Reaching the Green Golf’S Impact on Wisconsin
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REACHING THE GREEN GOLF’S IMPACT ON WISCONSIN THOMAS HRUZ hen Vijay across the country, Singh sank indeed the world, W his final looked upon this putt to win the 2004 infant golf course, Professional Golf which stretches Association (PGA) along the shores of Championship, the Lake Michigan, and door closed on the watched the world’s final major golf tour- best golfers attempt nament of the 2004 to tame the course, PGA season. It was a all the while testing season that witnessed their mettle against Phil Mickelson finally each other. win his first major The members of tournament (at the Wisconsin’s golf and Masters in April), tourism industries, thereby permitting while themselves him to shed the dread- enjoying the specta- ed moniker of “the cle of watching the best player never to have won a major.” It was golfing world’s best players compete in their also a year in which golf fans watched Tiger backyard, have a much more parochial interest Woods fail four more times to win a major in this year’s PGA Championship. The numer- tournament, bringing his drought to ten ous resorts, hotels, golf courses, and other busi- straight major tournament losses after his nesses that form the nuclei of these industries remarkable stretch of seven major wins in are hoping that the Championship will spawn eleven attempts from August 1999 to June a profitable renaissance in vacation golf in 2002. In fact, Woods barely made the weekend Wisconsin. Their hope is that the millions of cut at this year’s PGA Championship. viewers who watched the tournament on tele- But of local concern, 2004 will always be vision or, better yet, who traveled to witness remembered as the season that saw the return the event in person, occasionally looked of major men’s championship golf to Wisconsin beyond the competitors and their golfing tal- for the first time since the inaugural year of ent, and gazed intently at the Whistling Straits Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s presidency. This golf course and its surrounding area. In doing year’s PGA Championship was held at the so, these fans from Wisconsin and elsewhere majestic, challenging, and (in many ways) “un- will, perhaps, remark: “Maybe Wisconsin is the Wisconsin” Whistling Straits golf course, locat- place for my next golf vacation.” Time will tell. ed just north of Sheboygan. Golf fans from Thomas Hruz is a Milwaukee attorney and former resi- dent fellow of the Wisconsin Policy Research Institute. Wisconsin Interest 1 Bringing Major Professional Golf Back to the cally won the PGA Championship at the Dairy State Crooked Stick Golf Club. Major victories can elevate a marginal golfer to elite status or can To those unfamiliar with professional golf, take a great golfer and place him in the status a brief primer on the professional golf season of legends. As alluded to earlier, many golfing is necessary to understand why the PGA commentators (and perhaps the competitors Championship—a single golf tournament— themselves) believe that Tiger Woods’ career portends great significance for its host state. will ultimately be measured by whether he The professional golf season roughly coincides reaches or exceeds Jack Nicklaus’ eighteen with the calendar year, beginning in January at major tournament victories (Tiger is currently the Mercedes Championships and, for all stalled at eight). intents and purposes, concluding by September, although some events continue Because of their significance, major tourna- throughout the fall (such as the biennial Ryder ments, unlike all other tour events throughout Cup Championship, also occurring this year). the year, attract all of the world’s most promi- Tournaments are played each week through- nent golfers and a concomitant media interest. out the year, always culminating in a four-day, It also explains the fervor by which the cumulative-score tournament that concludes Wisconsin golf industry, golf fans, and so on Sundays. Besides playing to win the tourna- many others have welcomed the PGA ment over the entire field (often about 150 Championship to the state. golfers), players vie for higher placing, as each Prior to this year, the last (and only) major player who places after making “the cut” (the men’s golf championship contested in poorest-playing golfers are eliminated after the Wisconsin was the 1933 PGA Championship, second round of play) receives a winnings which was won by golf legend Gene Sarazen at check, the amount of which increases along the Blue Mound Golf & Country Club in with one’s final placing. Milwaukee. The tournament was then played Four of these weekly tournaments, howev- in a match play, as opposed to the present er, have through the years