Minnesota Golfer - Directory 2016 - 48

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InsidetheMGA
The Impact of Ryder
By Tom Ryan
I
t will be difficult to top the 2015
golf season. We experienced great
weather from spring through fall,
rounds played in Minnesota were the
highest year-over-year in the country,
and one of our own, Sammy Schmitz
of River Falls, Wis., playing out of the
Valleywood Golf Course (the 2015
MGA Member Club of the Year, see
page 52), won the U.S. Mid-Amateur
Championship in spectacular fashion.
But 2016 promises to be an even better
year if for only one reason: The Ryder
Cup is coming to town!
The Ryder Cup at Hazeltine is not
only the biggest golf event we'll ever
have the pleasure of being a part of, it
will be the biggest sporting event ever
held in Minnesota. Only the World
but the buildup will be going on all
summer. Construction begins in early
June on what is essentially a small city.
Corporate chalets, media buildings,
grandstands and arguably the world's
largest temporary department store
will be built to accommodate and support
the 50,000 people that will be on
the grounds each day of the event.
The public relations value of the exposure
that Hazeltine, the Twin Cities
and the entire state of Minnesota will
receive leading up to and during the
event means millions to Minnesota's
tourism industry and economic development
opportunities.
The excitement generated by the
Ryder Cup can't help but spill over to
the MGA's outlook for the golf season.
The Ryder Cup will be the biggest sporting
event ever held in Minnesota. Only the World
Cup and the Olympic Games are bigger.
Cup of soccer and the Olympic Games
are bigger.
The numbers involved are staggering.
The economic impact to Minnesota
will be in the neighborhood of $150
million; more than 20,000 people registered
for 4,000 volunteer positions;
and 200,000 individuals registered to
be part of the ticket lottery.
There have been 29,000 hotel room
nights booked throughout the Twin
Cities just by the PGA, media and corporate
sponsors. Even the Twin Cities
Marathon is affected, having to move
to the next week from its customary
first Sunday in October, simply because
there weren't any hotel rooms
left in town.
The Ryder Cup itself will be exciting,
46
MINNESOTAGOLFER Directory 2016
We're looking forward to another great
year, with our championships heading
to historic venues like North Oaks and
Golden Valley, our Senior Tour entering
its 21st season, and Member Days
scheduled for some of the premier golf
clubs in the state.
And, just to really get your heart
pumping this spring, in April Sammy
Schmitz will be living the dream that
many golfers have had-teeing it up in
the Masters, thanks to his U.S. Mid-Am
win, and we can't wait to follow him.
He is the reigning MGA Player of the
Year, a great champion, and represents
all that is good about Minnesota golf.
Best of luck, Sammy! We'll be watching.
See
you on the course.
final match against Brad Wilder of Fort
Wright, Ky.
" Once I got inside the top eight, I was
just hungry, and at that point I wanted
more, " Schmitz says. " I was more focused.
When you get inside the top eight
of a tournament this big, you have a
chance, and I wanted to win.
" The semifinal match is the toughest
match of the tournament-that's the
match to get into the championship.
Once you're in the final match, you either
win or lose, but fatigue was becoming
an issue at this point. "
After a back-and-forth semifinal
match through 16 holes, Schmitz hit a
perfect 4-iron at the perfect time to 20
feet, rolled in his right-to-left eagle putt
to take a 1-up lead late, and sealed his
spot in the championship on the next
hole with a par.
" Nerves set in at about 2 a.m. that
morning, " Schmitz says. " I woke up and
thought, 'If I win this thing, I could actually
play at Augusta at the Masters,'
and I didn't sleep the rest of the night. "
The shot Schmitz will be most remembered
for during the tournament is
the incredible double-eagle hole-in-one
at the par-4 15th, the 33rd of the championship
match, to take a crucial 3-up
lead with three holes to play.
" I had hit phenomenal tee shots on
that hole, and it is not an easy green to
hit, " Schmitz says. " It was a right-to-left
wind and I cut it up there and it looked
perfect. You could hear the sound of the
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