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Witnessing History has Unexpected Benefits |
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Written by James Stammer
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Friday, 18 April 2008 |
There is something special about being a part of or witnessing history first-hand. A week or so ago, had just such an opportunity. When the Dominican Republic hosted its first PGA TOUR'S Champions Tour event, I was there! When you host an event for the first time there is a lot of uncertainty. Will the course be ready? Will the course be good enough? Will the weather cooperate? Will the players show up and enjoy themselves? Will there be enough volunteers to make things run smoothly? And many, many more questions. For Ricardo Hazoury, founder, owner and developer of Cap Cana, host of the Cap Cana Championship, and the man with the vision and the dream to bring a Tour event to his nation, it marked one of the proudest moments in his country's history. "For Cap Cana, hosting this Championship is reason for joy and pride," Hazoury stated. "This event puts the Dominican Republic in the spotlight of the golf world. We have endeavored to treat this not only as a golf project, but as a Dominican project." The event truly was a Dominican project. Over 400 volunteers signed up to work the event, far exceeding the 300 that organizers hoped would find interest in helping out. Hotels brought in busses and police worked overtime to assist motorists and visitors in finding their way around the Punta Cana area on the southeast coast. For the people of the Dominican, it was a week of pride. When it was over they proudly held their heads high even though most were exhausted to the point of needing a much-deserved siesta. For me, the week meant again visiting one of the most beautiful places I have ever had the pleasure of stepping foot. It meant that I could witness history first-hand and be one of the people reporting to the world just what an event of this magnitude means to a nation and its people. It also meant that I would find something I wasn’t expecting. A nation filled with wonderfully charming and fun people. To say I made more than a few new friends that week would be an understatement. I'm here to say that nearly everyone underestimated the impact the Cap Cana Championship would have on the Dominican Republic. One thing that no one can control, no matter how many volunteers you have or how much you spend to prepare, is the support of the fans, the community and the people. Everyone was blown away by the tremendous support shown by the huge crowds that came to Cap Cana for this tournament. Many people drove several hours on small, bumpy, two-lane roads to watch the event and to bring their children and grand children to see the legends of our sport. "We don't see crowds this large, except for maybe a major," said a smiling James Mason. "Look at this," he added gesturing to the huge throng of fans patiently waiting for autographs near the scoring tent. "This is fantastic!" Tom Watson added, "Everyone is so great. The kids are wonderful. They are polite and excited." Those thoughts were echoed by every pro that I spoke to. They all commented on how beautiful the setting was, but stated that it was the wonderful people of the Dominican that made the true difference. The event was won by Mark Wiebe, who admittedly had trouble concentrating on his shots. "It was 50-50 between hitting the shot and looking at the scenery," he said after his Sunday round. At the trophy presentation Wiebe broke down in tears as he recalled how wonderful it was to be so far from home, and yet to be cheered for so loudly by people whose language he remembers only a few words of from his high school studies. Everything ran very smoothly considering the newness of not only the event, but the development itself. Of course there were minor things that popped up unexpectedly, but as my new friends in the Dominican say, “Relax, you’re in the islands. Have a rum drink and everything will work out”.
If you ask me, it’s a perfect plan.
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