Michigan Golf Journal May 2020

Michigan Golf Journal PGA Tour Rocket Mortgage “There will be necessary protocols that we’ll all need to learn and accept and adopt, but that’s okay,” Brehm said about the new frontier of golf. “The feedback I am getting from people who talk about this is that at least in golf, we’re not sharing the same golf ball; we all have our own,” compared to sports like basketball and baseball. Pro Golf with No Fans? Stuard, age 37, said he cannot recall the last tournament he played with almost no one other than the players on the course, since high school golf (at Napoleon High) or college (at Oakland Univ.), except for a handful of former Hooter’s Tour events. “I think it’s going to be strange and different for everybody,” he said. Brehm added: “In golf, you try to kind of get into your own world out there anyway. But I know there’s an energy that fans bring to the event; and I have felt that energy before and it’s real. So, that will be something that all of us will miss. However, I do think fans across America are so ready for some live sports again. Hopefully, we can get back there, do it safely, and provide that little spark we all need.” How Fans Can Help Metro Detroit Charities: As most golf fans know, local charities receive the proceeds of professional tournaments. In the case of the Rocket Mortgage Classic, that was more than $1 million in 2019. In ‘typical’ situations, charities stand to lose all that funding if no fans are in attendance… so here is an idea I want to advocate. All fans that would have purchased a ticket to watch pros in person could donate at least that same cost of a ticket to the tournament’s charity fund. Then sit back and watch on TV with full delight that Michigan is making some positive noise across the entire sports world. “In cooperation with the PGA TOUR and our broadcast partners and Detroit Golf Club, we are turning this tournament on its head,” Jason Langwell, Executive Director of the t ournament, said in a p rovided statement.  “As t his is a TV-only event with no spectators, we are examining new fundraising capabilities that have yet to be seen on the TOUR. I, for one, am anticipating great things from the Rocket Mortgage Classic and the impact it will have on the city and its residents.” It looks like Detroit and Michigan gets the chance to shine on global sports television a second consecutive year in a positive manner. And we will shine that much more brightly if our rabid golf fan base supports golf ’s charities. Like we always do. MGJ