Tournament Golf Just Beyond My Corner

For the sixth year the Legends of Golf professional golf tournament was played at Ridgedale, MO, just south of Branson.  The tournament is now known as the Bass Pro Shops Legends of Golf at Big Cedar Lodge.  (Owner Johnny Morris is good at marketing.)

The Legends of Golf event began in 1978 and sparked the creation of the PGA Tour Champions.  Before coming to the Ozarks, it was played in Florida. 

The first year the tournament was held at two Ozark courses, Top of the Rock and Buffalo Ridge in 2014.  I attended one day, got soaked in a pouring rain and left early.  The last three years I have been a volunteer marshal.  It has been fun to see PGA Champions Tour golfers up close. 

This year for the first time a new course Ozark National was used for part of the tournament.  Ozark National was designed by Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw.  It is a beautiful and tough layout. 

It seems like every year the rains interfere with some part of the tournament. 

It takes about 200 marshals for the five days of the tournament, two days of pro-am and three days of pro competition.  There were only 28 new marshals this year; everyone else was a returnee. 

The Legends tournament is a two-man team event.  This year's winners were Tom Pernice and Scott Hoch. 

They always play part of the Legends event at Top of the Rock, a beautiful nine-hole par 3 which was re-designed by Jack Nicklaus.  Nicklaus usually plays in the Legends division, but he was ill this year.  Notables in attendance this year include Tom Watson, Gary Player, Lee Trevino, Ben Crenshaw, John Daly, Mark O'Meara, and Colin Montgomerie. 

The charitable beneficiaries of the event are the College of the Ozarks and the Wonders of Wildlife National Museum and Aquarium. 

I enjoy volunteering at the tournament, but I wish the weather was better and it was not during spring turkey season.