Print this page  |  Close Window

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. -- The PGA TOUR announced Friday that next week's Nationwide Tour Championship at Barona Creek, located in Lakeside, Calif., in San Diego County, will be played as scheduled next Thursday through Sunday, Nov. 1-4.

Nationwide Tour President Bill Calfee said, "We conducted a very thorough evaluation throughout this week of the situation in and around the Barona Creek area. After consulting with a variety of San Diego County civic and public health and safety officials, we have concluded that we are able to move ahead with the tournament as originally scheduled.

"As the situation with fires and air quality in the Barona Creek vicinity continues to improve, and with the benefit of several more days before the tournament begins, we have the assurances and encouragement of local officials to move forward with the event," Calfee said. "Clearly, the events of this week have been overwhelming to countless thousands of residents in San Diego County, as well as many other areas of southern California. By playing next week, we hope to contribute in some small measure to the area's return to normalcy, both through the immediate economic and charitable impact of the tournament, as well as through direct support from the PGA TOUR to local relief efforts."

"With all of the devastation surrounding San Diego County this week due to the fires, our community is starting the process of getting back to normal," said Ron Roberts, 5th District San Diego County Supervisor and chairman of the Board of County Supervisors. "San Diego has truly been resilient in getting through difficult times in the past and we will do so again.

"Golf has been a major factor in our tourism industry and has been highlighted annually with the PGA TOUR's Buick Invitational tournament for the past 55 years," Roberts said. "Knowing this, I am in support of the recent decision made by the PGA TOUR and Century Club officials to proceed with next week's 2007 Nationwide Tour Championship at the Barona Creek Golf Club as scheduled. I would encourage our community to take a break from the tragic circumstances of this week's fires, and get out to Barona Creek next week and witness some great golf from the PGA TOUR's up and coming stars."

"As the proud sponsor of the Nationwide Tour and its Championship we support the PGA TOUR's decision to hold the Barona Creek event as scheduled," said James Lyski, chief marketing officer of Nationwide. "While this tournament is important as it determines the 25 players who will earn their 2008 PGA TOUR cards, Nationwide's top priority is local relief efforts and assisting our customers as they recover from the fires."

"The Century Club of San Diego is very supportive of the decision to play the 2007 Nationwide Tour Championship next week at Barona Creek Golf Club as scheduled," said Jeff Byroads, president of the Century Club. "Our community needs to heal and return to business as usual as quickly as possible, and while we will certainly be in the rebuilding mode, we feel continuing to hold the tournament will help re-energize the San Diego community. And in tune with the Century Club's mission to give back to the community, the Century Club has made the decision that admission to the tournament will be free of charge with our encouragement for our spectators to make a donation to the Red Cross Fire Relief Fund at the gate in lieu of purchasing a ticket."

PGA TOUR Qualifying Tournament to Move

However, the first stage PGA TOUR Qualifying Tournament, initially scheduled to be played this week at Carlton Oaks Golf Club in Santee in San Diego County, will be shifted to Scottsdale, Ariz..

While fires never threatened the Carlton Oaks course, poor air quality at the time prevented the event from beginning last Tuesday.

The first stage q-school tournament will now be held at the TPC Scottsdale's new Champions Course, a par-71 covering 7,124 yards. The Champions Course is immediately adjacent to the Stadium Course, home of the PGA TOUR's FBR Open.

Practice rounds will begin this Sunday at noon and the 72-hole competition will begin on Tuesday. The field will feature a maximum of 78 players with approximately a third advancing to the Second Stage of qualifying, Nov. 14-17.

"We want to thank the people at Carlton Oaks for all their hard work under adverse and trying conditions and wish them well in the coming days as San Diego recovers from this natural disaster," said Henry Hughes, executive vice president and chief of operations for the PGA TOUR. "We also want to thank the City of Scottsdale and the TPC team for their cooperation and willingness to pinch hit so that we may get this competition held in a timely manner."

"On behalf of the PGA TOUR's TPC Network, we are privileged to have the opportunity to assist Carlton Oaks and the TOUR by welcoming the Q-School event to the new Champions Course at TPC Scottsdale," said David Pillsbury, president of PGA TOUR Golf Course Properties. "At the same time, our hearts go out to all those affected by the wildfires in southern California."