Albertson's Boise Open
Albertson's Boise Open
The alarm bells started going off among Nationwide Tour golfers when they arrived at Hillcrest Country Club on Sept. 11, 2006.
The Albertsons Boise Open is one of the players’ favorite tournaments and one of the tour’s most lucrative.
But Albertsons, they quickly learned, had been sold in the year since their last visit to Boise. The grocery chain is the only original sponsor still with the tour.
“Everybody would be devastated if we didn’t have this tournament,” tour player Brandt Snedeker says. “It’s such a great golf course. The fans out here are awesome. Ask any player in the field and they’ll tell you how much they love Boise.”
Golfers aren’t the only ones in love with the Boise Open. The tournament attracts thousands of fans, utilizes more than 1,200 volunteers and has generated more than $5 million for charities in its 17-year run. It’s a 72-hole tournament with three days of build-up that includes an all-star skins game, a junior clinic and a pro-am for sponsors.
All that could have ended if SuperValu, Albertsons’ new parent company, had pulled the plug. SuperValu, however, has committed to fund the event into 2010.
“SuperValu has a great heritage of giving back to the community just like Albertsons did,” says Duncan Mac Naughton, the executive vice president for marketing and merchandising at SuperValu and a former Albertsons' employee. “We feel like this is a great vehicle to reach a broad audience and give back to many charities, so we’re very committed (to it). It is very aligned with our strategic thinking.”
ONE YEAR BECOMES 17
The Boise Open began in 1990 as an event on the fledgling Hogan Tour, a minor league created by the PGA Tour for player development.
The PGA Tour contacted Susan Breaux, then the director of the Rocky Mountain Section of the PGA of America.
Breaux, in turn, reached out to Jeff Sanders, a former PGA Tour player who runs a golf promotions company in Portland.
Sanders liked the idea—if he could convince Albertsons to become the title sponsor. He met with several executives, including former CEO Warren McCain.
“Warren McCain said to me, ‘Jeff, we’ll do this one year, but if it’s not first class in every way, it will just be a one-year deal,’ ” Sanders recalls. “I said, ‘Mr. McCain, in all due respect, that’s the only way we know how to do it.’ ”
The purse that year was $100,000. The charity contribution—a cornerstone of PGA Tour events—was $25,000.
“It was kind of a unique thing for Boise and something we all felt like would be nice to have around for a while,” says Steve Rudd, a Hillcrest member and 17-year tournament volunteer. “I don’t know that we ever thought it would be around for 17 years.”
The tour grew slowly at first, then took off after about a decade. Purses and charity contributions soared as the tour’s umbrella sponsor changed to Nike in 1993, Buy.com in 2000 and Nationwide in 2002.
This year, the Boise Open delivered a purse of $650,000 and expects a charity contribution of more than $800,000.
The quality of play has improved, too, and many tournaments—including the Boise Open—air live on The Golf Channel.
“It’s always had phenomenal talent, but it’s getting deeper and deeper,” says Jim Furyk, the number 3-ranked player in the world who played in Boise in 1993. “A lot of guys, when they qualify off of the Nationwide Tour, they are absolutely ready (for the PGA Tour).”
A PROVING GROUND
For the players, the Nationwide Tour is a place to learn how to handle the mechanics of tour golf—from travel to finances to when to rest—and develop their games.
It also provides a safety net for players who make the PGA Tour, but don’t stick.
The top 20 Nationwide Tour money-winners move up to the PGA Tour every year.
“For me, I used it as a stepping stone and a learning ground,” says Furyk, a 12-time winner on the PGA Tour. “It’s a great place for younger players to learn the ropes and a good place for guys in the middle to gain some confidence.”
The Boise Open is a key event for the players because the purse ranks in the top five among the 31 Nationwide Tour events and it falls in September, as the chase for the top 20 is winding down.
This year, Kevin Stadler—son of former PGA Tour star Craig Stadler —birdied three of the last four holes to win by one shot and clinch his spot on the PGA Tour for next year.
Stadler is a familiar story—he was on the Nationwide Tour in 2004, the PGA Tour in 2005 and back on the Nationwide Tour in 2006.
He shot 20-under par for 72 holes at Hillcrest, the greatest performance in tournament history.
“He put the pedal down at the end,” says Mario Tiziani, who led after three rounds but finished fifth.
Now Stadler will try to become the latest Nationwide Tour standout to become a PGA Tour star.
Players such as Ernie Els, John Daly, Chris DiMarco, David Toms, Stewart Cink and Zach Johnson played in the Boise Open on their way to stardom.
In fact, nine of the American Ryder Cup players this year—plus captain Tom Lehman—spent at least one season on the Nationwide Tour.
“It doesn’t surprise me, that’s for sure,” says Johnson, a Ryder Cupper who was the 2003 Nationwide Tour Player of the Year. “This game is so much about experience and learning and growing from past tournaments . . . and the purpose of the Nationwide Tour is for it to be a developmental tour.”
GIVING THROUGH GOLF
The tour also strives to make a difference in its host communities—just like the PGA Tour.
The PGA, Nationwide and Champions (players over 50) tours have contributed more than $1 billion combined to charity in their history.
The Boise Open selects 12 local youth-oriented charities each year to receive distributions from the tournament. This year, those checks will be for $25,000.
