San Martin course readies for first PGA event in Silicon
Valley.
As Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Ernie Els floundered through the final round of the U.S. Open, Ian Knight and Alan Campey marveled at the layout of Pebble Beach Golf Links, which eloquently humbled the best golfers in the world Sunday.
That Graeme McDowell, 30, an everyday chap from Northern Ireland, captured our national championship as the only man to finish even through 72 holes speaks volumes about the tournament. The play was below par.
As abysmal as the scores were, they took nothing away from the experience for Knight and Campey, who in October will help welcome the PGA Tour to Silicon Valley for the Frys.com Open at CordeValle. Knight, the tournament director, and Campey, the resort’s managing director of golf, have worked closely together since November when the Tour agreed to move the Frys.com Open from Scottsdale, Ariz., to CordeValle.
They enjoyed watching the PGA’s finest pushed to do their best in front of a picture-perfect backdrop.
“There’s a lot of energy in the air. You don’t know who’s going to step up and win it, but it’s definitely going to be an exciting finish,” Knight said at a crowded hospitality village midway through the final round Sunday.
“I thought it was a spectacular event,” Campey said in a telephone interview Monday. “The layout really showed the unique natural beauty of the course.”
Frys.com Open planners want to give similar treatment to CordeValle’s championship course. Campey views the Oct. 21-25 tournament as a coming-out party for the 260-acre masterwork designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr.
“It’s a very challenging and exciting time for CordeValle right now, maintaining the course for daily use while conditioning it for the tournament. When you live down here, you realize how important something like this can be,” Campey said, and he referred to more than just enhancing CordeValle’s profile.
The Frys.com Open will provide a major boost to local businesses on top of raising money for charities such as the American Institute of Mathematics, The First Tee of San Jose, American Cancer Society and the CordeValle Youth Golf Foundation.
“The goal is to exceed last year’s charitable funds total of $680,000,” Knight said. “We think we’re going to do a lot for economic impact from this event alone. Our expectation on attendance and hotel bookings and restaurants is to bring in $15-18 million. That’s pretty conservative, too.”
Some local businesses are already reaping benefits. The same companies that provided tents, scaffolds and refreshments at the U.S. Open have been asked to work the October tournament, and Frys.com Open planners have opened their doors to South Valley food and beverage companies and mobile office suppliers.
A network of experienced event volunteers is available to help, but locals can lend support as well.
“We are taking benefit from the Frys.com tournament organizers. They’ve got a tremendous amount of experience and depth and they understand the magnitude of the impact this has on the economy,” Campey said. “When you’re doing something new for the first time, you’re bound to make mistakes. But when you have help from people like Ian and Duke Butler (the overall head of the tournament the past five years), it helps significantly.”
Campey and his staff have plenty of learning experiences to look forward to. CordeValle will host the 2011 PGA Cup Matches, played between the top club professionals from the U.S. and Great Britain and Ireland, plus the next three Frys.com opens. The latter tournament will then move to neighboring Morgan Hill and The Institute Golf Course, a home-field venue for Fry’s Electronics co-founders John Fry and Kathy Kolder.
“Fry’s Electronics is thrilled and proud to bring Silicon Valley its first PGA Tour golf tournament,” Kolder, the executive chairwoman of the event, said in an e-mail Monday. “The Frys.com Open will prove to be an Ace for our valley.”
Given the difficulty of CordeValle’s course – few modifications will be made for the Frys.com Open – the San Martin resort is destined to attract more events. Several players have already expressed interest in this year’s Open, including Rickie Fowler, Cameron Beckman, Mike Weir, Tom Pernice Jr., Ricky Barnes and two-time event winner Troy Matteson.
Fans will watch them from several hospitality areas of the course; many of which will have T.V. sets tuned in to college and pro football games. The Clos La Chance Winery will be the entry point for spectators.
“That’s going to be a wonderful part of the itinerary,” Campey said. “We want it to be a central point of energy where the fans see the full nature of wine country. The tournament is at the end of the wine crush.”
Because the tournament is scheduled late in the season, when players are vying to make the Tour’s list of exemptions, competition should be at peak level.
