84 Lumber Classic shaping up quite nicely; more golfers commit
FARMINGTON – A millionaire, a National Football League Hall of Famer and a defending PGA Tour event champion should have little trouble holding court. But this day was just as much about who was planning to attend, than who was already there.
Joe Hardy, former Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Lynn Swann and Dan Forsman touted the 84 Lumber Classic of Pennsylvania as Nemacolin Woodlands Resort and Spa hosted Media Day Monday in a tent adjacent to Mystic Rock’s 18th tee.
Numerous topics were touched upon in the 45-minute press conference, but perhaps the biggest news was an up-to-date list of golfers who will take part in the tournament, which runs from Sept. 18-21.
Along with Forsman – the defending Pennsylvania Classic champion – and 84 Lumber spokesman John Daly, seven of the world’s top 30 golfers will take on The Rock, including Robert Allenby (No. 15), Chris Dimarco (No. 17), Jerry Kelly (No. 21), Scott Verplank (No. 24), Charles Howell III (No. 25), Fred Funk (No. 26) and Scott Hoch (No. 27).
Also committed to the 84 Lumber Classic are: Len Mattiace, Rocco Mediate, Chris Riley, John Rollins, Rory Sabatini, Chad Campbell, Lee Janzen, Scott McCarron, Duffy Waldorf, Aaron Baddeley, Peter Jacobsen, Hank Kuehne, Joe Durant and Matt Kuchar.
“I think we’re going to have a great field,” said Bud Martin, Executive Director of the 84 Lumber Classic. “I think it’s something that is going to get better and better when the caddies, Dan and the different players that played over the years go back and kind of spread the word of what Mystic Rock and the Hardys are all about.”
Golfers have until 5 p.m., Friday, Sept. 12 to officially commit to playing the tournament.
Nemacolin Woodlands, sports marketing group SFX and the PGA have been busy preparing not only Mystic Rock, but this small community for the onslaught of golf which will begin with the Mystic Rock Pro-Am and practice rounds Monday, Sept. 15.
So far, everyone seems to be satisfied with the progress that’s been made.
“The tournament (preparation) is going very, very well,” said Eric Mehl, Tournament Director. “It has far exceeded my expectations and it has far exceeded the PGA Tour’s expectations. I deal with them on a daily basis and we just did a big review of the tournament, called an “Operational Checklist.” We went through about 300 items and the Tour could not be more thrilled with what’s going on up here in Farmington, Pa., with the 84 Lumber Classic.
“Duke Butler, who is one of the senior executives for the PGA Tour, came up to me at the Western Open and said, ‘Hey Eric, there’s a buzz going around that this tournament is going to be one of the biggest surprises this year on the schedule.’ When you get a top guy from the PGA Tour that’s heard what’s going on, and he’s excited … We’re hoping that translates to happy sponsors, happy players and happy ticket holders.”
Forsman, who topped Billy Andrade and Allenby last year by one stroke at Waynesborough Country Club, was also impressed after his recent visit to Nemacolin Woodlands.
“I’ve heard a lot of stories from Eric (Mehl), but I was not prepared for the fabulous facilities you have here,” Forsman said. “I remember when I first saw John Daly with an “84” on his chest. I thought ‘What in the world is 84?’ Low and behold, I got the answer because then it became apparent when SEI was leaving the Tour last year it was going to become the 84 Lumber Classic. I quickly became acquainted with what 84 Lumber was and Mr. Hardy and his magnificent resort.
“The kind of effort it takes to pull this thing together … it’s Herculean and I am very impressed. I can tell you I will go to the Buick Open next week, and I will tell all the players that they need to come here and see this first-hand. Not only will they be impressed with the golf course, but they will be impressed with the beauty of the resort and the wonderful people here also.”
Among other notes of interest at Monday’s press conference:
l A print and television ticket sales campaign were launched Monday. Tickets can be obtained at 84 Lumber stores, Nemacolin Woodlands Resort and Spa, by calling 1-800-356-8848 or at www.84LumberClassic.com.
l All but 100 of the 1,200 volunteers needed have been confirmed. “We are doing extremely well with volunteers,” Mehl said. “That was one of the things the Tour was most concerned about with us being in a less densely populated area.” For information on volunteering, call 1-412-443-9953.
l Swann, who won four Super Bowl rings from 1974-80, served as Master of Ceremonies and talked about what it’s like to play a course the caliber of Mystic Rock. “I’m a big fan of the PGA Tour. I love coming out here and playing golf. One of the rules of football was, you couldn’t come out there and play with me. You couldn’t line up on the field and take a hit by Joe Greene and walk off the field, and you couldn’t line up at wide receiver, run a down-and-out and have Terry Bradshaw thrown you a pass. You have to watch from the stands. You can’t play the game. This is the only sport I know that you can actually go out and play on a golf course that the best players in the world are playing and see what it’s like. Swann then drew a laugh from the crowd. “When I play, I’m a bad golfer. I have a big handicap. The balls go right, they go left and sometimes they find the cup by a miracle. And I walk off the golf course every time after having played 18 and I’m just down. I go home, I take a shower, I get dressed, I put my four Super Bowl rings on … I look in the mirror and I say, ‘I am an athlete.'”