76TH SENIOR PGA CHAMPIONSHIP PRESENTED BY KITCHENAID –
SITE ANNOUNCEMENT
July 30, 2013
JULIUS MASON: Ladies and gentlemen, there are some people in the audience that we would like to you meet.
First, from Jasper, Indiana, Mayor Terry Seitz. From Bedford, Indiana, Mayor Shawna Girgis. Representing French Lick Town Council, Don Renner.
Representing the PGA Indiana Section, vice president, Keith Clark; secretary, Tony Pancake; and Executive Director, Mike David.
From the French Lick Resort, Director of Golf Operations, a 35year veteran here, ladies and gentlemen, Dave Harner. The man who promises par will be as easy today on this monster golf course as any superintendent, Russ Apple. From Palm Beach Gardens, Florida and the PGA of America, Senior Director of Championships, David Charles.
And now formally, ladies and gentlemen, it's my pleasure to introduce from the Legends Golf Course in Franklin, Indiana, a man who proudly wore the black and gold of Purdue University, the 38th president, The PGA of America, Mr.Ted Bishop.
TED BISHOP: Thanks, Julius. Well, it's certainly my great pleasure as native Hoosier to be here for this very special day, and you know, I want to just start out and just tell all of you a little bit about The PGA of America. We, for those that don't know, are the largest sports organization in the world. And what that means is we have 27,000 men and women PGA members and apprentices who every day get up and do what Dave Marr and Jan Tellstrom and their staffs do, and that's try to grow the game and to create a greater interest in golf.
At the same time, our organization conducts some of the best and most major championships in all of golf, one of which is why we are here today, the Senior PGA Championship, but also looking forward next week to going to Oak Hill Country Club and conducting the PGA Championship. And on top of that, we also run the Grand Slam of Golf and certainly The Ryder Cup.
That's what we do, and we are a very proud organization, and couldn't be any happier to be here today. You know, particularly for me as a native Hoosier, to be able to be part of this unique announcement, at this property which has such a tremendous history and legacy in championship golf, which dates back to 1924 when Walter Hagen, who was one of the founding members of The PGA of America, won the PGA Championship here on the Donald Ross course, to just a couple of years ago when we were here at this very facility and conducted our Professional National Championship when 312 of the bestplaying club professionals in the United States came here and enjoyed a great four days of golf. It was a milestone championship then, because Mike Small won his third PNC title, and that's the most that any individual has ever accomplished in the history of that championship.
So when I think of French Lick, I think of their golf history; it goes beyond the PGA events that I talked about. This site has been the host for the Big Ten Men's and Women's Championships, along with, you know, other collegiate titles that they have hosted here over the past few years. It's been historically a site where the LPGA has come in and they ran their LPGA Championship here back in, I believe it was 1960. They have got a special event here that you'll hear a little bit more about later in September.
It's a long and storied tradition, but officially, the reason I'm here today, is to share with you the announcement that in May of 2015, the most historic and oldest major championship in the history of senior golf, and that will be the 76th Senior PGA Championship presented by KitchenAid, will be played here on the Pete Dye Course at the French Lick Resort. A very special day (applause).
What I would like to do, ladies and gentlemen, is I would like to welcome the Alfred S. Bourne Trophy which is being carried by Devon Trueblood and Jan Tellstrom, and this is the oldest and heaviest trophy in major championship golf, and for a closer look at the most historic and prestigious Senior PGA Championship, let's look at the monitors and watch this very special video.
(Video played).
I think you can clearly understand when you see the role call of champions that have been a part of this great event why everybody here at French Lick and KitchenAid and everybody in southern Indiana is excited to bring this championship here in 2015.
You know, ironically, and this is a little known fact that many may not realize, but the inaugural event of the Senior PGA was played in 1937 and it was actually hosted by Augusta National Golf Club. A couple of years later, we moved it to PGA National and played it there for many years, and over the years, you know, it's really been a pleasure for The PGA of America to move this Senior PGA Championship around the country. We have played such outstanding venues as the Firestone Country Club, Aronimink, Oak Hill, Canterbury, and of course Harbor Shores in Benton Harbor, Michigan, the home of KitchenAid and Whirlpool.
Our Senior PGA Championship is going to be televised for 12 hours in 2015, and it will reach 130 countries and 430 million households. Our past Senior PGA Championship presented by KitchenAid was conducted at Bellerive in St.Louis where, as you saw, Koki Idoki from Japan became the first Asianborn gentleman to win the Senior PGA Championship.
Just this past May, we had 122 players representing 35 states. We had 34 international players representing 18 countries. We had 35 of our own PGA club professionals in the field. We had 19 major champions who have combined to win 32 major championships. We had eight Senior PGA champions, and we had eight United States and European Ryder Cup Captains. We had five former PGA champions, and we had seven members of the World Golf Hall of Fame in that 2013 field.
The PGA of America is extremely pleased to have announced just last Thursday that KitchenAid has extended their sponsorship of this great event through 2018.
You know, Jeff, we certainly look forward to returning to Harbor Shores and Benton Harbor in 2014, 2016 and 2018. I said this last night and it bears repeating, every time you talk about KitchenAid and their role in this championship, they have elevated the best possible the greatest major championship in senior golf with their participation.
The reason I say that is because when you talk to the players who participate in this event, they love the special treatment that they receive through KitchenAid, the little details that Jeff's company does to make this thing really a unique and special event that you just don't see in major championship golf.
We truly believe that what the Whirlpool Corporation has done in Benton Harbor to transform an entire community through Harbor Shores Golf Course, turning an industrial brown field into green space is remarkable, and really, it's a benchmark story and it's an example that would be great for a lot of communities in this country to follow.
