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For residents of Prince William County, Virginia, today offered a partially surreal but not improbable experience. This week, the PGA TOUR Presidents Cup tournament triumphantly returned to their hometown. Played at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Club at Lake Manassas in 1994, 1996, and 2000, the Presidents Cup has come back to Prince William County. The tournament’s 20,000 attendees are pumping cash into the registers of local businesses, filling beds at the area’s 35 hotels, and busying the kitchens of the destination’s popular restaurants. From highway event signage, to media satellites reaching for the clouds in the clear autumn sky, to the vast lots of the Jiffy Lube Live at StoneRidge commandeered for tournament parking— in every sense of the term, Prince William County this week is the golf capital of the world. Guests on the tournament’s first day brought folding chairs, sun visors and plenty of water—hoping for a green-side seat at a tournament in anxious need of a winner. In 2003, team captains declared a “tie” on the last day of play in South Africa. This time, visitors—mostly from the U.S.—proudly wore shirts emblazoned with the American flag as a show of silent support for their “hometown team.” But golf wasn’t the only attraction. For a county that welcomes millions of visitors annually, today’s special guests brought prestige, dignity, even charity. This being the Presidents Cup, former Presidents George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton were on hand to inaugurate the 2005 tournament at the 10 a.m. opening ceremonies. Flanking the leaders on the ornate, red-carpeted dais were the world’s top golfers—Tiger Woods, Davis Love III, Vijay Singh and 21 others. They were joined by their team captains—golf legends Jack Nicklaus of the U.S. team and Gary Player representing the International group—and a contingent of officials from the PGA, Prince William County and nonprofit organizations. With the sparkling canvas of Lake Manassas as a backdrop, the former presidents—dressed in the uniform blue blazer and horizontally-striped tie donned by U.S. team members— used the opening ceremonies as an opportunity to raise funds in support of Hurricane Katrina victims. “I am tired of people saying we are the odd couple,” Bush said. “Our work has nothing to do with politics and everything to do with people who are hurting real bad.” Ceremony emcee Stone Phillips, of NBC News, said the Presidents Cup players are international ambassadors seeking a better world. Since its inception, the tournament has raised more than $10 million for charitable organizations, such as the Make-A-Wish Foundation and the Boys and Girls Club. A crane with a broadcast camera captured sweeping views of the ceremony, as the camera shutters of press photographers clicked away, reporters scribbled on notepads, and inspired visitors waived miniature American flags. Nearby, in a 40,000 square foot media center, journalists at laptops scrambled to file their first reports and phones and fax machines buzzed with excitement. Broadcast on television in 140 countries—the tournament truly provides Prince William County with a worldwide stage. The history and importance of this tournament is not lost on the loyal locals—who frequently enjoy the destination’s 12 pristine daily-play golf courses. Hundreds of county residents serve as event volunteers—even paying for the privilege. While the cadre of volunteers might not run the tournament, they certainly keep it running smoothly. From directing cars in the parking lots, to handing out PGA brochures, to answering questions about cell-phone etiquette on the course (no cell phones are allowed), the volunteers—all clad in red polo shirts—make themselves known and available even in the earliest of morning hours. By 1:10 p.m., thousands of visitors, volunteers and tournament officials lined the fairway of the course’s first hole for the long-awaited tournament start. The Presidents Cup prize—a 14-inch-high sterling silver, gold vermeil trophy by Tiffany—rested atop a wooden display podium perched on the edge of the green. Visitors sat silently in high-dollar observation risers a yard away. As Fred Couples looked on, Tiger Woods teed off and 2005 PGA TOUR Presidents Cup in Prince William County, Virginia had officially begun. |
