Lexington, KY – Another professional golf tour could be making a stop in Central Kentucky.
Efforts are underway to bring an LPGA Tour event to the Lexington area as soon as 2013 after a small group from the Bluegrass Sports Commission met with LPGA officials earlier this month. A few hurdles remain, but if successful, the new tournament could deliver a multimillion dollar jolt to the local economy while raising the Lexington area’s sporting profile for events other than college basketball.
Bluegrass Sports Commission executive director Terry Johnson and Brooks Downing, the organization’s board chair, made the trip from Lexington to Sylvania, Ohio, for a five-hour meeting with a tour delegation during the LPGA’s Jamie Farr Classic. Both sides stopped well short of saying a finalized deal is imminent, though each agreed talks appear to be heading in that direction.
If that deal is eventually completed, the new event would join the NGA Hooters Tour’s Cherry Blossom Classic – which has been played at Cherry Blossom Golf and Country Club in Georgetown since 2008 – as the only professional golf tour events in Central Kentucky. It would also mark the first time a pro golf tour stops in Lexington since the Bank One Classic senior event was last played at Kearney Hills Links in 1997 following a 15-year run (It was first played at Griffin Gate Golf Club from 1983-1989).
“Nothing is at the point of which anything definitive is being said other than the LPGA is very interested in being in Kentucky and we’re excited to explore it,” said Greg Conrad, vice president of tournament business affairs for the LPGA. “We’re definitely in the infant stages, but I’d say the initial conversations were very positive.”
The expected cost to start and operate such an event is an estimated $3-3.5 million, with $1.5 million covered by a title sponsor. The Bluegrass Sports Commission has engaged a handful of national sports business agencies during the past week for help with securing that title sponsor, though a decision as to which agency will be retained has yet to be decided.
A venue also needs to be secured. Richard Maloney, the city’s Chief Administrative Officer, indicated Kearney Hills – given its history with the Bank One Classic from 1990-1997 – may eventually be the choice, but added that all area courses would be engaged to determine which would be chosen as the tournament site. And a Duramed Futures Tour event could be up for grabs as part of the deal, as indications are the LPGA Tour (which owns the Futures Tour) will likely opt not to return to London, Ky., after four-years at Crooked Creek Golf Club.
“They (the LPGA) want to come to the state of Kentucky,” Maloney said. “The governor’s office asked Lexington and other cities to be involved. The LPGA showed a lot of interest and right now we’re working hard to get some sponsorships. … I know the LPGA would be very exciting. It would be a good fit here in Kentucky and if we can get it to Lexington, it would be even better. “
Local businesses likely would agree.
In addition to the eight hours of live and tape-delayed coverage televised on Golf Channel, the area’s economy is forecasted to receive a significant jolt. According to a study performed for the LPGA, the estimated economic impact of a non-major tournament is nearly $9 million with more than 5,000 hotel room nights in area hotels projected. Local officials are hesitant to initially embrace those numbers due to the “newness” of having an LPGA event in Central Kentucky, but concede an influx in the $4 million range is very doable as does the tour.
“Obviously there’s a lot of variable regarding economic impact – where it is in the community, when it’s played, the focus on tickets sales, if the title sponsor is focused on a local charity or if it’s a national company looking to use the event for hospitality,” Conrad said. “Our economic impact sort of a moving target based on a lot of things and certainly television has a say in that, too. But can that ($9 million) be a number? Yeah, but there are a lot of variables that can impact it both ways.”
Ironically, the Bluegrass Sports Commission’s roots stem from the Bank One Classic.
The Lexington Area Sports Authority was created in 1998 by a group involved with the Bank One Classic that looked to create a sports organization that would leverage the success of the golf tournament into other areas of focus. The Bluegrass Sports Commission was formed in January 2010 when the Lexington Area Sports Authority and the Bluegrass State Games merged and it has gradually expanded toward creating everything from its own statewide awards to exploring the possibility of constructing mulitsports complexes in Central Kentucky, as well as the possible LPGA Tour event.
“We’re doing this because it’s an opportunity to bring a major league sporting event and the best women golfers in the world to Central Kentucky in a way that promotes the region, promotes golf in the region, brings thousands of room nights and will be an annual event we can own and run locally,” Johnson said. “And for the Bluegrass Sports Commission it will be a game-changer.”