Events throughout the week benefit other charities, such as the $50,000 Kraft/Nabisco Shoot-Out.
In fact, nine of the American Ryder Cup players this year—plus captain Tom Lehman—spent at least one season on the Nationwide Tour.
“It doesn’t surprise me, that’s for sure,” says Johnson, a Ryder Cupper who was the 2003 Nationwide Tour Player of the Year. “This game is so much about experience and learning and growing from past tournaments . . . and the purpose of the Nationwide Tour is for it to be a developmental tour.”
GIVING THROUGH GOLF
The tour also strives to make a difference in its host communities—just like the PGA Tour.
The PGA, Nationwide and Champions (players over 50) tours have contributed more than $1 billion combined to charity in their history.
The Boise Open selects 12 local youth-oriented charities each year to receive distributions from the tournament. This year, those checks will be for $25,000.
Events throughout the week benefit other charities, such as the $50,000 Kraft/Nabisco Shoot-Out.
The Shoot-Out is a skins game exhibition that has attracted stars such as Annika Sorenstam, Gary McCord and John Elway since its inception in 1991.
Plus, in 2001, the tournament turned over its ticket sales to charities. About 100 charities sold tickets this year—and they kept every dollar. They generated about $425,000 in ticket revenue, up from $31,000 in 2001.
The charities also get money from a $50,000 bonus pool that is distributed based on who sells the most tickets.
The charity numbers are a big part of the tournament’s success. Fans and volunteers are drawn not just by the golf, but by the cause.
“The big thing that’s really helped this tournament is all the money it gives to charity,” Rudd says.
Plus, in 2001, the tournament turned over its ticket sales to charities. About 100 charities sold tickets this year—and they kept every dollar. They generated about $425,000 in ticket revenue, up from $31,000 in 2001.
The charities also get money from a $50,000 bonus pool that is distributed based on who sells the most tickets.
The charity numbers are a big part of the tournament’s success. Fans and volunteers are drawn not just by the golf, but by the cause.
“The big thing that’s really helped this tournament is all the money it gives to charity,” Rudd says.
“That keeps a lot of people coming back.”
VOLUNTEERS TAKE OWNERSHIP
The retention among volunteers is so great that tournament organizers haven’t publicly recruited helpers since the first event in 1990. They used 750 volunteers that year.
“They’ve taken personal ownership of what they do,” Sanders said. “They’ve made our lives a heck of a lot easier. A lot of places you go you can’t find quality volunteers who are actually going to show up on time, if not early, stay late if necessary and do whatever it takes to make it a successful event.”
Some volunteers even take vacation time to work at the Boise Open.
Joan Sipple of Boise is the chairwoman of the walking scorers. She spent three years as a walking scorer—charting each shot in her group—and just completed her 14th year as a chairwoman.
“It’s just a fun thing to do,” she says. “There’s community involvement and there’s so much support with the volunteers that we have. It’s an upbeat experience because everybody is so positive about it.”
She was recruited in 1990 because she was a regular at Warm Springs Golf Club. She helped recruit more volunteers there. Her crew has impressed her with their flexibility and willingness to help.
“My volunteers are absolutely the greatest,” she gushes.
And, just like the players, the volunteers are somewhat nervous about the future of the tournament.
Rudd, though, likes the tournament’s chances.
“A lot of people around the tournament,” says Rudd, “think even if SuperValu were to say, ‘No, we’re not going to do this,’ someone in the community would step up.”
Sanders hopes that won’t be necessary. He’s getting a good vibe from SuperValu.
“Hopefully,” he said before the decision to continue was made, “I’ll be coming back to Boise until I’m in a rocking chair.”
VOLUNTEERS TAKE OWNERSHIP
The retention among volunteers is so great that tournament organizers haven’t publicly recruited helpers since the first event in 1990. They used 750 volunteers that year.
“They’ve taken personal ownership of what they do,” Sanders said. “They’ve made our lives a heck of a lot easier. A lot of places you go you can’t find quality volunteers who are actually going to show up on time, if not early, stay late if necessary and do whatever it takes to make it a successful event.”
Some volunteers even take vacation time to work at the Boise Open.
Joan Sipple of Boise is the chairwoman of the walking scorers. She spent three years as a walking scorer—charting each shot in her group—and just completed her 14th year as a chairwoman.
“It’s just a fun thing to do,” she says. “There’s community involvement and there’s so much support with the volunteers that we have. It’s an upbeat experience because everybody is so positive about it.”
She was recruited in 1990 because she was a regular at Warm Springs Golf Club. She helped recruit more volunteers there. Her crew has impressed her with their flexibility and willingness to help.
“My volunteers are absolutely the greatest,” she gushes.
And, just like the players, the volunteers are somewhat nervous about the future of the tournament.
Rudd, though, likes the tournament’s chances.
“A lot of people around the tournament,” says Rudd, “think even if SuperValu were to say, ‘No, we’re not going to do this,’ someone in the community would step up.”
Sanders hopes that won’t be necessary. He’s getting a good vibe from SuperValu.
“Hopefully,” he said before the decision to continue was made, “I’ll be coming back to Boise until I’m in a rocking chair.”
Photography Nitrophoto Motorsports
Text Chadd Cripe
