Frys.com Open director Ian Knight boldly predicted last month
his Oct. 6-9 tournament at CordeValle Golf Club would be
”
bigger and better
”
than its previous edition.
Frys.com Open director Ian Knight boldly predicted last month his Oct. 6-9 tournament at CordeValle Golf Club would be “bigger and better” than its previous edition.
That was Aug. 26 believe it or not, three days before the second-tier PGA Tour event officially became a household name thanks to Tiger Woods. Tournament heads, including president Duke Butler, chairwoman Kathy Kolder and Fry’s Electronics co-founder John Fry, had reportedly been in touch with Woods’ people for more than a year, trying to persuade the embattled golf legend to play the Frys.com Open if the opportunity arose. Woods’ recent struggles, coupled with him being named to the U.S. roster for the President Cup matches in November, raised speculation that the 14-time major winner would enter a Fall Series tournament to sharpen his game.
That was all very enticing, a chance for Knight and his peers to realize their goal of changing everything and nothing about Silicon Valley’s only PGA Tour event. While the addition of Woods has been nothing short of a public-relations godsend, the Frys.com Open was already on pace to surpass its success from 2010 as the final month of preparation began.
“We are very close to selling out,” Knight said on that Aug. 26 afternoon. “Now it’s a matter of marketing and ticket sales.
“I think we’re pretty happy with the way things turned out last year, no regrets at all. Obviously we would have liked stronger attendance, but there was a lot of competition.”
Last year the Frys.com Open was held Oct. 14-17, the same week the Oakland Raiders and San Francisco 49ers squared off; the Giants played Philadelphia in the NLCS; San Jose State hosted No. 3-ranked Boise State in football; and the CVS/pharmacy LPGA Challenge was held in Danville. With the addition of Woods, the 2011 Frys.com Open will easily be the biggest sporting event in the Bay Area, if not the state.
“It’s all about the strength of the field,” Knight said. “So getting the word out to players on what a great venue this is — what a great course — and being in Silicon Valley this time of year; that in turn makes it draw more attention from fans.”
The rest of the field features many of the same big names from last year, including 2001 British Open champ David Duval, 2009 U.S. Open runner-up Ricky Barnes and Frys.com Open titleholder Rocco Mediate. The tournament has added 2011 U.S. Open winner Joseph Bramlett and top-ranked amateur Patrick Cantlay.
While the field appears vastly stronger with the addition of Woods, the business side of the Frys.com Open is mostly intact.
“For the first year, there was a lot of corporate support. We did very well financially,” said Knight, who added the tournament raised about $800,000 for charities such as the American Cancer Society, Special Olympics, First Tee of San Jose and the American Institute of Mathematics. “The corporations in the valley really supported us.
“We stayed in contact with our corporate sponsors in December and January and started renewing them in spring.”
Returning sponsors include Audi, Anheuser-Busch and Coca-Cola, plus the Morgan Hill-based Anritsu. Sony, Samsung, Toshiba and Canon have also signed on, among several worldwide companies. Clos LaChance Wines will once again be the main entrance to the tournament.
Fan can look forward to free parking — and the much-anticipated return of a Birdies For Beer program on the par-3 17th. Tickets, however, are going fast, Knight said. Skyboxes have sold out, same with the tournament’s Oct. 5 Pro-Am.
Volunteer spots are limited as well; 950 out of the allotted 1,100 were filled at the start of this month.
As for CordeValle’s 7,169-yard championship course, the front and back nines will be swapped once again, with minor changes done to the bunkers and rough. Fairways should be fast and firm, Knight said. Workers began installing skyboxes and grandstands two weeks ago.
The Frys.com Open qualifier begins Sept. 29 with the first leg at San Juan Oaks in Hollister, followed by the Oct. 1 final at Bayonet in Carmel. As many as four tournament berths will be awarded, Knight said.
“This year we will have a much better field, so it’s going to get bigger, and it’ll grow from here,” Knight said. “It’s a natural progression for golf tournaments. It’s kind of the way the Fry’s company works — always improving.”
Though it is unclear whether or not the Frys.com Open will stay at CordeValle — sources say the tournament could move to Fry’s personally designed The Institute Golf Course — the Fry’s family wants it to stay in Silicon Valley, close to company headquarters.
If anything, tournament organizers want to change when the Frys.com Open is held.
“It’d be nice to move into a core-season date on the PGA Tour. That concept’s not lost on the Fry’s team,” Knight said. “We have great sponsors, great weather, great location. Anything’s possible here.”