become recognized stroke play, format,1 and Sarazen earned a cool as “majors,” denoting an added significance $1000 for his efforts — an amount that is barely and special distinction in the hearts and minds enough for a professional golfer of today to of golfers, and their fans. Major tournaments pay his entry fee for a tournament. All of this are the Super Bowl and World Series of profes- occurred long before Mayfair Mall and the sional golf; they include the Master’s (played massive commercial development on the in April), the United States Open (June), the stretch of Wisconsin Highway 100 that now British Open (July), and the PGA flanks the Blue Mound Country Club were Championship (August). even glints in the eyes of Milwaukee’s most- astute developers. And it happened long Professional golfers are measured by their before professional and recreational golf took performance in these tournaments far more on the popularity in the sports world that it than any other aspect of their golfing career. In holds presently. fact, most any golfer would trade in three or four regular tournament wins in any year for During the following sixty-plus years, just one major win. Just ask Todd Hamilton, a Wisconsin became a relatively popular desti- 38-year-old, unknown journeyman who, after nation for recreational golfers. Areas such as failing for years to even qualify for the PGA Lake Geneva and the Wisconsin Dells came to Tour, won this year’s British Open (or what build and boast some high-quality golf resorts. some golf purists call simply “the Open”) and But interest in these resorts often failed to immediately made a mark in golf history. John extend much farther than to Wisconsin resi- Daly splashed onto the scene in 1991 when, dents and the golfers of northern Illinois or, to sporting a mullet haircut and all, he dramati- an even lesser extent, other neighboring states. 2 Fall 2004 For the most part, the state has languished in all of the states in the U.S., save the Peach irrelevance with respect to garnering the atten- State, compete over only two of the four tion of major professional golfers, golf tourna- majors each year. The Masters is always ments, and, perhaps relatedly, major recre- played at the celebrated Augusta National Golf ational golfers. More on the latter point in a Club in Georgia, and the British Open is, well, minute. played in Britain. That leaves the PGA Championship and the U.S. Open as the only To be sure, each year since 1968 the major tournaments that vary their venue each Milwaukee area has played host to an annual year, although the U.S. Open tends to return to PGA tour stop. The Greater Milwaukee Open a handful or two of the most-recognized cours- (GMO)—renamed this year to the U.S. Bank es in the country, such as Pinehurst (North Championship—has been held at the Carolina), Pebble Beach, and Torrey Pines Northshore (1968-70), Tripoli (1971-73), and (both in California), to name but a few. Alas, Tuckaway (1974-93) country clubs, until find- the PGA Championship is usually the best ing its current home at Brown Deer Park in chance that a young golf course has for hosting 1994. While some of the game’s best golfers a major, at least its first major. have played, although quite sporadically, in the Still, even given this GMO over the years, few competition, seventy of the game’s best have years is a very long time. won the event. The most One of the best Many other states have prominent winners fared considerably better include Greg Norman measures of a state’s at being able to attract the (1989), Corey Pavin PGA Championship, and (1986), Mark O’Meara professional golf these states include (1984), and Ed Sneed Wisconsin’s neighbors. (1974). The tournament prominence is its ability Since 1933, which, again, does lay claim to being to host major golf was the last year the first event in which Wisconsin hosted a Tiger Woods competed as tournaments. major, Minnesota (three a professional. That year times), Illinois (three was 1996; he finished tied times), and Michigan for 60th place, earned (five times) have each $2,544, and has never hosted the PGA returned to the GMO since. Not to unduly Championship at least three times. Moreover, impugn the GMO/U.S. Bank Championship, these states have collectively hosted the U.S. but the tournament is widely recognized as Open eleven times since 1933. During this one of the least noteworthy on tour, as evi- time, it seemed as if few Wisconsinites cared denced by its placement in the tour schedule about the state’s inability to land a major golf — the week immediately after the third major tournament, and even less inquired into the of the year, the British Open, when most of the reason or as to what was going to be done PGA’s best players are still digesting their about it.