Michigan Golf Journal May 2019

Now she’s the tournament director at the PGA Tour’s Valspar Championship, and part of her job is ĂŐĂŝŶ ĞŶƟĐŝŶŐ ƉůĂǇĞƌƐ ƚŽ ƉĂƌƟĐŝƉĂƚĞ ŝŶ ŚĞƌ ĞǀĞŶƚ͘ dŚĞ requests, though, are not always as easy. ͞ ĞĮŶŝƚĞůǇ ŶŽƚ͕ ďĞĐĂƵƐĞ now I can be their mothers, right?” the soon-to-be 54-year-old said, laughing. Even so, West has found the dKhZ ƉůĂǇĞƌƐ ǁĞůĐŽŵŝŶŐ ʹ ĂůďĞŝƚ ƐŽŵĞƟŵĞƐ ƐƵƌƉƌŝƐĞĚ early on when she approached them on the range to encourage them to play in Tampa or to show her ĂƉƉƌĞĐŝĂƟŽŶ ŽŶĐĞ ƚŚĞǇ ǁĞƌĞ there. One such encounter in 2015 stands out. “I was going up … to thank this prominent player for playing that week,” West recalled. “It was late on a dƵĞƐĚĂǇ ĂŌĞƌŶŽŽŶ ĂŶĚ ŚŝƐ ǁŝĨĞ ǁĂƐ ŽŶ ƚŚĞ ƉƵƫŶŐ ŐƌĞĞŶ ǁŝƚŚ him. She looked at me and was like, ‘Oh my God. A female tournament director. This is ĨĂŶƚĂƐƟĐ͘ dŚŝƐ ŝƐ ĂǁĞƐŽŵĞ͛͘ “So, yeah it was probably a bit of a novelty -- which isn’t that long ago.” In reality, what’s less of a novelty in each passing year ŝƐ Ă W' dKhZ ĞǀĞŶƚ ƌƵŶ ďǇ Ă woman. West, who joined the Valspar Championship in 2014, is not ƚŚĞ ĮƌƐƚ ĨĞŵĂůĞ ƚŽƵƌŶĂŵĞŶƚ ĚŝƌĞĐƚŽƌ ŽŶ dKhZ͖ ƚŚĞƌĞ ǁĞƌĞ three before her. But she is the longest-serving of the seven ĐƵƌƌĞŶƚůǇ ŝŶ ƉŽƐŝƟŽŶ ĂŶĚ ƚŚĞ ůŝƐƚ ŝƐ ŐƌŽǁŝŶŐ ŽŶ W' dKhZ Champions and the Web.com Tour, too. /Ŷ ĂĚĚŝƟŽŶ͕ ůĞǆĂŶĚƌŝĂ ; ůĞǆͿ Baldwin was named in January ƚŽ ŽǀĞƌƐĞĞ ƚŚĞ ĞŶƟƌĞ tĞď͘ ĐŽŵ dŽƵƌ ʹ ƚŚĞ ĮƌƐƚ ǁŽŵĂŶ ƚŽ ůĞĂĚ ŽŶĞ ŽĨ ƚŚĞ W' dKhZ͛Ɛ six global Tours as president. And of the 27 events on that schedule, a third now have women as tournament directors. Of the 1,100 or so ĞŵƉůŽǇĞĞƐ Ăƚ ƚŚĞ dKhZ͕ ŶĞĂƌůǇ ŚĂůĨ ʹ ϰϮ ƉĞƌĐĞŶƚ͕ ƚŽ ďĞ ĞǆĂĐƚ ʹ ĂƌĞ ĨĞŵĂůĞ͘ ŶĚ ƚŚŽƐĞ ǁŽŵĞŶ Įůů Ă ǀĂƌŝĞƚǇ ŽĨ ƌŽůĞƐ ĨƌŽŵ ƐĂůĞƐ ĂŶĚ ŵĂƌŬĞƟŶŐ ƚŽ ŵĞĚŝĂ ŽĸĐŝĂůƐ ĂŶĚ ^ŚŽƚ>ŝŶŬ ĐŽŽƌĚŝŶĂƚŽƌƐ ƚŽ ĮŶĂŶĐĞ ĂŶĚ ĂĐĐŽƵŶƟŶŐ ƚŽ ĚŝŐŝƚĂů producers and on-air talent to hospitality and child care. “I’ve never really been ƉƌŝǀǇ ƚŽ ĂŶ ŽƌŐĂŶŝǌĂƟŽŶ that has had such a focus ŽŶ ĞůĞǀĂƟŶŐ ǁŽŵĞŶ ǁŝƚŚŝŶ the workplace,” said Allison Fillmore, in her second year as tournament director of ƚŚĞ dKhZ ŚĂŵƉŝŽŶƐŚŝƉ͕ ƚŚĞ &ĞĚ ǆ ƵƉ ĮŶĂůĞ͙͞dŚĞ more we can hear from more people and more viewpoints, ƚŚĞ ďĞƩĞƌ ƚŚĞ ƉƌŽĚƵĐƚ͘͟ Photo Credit: Michael McCoy 33 May 2019 ǁǁǁ͘ŵŝĐŚŝŐĂŶŐŽůłŽƵƌŶĂů͘ĐŽŵ