Thursday, June 26, 2008
Buick Open 2008

Isn’t it nice to see people looking on the bright side?

Some overzealous doom mongers think a season without Tiger is going to make golf implode. Not Greg Johnson. This level headed journo for the Grand Rapids Press has come up with some reasons why Tiger’s absence from this weekend’s Buick Open could actually benefit spectators.

He asserts this is the 50th anniversary of the Buick Open, which means it has pulled off an event 42 times without Woods at Warwick Hills Golf and Country Club. It will pull off another, and honestly, there are reasons to venture here this week, or at least watch on television.

Here’s his list:

Saving Money
No Woods means less money for parking because of less demand and more supply, and that means you save money before you get in the gate.

Then, the crowds are down, so you can actually move around and not fight thousands of people for good spots along the ropes.

The real golf fans -- as in the ones who liked the sport before Tiger -- should be very pleased with this access to the action.

Parking was just $5 Tuesday. It will go up each day, but it shouldn't skyrocket. Don't forget to car pool. Gas was $4.08 in Flint on Tuesday.

Rocco Is There
Rocco Mediate won here in 2000, and each year he stays with Grand Blanc resident Steve Purtis, who is a friend of his from high school.

Sure, he is tired of talking about taking Tiger to task at the U.S. Open only to fall when the King of Golf Drama put him away, but he promises to be engaging, entertaining and excited to play.

He's the guy golf fans can watch instead.

I played in a pro-am with him before, and he couldn't have been a better pro partner. He told me once that golfers have to remember they exist only because the fans exist.

John Daly Is There
Sure, he's a human car wreck waiting to happen much of the time, but he has wowed the crowd here before with his grip-it-and-rip-it approach to the game. He has attracted galleries that rival Tiger's followers in previous visits.

A few years ago, Vijay Singh was winning, but everybody on Sunday was following Big John. Simple reason: He's fun to watch.

Car wrecks make you look when you go past.

Billy Casper Is There
Sure, some of the younger golf fans have never heard of him, which is reason to come.

Call it golf history 101. Casper was the winner of the 1958 Buick Open, the first Buick, and local golf fans should remember he was a former champion in Grand Rapids after he helped bring the Senior PGA Tour to town for an 18-year run.

Casper also won two U.S. Opens, a Masters and was on eight Ryder Cup teams while winning 51 PGA Tour events. He signs autographs, and he remembers names.

All valid reasons I’m sure you’ll agree. So if you're knocking about the streets of Michigan with nothing to do get involved.

We wanted to post a video of some great moments from the Buick Open but found this video was more fun. Click the image to check it out.



6/26/2008 12:36:43 PM (GMT Standard Time, UTC+00:00)  #  Comments [0] 

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