Minutes after Russ Cochran sank the final putt of the first Western Open at Cog Hill`s Dubsdread, something strange happened. Jemsek Golf President Frank Jemsek was seen shaking hands, thanking fans for coming to the tournament.
It was the 88th Western and the first for Dubsdread, so the Jemseks did everything they could to make it right. There was a different feeling, as the second-oldest tournament moved from exclusive, all-male Butler National to public Cog Hill. It`s a feeling that Chicago-area golfers will get used to.
”This wasn`t my tournament,” said Cog Hill owner Joe Jemsek, the 77-year-old godfather of public golf in Chicago. ”It wasn`t the Western Golf Association`s tournament. People think it`s their tournament. I think this is everybody`s golf tournament. This is their golf course, and everybody feels at home.”
The Western has found a home at Cog Hill after the PGA Tour`s policy against hosting tournaments at clubs with exclusionary membership policies. It is a home that Tour players unanimously endorsed, and one that golf fans supported in numbers equal to that of Butler National.
There were no traffic disasters as some predicted, thanks to ample free parking, and the golf course proved able to handle crowds estimated at 30,000. The Western Open that Western Golf Association officials had hoped for materialized.
”I think we did a really good job,” said tournament director Peter de Young. ”I`m really pleased with the way we made the move. From the first day we did everything upscale. There was no second-guessing our move. We can be pretty proud, and I really, truly think it wasn`t an easy task.
”We had an awful lot of companies that came with us from Butler to set this up. Every single one of them came in with an upbeat attitude that we could make this work.”
It did work, but it wasn`t perfect. There was the broken sewer line near the 16th hole, some gallery traffic problems and a few minor glitches. There will be 12 months to make things better before the next Western is played next July 2-5.
One of the changes will involve the corporate tents situated between the 11th and 17th fairways. On Saturday, Greg Norman`s tee shot went left, and he was blocked by the tents. Norman was given relief, but those tents will move elsewhere.
”Those tents were placed in such a way that they could become a rules controversy,” de Young said. ”We noticed that on Friday and had to call for a ruling on Saturday and it delayed play. I was in error. I blew it. They won`t be there next year.”
There were fewer corporate tents at Cog Hill than there were at Butler National. De Young thinks some of the Western`s former corporate tenants will return after this year`s success.
Another problem that will receive attention is the lack of more spectator seating around the 18th green. The Jemseks brought in architect Rocky Roquemore to take a look at the 18th, which was the toughest hole all week. There was some talk of moving the green towards the pond to the left of the green, but those plans were abandoned when players said they liked the course the way it was. Some trees might be moved to make more room around an exciting hole.
Permanent standards for the electronic scoreboards probably will be added. Mounds may be built eventually at some sites for better viewing. Other shortcomings: a fan bottleneck behind the 13th green and too few crosswalks.
Aside from his customers, Joe Jemsek was most concerned about how the PGA Tour players would accept the course he had built in 1964 for an event. He had little reason to worry after the 72 holes were concluded.
”The thing I`m most pleased about is how the players liked the course,” he said. ”Even if they shot bad they liked it. Andy North shot 80 and said it was a good golf course. Ben Crenshaw didn`t make the cut, but he loved the golf course.”
With two more years on a contract that is likely to become permanent, Crenshaw will have plenty more shots at it.
