RENO - Phil Mickelson may hold the distinction of being the most recognizable left-handed golfer on the PGA Tour, but keep an eye on Australian-born Greg Chalmers.
The 36-year-old Chalmers is coming off his best finish ever with a second-place finish at last week's Buick Open where he won $380,800.
It was moving day for Chalmers. He went all the way up to 58th from 83rd in the President Cup standings and moved to 72 from 111 on the money list.
"I was really pleased with last week," Chalmers said in an interview before a practice round at Montreux Golf & Country Club in preparation for this week's legends Reno-Tahoe Open. "It was my best finish (on the PGA Tour) and the largest check. To finish three shots behind the best player in the world (Tiger Woods) gives me a lot of confidence.
"I feel good about my game. A lot of hard work has paid off. It shows I've been on the right track. Golf is a crazy game, though. You never know what's going to happen."
Chalmers said this tournament provides great opportunities.
"I think typically it provides someone to get their career back on track, someone who has never won before or a young guy to come out and do something crazy and get their first win," he said. "I think there are a lot of great stories."
Vaughn Taylor, Will MacKenzie, Chris Riley, Parker McLachlin and Notah Begay III all recorded their first wins here in Reno.
Chalmers, who tied for fourth at the 2000 PGA, enjoys the Montreux layout.
"I've been looking forward to coming back to Reno since the start of the season when I was back on Tour, because of the category I'm in, " Chalmers said. "I knew it was one of the few events I was definitely going to get to play. I like this golf course set through the pine trees and built on the side of the mountains here. It's really a pretty golf course.
"There are a lot of doglegs left to right on key holes out here. That suits me. I'm a left-hander who draws the ball. So that fits my eye, if you want to put it that way. Other than that, I think the greens are good. I'm typically a decent putter. I like rolling the ball. On the putting stats I'm up there somewhere. I'm confident. There's a lot of wedges too. It plays short."
For anyone who has followed golf, Chalmers is no stranger to the PGA Tour. In 2000, he became the fourth left-handed golfer to win $1 million or more, joining Mickelson, Mike Weir and Steve Flesch in that elite group. He won $692,000 and $640,000 over the next two years.
Chalmers lost his tour card after the 2006 season, spending the last two years on the Nationwide Tour. He was eighth on the Nationwide Tour, turning in 10 top-10 finishes en route to earning his Tour card back.
Chalmers said he's always been left-handed - on the course.
"No, never tried (golfing right-handed)," Chalmers said. "I'm actually right-handed. I actually throw right-handed. Throw right, bat left. Dad's the same. Can't hit it 20 yards right-handed. Never tried, and not good.
"I was born in 1973, so I didn't start playing into the mid-80s; '86. It probably wasn't as odd as it might have been in the '70s had I had started playing then. I think it was becoming more and more accepted at that point when I started. Equipment was the hardest to come by, decent equipment, anyway."
HARDEST HOLE: The hardest hole to play in the previous 10 years of the event has been the uphill par-3 186-yard 12th hole.
It has played to an average of 3.45, almost a half-stroke above par.
Chalmers said the wind is the key, which causes a wide selection in club usage. Most pros use anywhere from a 6-iron to an 8-iron.
"Typically the years I've struggled on that hole, it's been heavily against the wind or heavily downwind," Chalmers said. "It's difficult to judge the uphill with the wind how far the ball is gonna go. If you get it wrong, particularly if you hit it long on that hole, you're really going to rack up a number.
"For us to play pretty close to sea level all year and then to come here, it's a large adjustment, particularly a quick adjustment, if the wind is blowing like it's blowing today. You get some crazy numbers, and it takes some courage to figure out how far your ball is gonna go."
The second-toughest hole is the par-4 491-yard 14th which has played to a 4.372 average. The third-toughest is the 464-yard par-4 8th which plays to a .4239 average.
DEFENDING CHAMPS BACK: A total of six former champions - Chris Riley (2002), Kirk Triplett (2003), Vaughn Taylor (2004-05), Will MacKenzie (2006), lefty Steve Flesch (2007) and Parker McLachlin (2008).
The total would have been eight, but John Cook didn't come back because a friend was getting married, and Notah Begay III, who won in the tournament's first year, is awaiting the birth of his child.
RUNAWAY WINS: The last two tournaments have been blowouts.
In 2007, Flesch's 273 was five shots better than runners-up Charles Warren and Kevin Stadler. In 2008, McLachlin's 270, was seven shots better than Brian Davis and John Rollins.
Prior to those two tournaments, the tournaments were much closer. Taylor beat Jonathan Kay by three shots in 2005 and MacKenzie edged Bob Estes by one shot in 2006.
CHIP SHOTS: Nevada basketball coach David Carter played in the pro-am Monday, and his team shot a net 57, which was good enough for second place ... McLachlin made a visit to Renown Hospital on Tuesday ... The average winning score over 10 years averages out to 273 or 15-under par. The 72-hole record is 21-under set by Taylor in 2005... The tournament date for next year is Aug.2-8... Dan Forsman withdrew and his spot will be taken by Ian Leggatt.