At least for a few weeks in July and August this year.
By Fred Altvater
Editor’s Note: Since this issue was published The Memorial announced that it would be played without fans in attendance.
I jokingly tell my friends that Ohio is the CENTER of the Golf Universe. There is so much golfing history that has been made in the state and the number of great golfers that have ties to Ohio is mind boggling.
Just the fact that The Golden Bear, Jack Nicklaus was born and raised here, plus attended Ohio State University provides instant proof of the golfing pedigree of the Buckeye state.
This year that statement has never been more true as Muirfield Village will host two consecutive events on the PGA Tour and the LPGA Tour will finally begin its 2020 restart with a pair of events in Toledo.
The newly created Drive On Championship will be the first event held on the ladies tour began cancelling tournaments in February. It will be held at historic Inverness, the same course that will host the 2021 Solheim Cup, July 31-August 2. To accommodate these dates, the Marathon Classic was moved to the following week, August 6-9.
Tournament Director, Judd Silverman explained in this interview with Back 9 Report that screenings would be completed in the parking lot prior to fans boarding shuttle buses. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YsHqtL6xYvQ&t=34s
The Drive On Championship will be played without spectators and pro-ams. The $1 million purse is being funded by the generosity of previously cancelled events. It will feature a 144-player field for the 54-hole event.
Toledo has been blessed to host the LPGA Tour, since 1984 and Highland Meadows Golf Club has been the home venue for the Marathon Classic, since 1989. Highland Meadows demands a combination of length, accuracy and a deft touch around the greens, which is why a large percentage of past winners at the Marathon Classic also have major championship titles on their resumes.
Se Ri Pak won this event five times. Laura Davies, Brandi Burton, Paula Creamer, Meg Mallon, So Yeon Ryu, Lydia Ko and I.K. Kim, major champions all, have also won the Marathon Classic.
The Marathon Classic is one of the longest running tournaments on the LPGA Tour schedule and has generated over $10 million for area children’s charities.
The LPGA Tour has been silent since February 16. After the Australian Women’s Open was won by Inbee Park. Tour Commissioner, Michael Whan, his staff, sponsors and television network executives have been working tirelessly to create a schedule that will allow the women to return to competition, plus meet all public health safety requirements.
The Ohio Governor, Michael DeWine recently announced that fans will be allowed to return to golf courses beginning with the Memorial July 16-19. This will be a test case for all sports. Major League Baseball, the NBA, NHL and Soccer will be watching methods for testing fans for fever and how to handle the crowding that will happen around the course.
In addition to the Memorial, Muirfield Village will also host the newly sanctioned Workday Charity Open to be held the week prior to the Memorial, July 9-12. This event fills a time slot left empty after the cancellation of the John Deere Classic. The Memorial fills the void left by the demise of The OPEN Championship.
The Workday Charity Open will be played without fans, but the Memorial will be the first sporting event of any kind that will be played with fans in attendance since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in March.
The organizers of the Memorial have gone to great lengths to assure the safety of players, volunteers and fans for the event.
RFID chips are being inserted into tournament badges for officials to monitor groupings of fans around the course. If fans become too concentrated in any location, they can be dispersed to reply with safe distancing protocols.
Every fan will be subject to a temperature check before entering the grounds. If a fan exhibits any fever-like symptoms, they will be asked to return home and seek medical attention. Crowd sizes will be limited, plus no shuttle buses will be used to transport fans.
August 13-16 the Bridgestone Senior PLAYERS Championship will be held at Firestone Country Club in Akron. It was moved out 30 days from its July 9-12 date.
The following week, the Korn Ferry Tour will hold the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship on the Scarlet Couse at Ohio State University. It will be the second of the three events in the Korn Ferry Tour’s Final Series that determines who will be awarded PGA Tour exemptions for the following season.
Beginning in mid-July and through the end of August all eyes will be on the Buckeye state, because Ohio is the Center of the Golf Universe.
