We received a fair amount of similar feedback on the original Las Vegas sporting-events QoD, so we sent our writer, Mike Attisano, back to the research board and here's what he came up with. Mike's new travel guide, Simplifying Las Vegas, is available on Kindle http://www.amazon.com/Simplifying-Vegas-Travel-Guide and as a pdf at www.simplifyinglasvegas.com.
2008 Professional Bull Riders Tour This event, the Built Ford Tough World Finals, presented by Wrangler, takes place over two weekends this year. The first weekend is Friday Oct. 31 through Monday Nov. 2; the second weekend starts Thursday Nov. 6 and finishes on Sunday Nov. 9. They're held in the Thomas & Mack Center, with single-admission ticket prices at $40 for the side balcony and $30 for the end balcony. You can also get ticket packages by phone at 702/739-FANS or 866-PBRSHOW, with prices starting at $93 for the end balcony and rising to $1,004 for courtside.
ACDelco Las Vegas NHRA Nationals The National Hot Rod Association (NHRA) event at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway starts on Thursday Oct. 30 through Sunday November 2. Ticket prices vary a great deal, but here’s a summary. Thursday’s tickets cost $16. For Friday through Sunday, prices range from $34 to $65 for adults, and $11 to $27 for kids 6-12 years old. Packages for the weekend range from $125 to $325. Tickets are available by phone at 800/644-4444 or online at Ticketmaster.
Tennis Channel Open This hard-court tennis tournament was held in late February and early March in 2006, 2007, and 2008 at the Amanda & Stacy Darling Memorial Tennis Center on Washington Avenue on the west side of town. Tickets ranged from $15 for the first few rounds to almost $300 for courtside seats at the finals. In April 2008, the Tennis Channel announced that it sold the tournament to the Association of Tennis Professionals, so it's not yet clear if the tournament will take place in Las Vegas in 2009; Florida organizers are vying for the event.
Professional Bowlers Association (PBA) Roll 'em if you got 'em! There’s lots of great bowling in Las Vegas, with events at Red Rock Lanes, Gold Coast Lanes, South Point, and Suncoast throughout the year. The two events at Red Rock Lanes, the PBA Exempt Doubles Classic and the H&R Block Tournament of Champions, took place in January 2008. There's no ticket information for next year’s event yet. A senior-event PBA Senior U.S. Open was held in June this year at Suncoast.
The PBA West Region Gold Coast Open took place a few weeks ago, July 18-20. There are also two events in November. The PBA West Region Member/Non-Member Doubles and the PBA West Region Non-Champions Tournament will be held at South Point Bowling Center. There’s no ticket info yet, but you can call 702/797-8080 for details.
There are no events scheduled for the women’s tour yet; the PBA Web site has a complete schedule of all leagues.
Golf The Wendy’s 3-Tour Challenge will take place November 7-11 in Henderson at Lake Las Vegas . This charity tournament features three players from each of the three pro tours: LPGA, PGA, and the Champions Tours. Proceeds from this event go to the Dave Thomas (Wendy’s late founder) Foundation for Adoption.
