were $125 and single-day passes were $65, a factor in an estimated attendance of 5,500--about half what organizers had hoped for.

“We charged [what] we thought was an appropriate amount of money in the marketplace, and it was too much,” said Terry Jastrow of Gaylord Event Television, producers of the event. “So we learned our lesson and we’re charging less.”

The competition this year will be entirely on the North course, a change from last year when players started with holes 1-14 of the North, then finished with Nos. 15-18 on the South course.

The one-course layout eliminates a long walk from No. 14 on the North to No. 15 on the South.

“Frankly, we complicated the routing plan [last year],” Jastrow said. “We’ve simply gone back to [the] original routing plan and it’s going to be much easier for the gallery and much easier for the players.”

The shuttle will take spectators from the clubhouse parking lot to the hospitality-concession areas near the ninth and 15th holes. Last year, spectators had to traverse the large, hilly layout by foot to view action at the far reaches of the course.

Jastrow said the changes have led to a marked increase in advance ticket sales.

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The Facts

* What: Hyundai Team Matches.

* When: Saturday and Sunday, 9:30 a.m.-3 p.m.

* Where: Pelican Hill Golf Club, 22651 Pelican Hill Road South, Newport Coast (between Corona del Mar and Laguna Beach)

* Saturday’s matches: Fred Couples and Mark Calcavecchia vs. Jean Van de Velde and Steve Flesch; Phil Mickelson and Rocco Mediate vs. Tom Lehman and Duffy Waldorf; Jack Nicklaus and Tom Watson vs. Gary McCord and John Jacobs; Dana Quigley and Allen Doyle vs. Bruce Fleisher and David Graham; Juli Inkster and Dottie Pepper vs. Grace Park and Kelli Kuehne; Annika Sorenstam and Lori Kane vs. Meg Mallon and Beth Daniel

* 1999 champions: Nicklaus and Watson defeated Fleisher and Graham, 1-up; Couples and Calcavecchia defeated Steve Elkington and Jeff Maggert, 1-up; Inkster and Pepper defeated Karrie Webb and Kelly Robbins, 4 and 3.

* Tickets: $35 each day or $65 for a three-day pass, including today’s pro-am. Clubhouse badges that allow access to the clubhouse dining facility and a patio area are $55 Saturday and $60 Sunday or $105 for all three days. To purchase tickets, call Ticketmaster at (877) 484-3014 or the tournament office at (949) 759-5175.

* TV: Saturday and Sunday, 1-3 p.m., Channel 7.