Area News
CHAMPIONS TOUR PLAYOFF EVENT A POSSIBILITY AT INDEPENDENCE GC
BY PATRICK K. KANE
Outdoor Club Fitting Contact Jay Canada or Matt Rutherford
The clubhouse at Independence Golf Club has been expanded during recent renovations to the golf course and facilities.
It certainly is a possibility that is being looked into by the Champions Tour. Tour officials, including PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem, visited Independence Golf Club in Midlothian in late February to feel the pulse of the golf community, check out the facilities at Independ- ence, and pitch the possibility of hosting a playoff event to potential sponsors and partners. Like the PGA Tour, the Champions Tour has a season- long points list that qualifies players for an end of the year championship called the Schwab Cup. It currently is a one tournament championship comprised of the top-30 players on the points list. But plans are in place to transi- tion the Schwab Cup into more of a playoff, similar to the PGA Tour’s Fed-Ex Cup, where the top 100 qualify for the first playoff event before ending with 30 at the Tour Championship. “We’re in the market for one or two of those playoff
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events,” said commissioner Finchem, in a Richmond Times Dispatch article. “Now it’s a question of if we can get the right partnership together in the community from a charity standpoint, from a sponsorship standpoint to make something work.” Estimates put the cost of being a title sponsor of a Champions Tour event at somewhere between two and three million dollars. A hefty sum but a substantial discount from hosting a PGA Tour event, which can run three to four times that amount to sponsor. “We’ve already received a ton of interest from busi- nesses and sponsors looking to support the event,” said new Independence owner Giff Breed in a recent phone conversation. Breed acknowledged though, that there is a major difference between local companies looking to sup- port the event and finding a title sponsor that is willing to step up and commit the necessary funds. Breed, the president of Pros Inc., purchased Independ- ence GC from the VSGA Foundation in the fall of 2013. The following summer Richmond based golf course ar- chitect Lester George completed an extensive renovation
4 Virginia Golf Report • Spring 2015 •
virginiagolfreport.com
ould the best senior professional players be coming to the Richmond area to compete?
which included new Champion ultra-dwarf bermudagrass greens as well as 419 bermudagrass fairways. George also oversaw the reconstruction of bunkers to improve drain- age and sand quality. Several bunkers were removed for playability factors and to reduce maintenance costs. Clubhouse changes, which are ongoing, include two new restaurants, increased banquet hall facilities, and an expan- sion of the patio. Breed thinks the renovation, which also added length with the construction of several new tees, makes Inde- pendence tournament-ready. But he added that being considered to host such a high profile event is a reflection of the entire area, not just the golf course. “I think this is bigger than Independence,” said Breed.
“For Richmond to even be in the mix says a lot about the city and what it has to offer.” Breed pointed to the PGA Tour and its playoff host cities which currently include the major metropolitan mar- kets of New York, Chicago, Boston and Atlanta. Finchem said that he and his staff were still looking at
all of their options but indicated that they were intrigued with the Richmond area because of the fall weather and strong golf history that exists. Finchem was a former resident of Richmond when he attended the University of Richmond and he currently serves on its board of trustees. It’s been 25 years since the Champions Tour last visited the Richmond area. In fact, it wasn’t called the Champions Tour at the time, just the Senior PGA Tour. The tourna- ment, called the Crestar Classic, was hosted by Hermitage Country Club in Manakin from 1983 to 1990, and many legends of the game made the annual trip to the Rich- mond area. In 1988 Arnold Palmer won his last official professional tournament at the Crestar Classic at Hermit- age CC. There’s no timetable for a decision but obviously the sooner the better. According to Breed, there were to be more discussions and meetings at the Masters in early April.
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1675 Ashland Rd Richmond, VA 23233 Phone: (804) 784-6070
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Editor Patrick K. Kane
editor@virginiagolfreport.com
Contributing Writers
Adam Smith, PGA Sean Taylor, PGA Steve Slotterback, PGA Ryan Redding Frank Giordano Parker Reynolds Ryan King Paul Thomas Brad King
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COVER PHOTO- Photos of Lexi Thompson and Lydia Ko courtesy of LPGA Tour, Michelle Wie courtesy of Kingsmill Championship.
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