Going for the green: Golf tournament seen as economic opportunity

When the field of more than 140 of the top junior golfers descends on Dalhousie Golf Club this week, each player will try to add his or her name to the illustrious list of Rolex Tournament of Champions winners.

Past winners of the tournament include Phil Mickelson, Morgan Pressel, Charles Howell and Dudley Hart, all big names in golf.

The American Junior Golf Association's premier tournament, the Rolex Tournament of Champions, begins with today's Junior-Am, where competitors in the tournament are paired with members of the community for a round of golf. The four-round tournament gets underway at 7 a.m. Wednesday and continues to Saturday, with the final round scheduled to tee off at 7 a.m.

While the tournament draws some of the top junior golfers in the world, there are other benefits for the area.

Chuck Martin, executive director of the Cape Girardeau Convention and Visitors Bureau, estimates the financial effect of the tournament could be at least $350,000.

"That's a conservative number," Martin said. "It could bring in much more."

The sports market is one of the top revenue-producing segments of the city's tourism industry, Martin said. This is the third consecutive year that Dalhousie, which was ranked the No. 1 course in the state by Golf Digest magazine in its 2007-2008 rankings, has hosted an AJGA tournament.

"Hopefully this is only the tip of the iceberg and you'll see more quality tournaments coming into town," Dalhousie managing member Cord Dombrowski said. "Its reputation allows the course to keep landing events like this and showcases our area to the rest of the country."

Martin said history has shown that each of the 144 players will bring at least two people with them for the tournament. He said each person is expected to spend $150 on lodging, meals, fuel and entertainment throughout the week.

"Any time you get an event in your community, it'll have an impact on the economy," Martin said. "While this is not one of the largest events in terms of number of participants, it does make an impact because of the number of nights they're here along with the distance people travel from to get here."

Dombrowski said Holiday Inn Express and Victorian Inn & Suites are the two host hotels for the tournament. Holiday Inn Express reported 100 percent occupancy today through July 4. Management at Victorian Inn & Suites declined to comment on how many rooms it had remaining this week, but the hotel's website indicated no rooms were available through July 4.

Dombrowski said the outpouring of support from the community and businesses contributes to the success of the tournament.

He said that last year a player from South Dakota was looking for a new car and purchased a vehicle from a local dealership that transported tournament officials throughout the week. Dombrowski said the player stated it was because of treatment he received from the dealer that factored into the decision.

"That shows you that if you're a businessman, supporting local events can pay off, whether it's this golf tournament or a motorcycle rally," Dombrowski said.

bblackwell@semissourian.com

388-3628

kmorriss@semissourian.com

388-3647

Pertinent address:

Dalhousie, Cape Girardeau, Mo.