Steve Ferguson I've known for many years, and you know, you just have to commend what the Cook Company has done here at French Lick, resurrecting the West Baden Hotel; bringing Pete Dye in here to have the vision to build this great golf course on this piece of property. But it takes someone that has vision and has leadership and has courage to be able to do all the things that have been accomplished here in such a short period of time.
I would just like to is a salute the Cook Corporation and Steve Ferguson for everything that they have done.
So that's pretty much what I have to offer you today. Again, on behalf of The PGA of America, I can't tell you how excited we are to be here at French Lick in 2015 and to continue this great partnership with KitchenAid and to enjoy French Lick and southern Indiana's hospitality.
JULIUS MASON: Thank you, Ted, very much, for announcing that wellkept secret. And now, ladies and gentlemen, please welcome a man who will ever never, ever be late to the first tee the rest of his life, the Governor of Indiana, Mike Pence.
GOVERNOR MIKE PENCE: Thank you, Julius. It's a real joy for me to be with you today and to be a part of this extraordinary announcement, and to Ted Bishop, it is wonderful with your Indiana roots and your Boilermaker ties, it seems to me all together fitting, though you're not especially close to West Lafayette here. Seems altogether fitting that you're in the position that you're in to make this great announcement about the 2015 76th Senior PGA Championship.
I also want to express my appreciation, not only to Ted, but to Jeff Fettig, to Whirlpool Corporation for stepping up and renewing their support of this sport and of this particular event.
I'm also grateful to be able to share the podium with Steve Ferguson. I am chagrinned by the fact that I have not played this course with Steve, yet. I expect that to be a humbling experience for me.
But Steve, we just appreciate the Cook Group and your vision and your appreciation for southern Indiana. Thank you for loving and believing in our state and making the investments in this region that have contributed to the quality of life.
Also I'm grateful to be joined by Congressman Todd Young who is with me to my left, only physically.
I also want to bring greetings on behalf of my Lieutenant Governor, Sue Ellspermann, who is pining to be here today. If there's anybody that loves this region of this state more than our friends at the Cook group and more than all those guys that are here today, it might be the best Lieutenant Governor in the United States of America, Sue Ellspermann.
I am lamenting the fact that I have rounds today in Evansville and Fort Wayne, Indiana, so apparently I'm not currently scheduled to play this afternoon. Dave Harner, I walked up, complained just a little bit to Dave that that wasn't on my schedule today to be honest the course. And he said to me, "Mike, we're open every day." I look forward to being back.
It's extraordinary. The State of Indiana really has, as so many of you know here, and as Ted Bishop just reflected eloquently, has a storied history of hosting golf championships, and this will add to that storied history in such a significant way. With the PGA and LPGA events held on courses throughout our state that in addition to this extraordinary Pete Dye course here in French Lick, there are courses around the State of Indiana that are routinely referred to as historic and prestigious.
We are just delighted, also, to welcome not only professional golfing events to venues around Indiana, but also to welcome collegiate competitions and amateur competitions so we can cheer on those men and women who will one day be on the television screens and on our minds in the PGA Championships, the LPGA and the senior championships.
And let me just say, as the Boilermaker to my right already knows, we Hoosiers love golf. We love to be outside, and we love competition. And so there's no surprise to me that since those early days back when this we remember The Donald Ross course and the accomplishments of Walter Hagen, that Hoosiers have long cherished this sport.
Our state is home to some 470 golf courses. We love the game so much, we built a golf course inside the Indianapolis Motor Speedway just in case during the race people felt a need to tee off.
Because of the genius and vision of Pete and Alice Dye, this 200acre Pete Dye Course is becoming known as one of America's finest golf venues, and it's no surprise to those of us who have been here and enjoyed this spectacular vista that that's becoming the case.
And this place is truly special. I want to affirm, Ted, your decision, and the PGA's decision to be here. I understand that Pete Dye actually first designed this course on a napkin when it was becoming a reality, and he was wrestling with various challenges of elevation. He would just become the first person to wrestle with the challenges of elevation here on this course.
And I suspect that every now and again as he walked around the course, which sits in one of the highest points in the State of Indiana, he regarded its views with the affection of so many who have come here and left here with a deeper understanding of the natural beauty of our state.
As you may know, French Lick Resort is about to host the Legends Championship Presented by Humana this coming September. It has recently hosted, just to name a few: The 2013 Big Ten Men and Women's Championship, the 2012 Big Ten Men's and Women's Championship, 2011 U.S. Hickory Open, and in its early years, it's been mentioned, 1960 LPGA Championship, and all the way back to 1924, the PGA Championship. And with events that conclude with champions, if you host them, players, sponsors and the fans will be here and be looking in from around the world.
And that's where I come in just to express appreciation on behalf of all the people of Indiana for the partnerships that bring us to an announcement like today. Because this is more than just about golf. This is really about promoting everything that's good about the state of Indiana.
In 2008, the Indiana golf economy report articulated that our golf economy generates more than $900 million in economic activity in the Hoosier State. That figure includes hospitality and tourism that comes along with the tournaments that we have hosted throughout the decades.
It is extraordinary to think about the role that this game and venues like this and events like this in 2015 play in the life of our state. It will drive visitors to our state. It will drive investment in our state and retail sales and associated services, and so while we are all about golf today. And we are thinking all about golf, Ted, on what is a very typical July day in Indiana, for future reference, I tried that on Jeff, and he said, no, I'm also from here.