| by: Dan Rusnak - 7/3/2006 1:43:23 PM |
| The winds of change will be blowing in Lemont this week with the playing of the Cialis Western Open on the famed Dubsdread course at Cog Hill.
First of all after the final putt on Sunday, July 9, the Western Golf Association’s connection to the tournament name will be eliminated in favor of a full sponsorship name of The BMW Championship, which will not only change the name of this famed event, but will also rotate it out of the Chicago area every other year.
The 2007 event will be played at Cog Hill, but in September as part of the PGA TOUR’s new FedEx Cup Playoff Series before starting to rotate in 2008 – first to Bellerive Country Club in St. Louis.
The WGA’s association with the tournament will stay, which will be great for area caddies who rely on the scholarships offered through the WGA.
The change has come as an insult to the Chicagoland golfing community, but will be a boon for the Midwest as the tournament rotates every other year to places like St. Louis and Indianapolis.
While the rotation of the tournament is not new to the Western Open, it had become a mainstay in the Chicagoland area since 1962.
While there are many complaining about the changes that are coming, there is always room for improvement and those improvements may just mean a mistake will be rectified after a trial period that results in problems.
While changes are coming, the show must go on!
And, as usual, a great field will be seen roaming Dubsdread once again this year, highlighted by Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson and we will all get a chance to see the best of the PGA TOUR at one of our finest golf facilities.
SCHEDULE
Monday, July 3 7 a.m. Professional Practice Rounds; MasterCard Pro-Am
Tuesday, July 4 7 a.m. Professional Practice Rounds.
Wednesday, July 5 7 a.m. Chick Evans Memorial Pro-Am Dubsdread; 8 a.m. Western Golf Association Pro-Am Course No. 2.
Thursday, July 6 7:30 a.m. Cialis Western Open Round 1 – USA Network 3-5 p.m.
Friday, July 7 7:30 a.m. Cialis Western Open Round 2 – USA Network 3-5 p.m.
Saturday, July 8 8 a.m. Cialis Western Open Round 3 – ABC-TV 2-5 p.m.
Saturday, July 8 8 a.m. Cialis Western Open Final Round – ABC-TV 2-5 p.m.
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