The Greenbrier Classic PGA TOUR golf tournament is ready for its return the first week of July.
Many people thought it questionable.
One year ago, on June 23rd, devastating floods that wrecked havoc on southern West Virginia, taking the lives of 23 people, resulted in the 2016 Classic being cancelled.
Greenbrier Resort owner Jim Justice stepped to the front, heading up an amazing effort to restore the area and bring the community together during difficult times.
The Greenbrier Resort itself, and the Old White TPC course, home of The Classic, likewise suffered major damage that resulted in a unbelievable effort to rebuild the course in time for this year’s event. It required a total overhaul for The Old White.
With Jim Justice now holding the governor’s position in West Virginia, his daughter, Dr. Jill Justice, has taken over as head of the resort. She recently reflected on the importance of bringing back The Classic.
“All of the departments, all the employees have rallied together to make this happen because we felt it was so critical for our community. I couldn’t be more proud of our people. We have the dream team here,”
Greenbrier PGA TOUR Ambassador Phil Mickelson agreed during a visit to the resort in early June.
“A lot of people on the PGA TOUR feel the emotional ties to The Greenbrier Resort and they were just devastated to see all of the destruction that came here. The Greenbrier is right at the heart of the rebuilding effort. It was important to get it back up and running, saving people’s jobs,” Mickelson noted of the feat that seemed impossible at the outset.
The Old White TPC is ready to go after the rebuild. The 7,287-yard par-70 layout, an historic course built in 1914 by Charles Blair Macdonald, the father of American golf course architecture, is unique for its holes that are patterned after noted European holes. Woodrow Wilson was one of the first golfers to play the course, which has hosted a number of international golf events.
Over the years, golf greats including Ben Hogan, Byron Nelson, Arnold Palmer, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, Lee Trevino and Tom Watson have played competitive rounds here. Sam Snead shot his final hole-in-one on the Old White TPC signature hole #18 in 1995.
This year 156 players will compete in the 72-hole tournament with a total purse of $7.1 million. In addition to Mickelson, fan favorites Bubba Watson and the ever-fashionable John Daly are in the field.
Daily badges for spectators are free in 2017, and can be obtained online at the Greenbrier Classic website.
The Classic got off to a rousing start in 2010 when Stuart Appleby fired a final round 59 in the exciting inaugural Classic, only the 5th PGA TOUR player to reach that number in a competitive round. Appleby’s four-round 258 total remains the record score for a winner. The 2011, 2012 and 2015 tournaments each went to sudden death playoffs with Scott Stallings, Ted Potter Jr. and Danny Lee, respectfully, capturing the Springhouse Trophy. All prior winners including Jonas Blixt (2013) and Angel Cabrera (2014) will be in the field for 2017.
Greenbrier Classic week offers many exciting events for the spectators and youth. Tuesday, July 4th is Youth Day in conjunction with First Tee chapters. Wednesday brings the popular Pro-Am with celebrities and the opportunity for spectators to get autographs from all players.
New in 2017 will be a daily event for youth, “Learn with Lee”. Greenbrier Golf Professional Emeritus Lee Trevino will conduct a fun and educational junior gold demonstration where he will share some the basics and fundamentals all junior golfers can benefit from, along with some tips and tricks that he has used during his Hall of Fame career.
“Learn with Lee” will take place every day Monday-Sunday, 10:00-10:30 for ages 6-11; 11:00-11:30 for ages 12-17. Registration is daily at the Welcome Center of The Greenbrier Classic where youth will receive a wristband allowing access to the clinic. Three sets of TaylorMade Phenom Junior Club will be raffled after the tournament for ages 6-11 and three TaylorMade Spider Putters will be raffled for ages 12-17. Prizes will be mailed to the winners.
Join the fun and exciting PGA TOUR competition July 3-9 as White Sulphur Springs and The Greenbrier Classic show their colors as they rebound from 2016.
Bill Turner
