John Morris did it.
The PGA Tour swept into Branson, and Top of the Rock Golf Course was ready in record time.
Should we be surprised? Not really.
Almost anything can happen when a visionary billionaire sets a direction.
I say record time, because Morris and his teams at Big Cedar Lodge and Bass Pro Shops had 90 days to prepare for the June 4–8 tournament. He signed on as sponsor of the PGA Champions Tour event as its future hung in the balance after Liberty Mutual dropped out.
The reality is that Morris, the mastermind, spent nearly eight years meticulously planning the new-look Top of the Rock. PGA players in their 50s and 60s christened the Jack Nicklaus-designed course after a kitchen fire shut down all operations in 2005.
To put the rush in a little context, we drove in on a road that didn’t exist a week earlier, and during aesthetic preparations, designers would show up to measure artwork for interior walls that hadn’t been built yet.
When asked by the media if Morris tinkered with the course too much, golf legend Nicklaus was quick to dismiss the notion.
“No, let him keep tinkering. I don’t care what he does,” Nicklaus said. “He had our guys here working with him and trying to do it. He’s been very respectful of what our golf course is, but all the pizzazz in the golf course he put there.”
Pizzazz it has. At the risk of sounding cliche, you’ve got to see it to really appreciate it.
Rumor around the course was that Morris was spending $1 million a day in the run up to the tournament. Of course, Morris being Morris, he’d never say. But it appears he’s on his way to a return on the investment. I mean, what a grand stage to market the resort. The PGA players said they’re coming back – and not necessarily with their clubs. Not even sweeping rains throughout the Legends of Golf Tournament could extinguish the buzz. Players were almost gushing with credit to Morris and his team.
“The golf course, everything about what Johnny’s done … blew expectations away,” said Jeff Sluman, winner of the inaugural Legends tournament at Big Cedar with partner Fred Funk. “It’s off the charts it’s so good. We’re happy that he signed on for five years here, and I know Fred and I can’t wait to come back. You know, the praise for Johnny could go on and on.”
Of course, there was the muttering by some players about hitting off wet tee boxes or making putts on soggy greens and disruptive noises from the rookie crowd. Those are normal frustrations considering the weather conditions – and the $2.75 million purse on the line.
Anthony Pernice, along with some 15 family members, was following his brother, PGA pro Tom Pernice Jr., from hole to hole. He said the group down from Kansas City was spread out among area hotels. Tom Pernice and golf partner Bob Tway rented a house for the week at Branson Hills, the development in tribute to Payne Stewart, he told me in between an encouraging word for Tom Watson coming off the green. “Get it going, T!” Anthony Pernice yelled, prompting Watson to flash a smile his way.
Inside the new Arnie’s Barn, spectators dined and watched through wide glass windows. Springfield businessmen Andy Kuntz and Geoffrey Butler stood just inside a doorway, where the monstrous tournament trophies kept dry, and chatted about player shots and the tournament’s impact on the next generation of golfers. There with his family, Kuntz’s girls were running around with Sharpies and asking for autographs.
Next to Kuntz and Butler, Englishman Nick Faldo was glad to sign for two teenage golf fans as he ducked for cover from the rain.
These are the rare opportunities Morris’ vision has afforded.
The PGA has its eye on the Ozarks. Now, the area is home to two summer PGA Tour stops, between the Legends and the Price Cutter Charity Championship on the Web.com Tour.
To hear PCCC Executive Director Jerald Andrews tell it, PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem wants to replicate the Springfield tournament on all 25 Web.com event stops. The two held a meeting in Branson during the Legends tournament (and Andrews did manage to get Nicklaus’ autograph).
“Now, it’s time to turn our attention to the future of golf,” Andrews says of the Aug. 7–10 play at Highland Springs Country Club.
One thing that didn’t make it in time at Morris’ sanctuary in Ridgedale was the Ancient Ozarks Natural History Museum. Probably more so a virtue of practicality – but with Morris you wonder if it was strategic – the museum was left as a teaser for a future return when it opens.
Big Cedar and Top of the Rock already were sitting on a prime piece of real estate. Today, it’s sitting prettier.
Springfield Business Journal Editor Eric Olson can be reached at eolson@sbj.net.[[In-content Ad]]
