IT WAS A SCRIPT YOU COULDN’T WRITE. As the number one and number two players in the world were staring each other down, battling it out for the coveted BMW Championship on the first playoff hole, Dustin Johnson and Jon Rahm approached the green, both with long, tricky birdie putts.
Examining an unimaginable 66-foot double breaker, Jon Rahm did the unthinkable. What is now known as the “Rahm Bomb,” Jon hit a perfect putt, one that had more twists and turns than a test track driven by the newest and fastest BMWs. Shockingly, what seemed to be a lifetime after the ball left his putter, it disappeared into the hole. There were no ground shaking roars from tens of thousands of fans or enthusiastic high fives from hospitality guests lucky enough to have a front row seat to witness history. Conversely, when the ball hit the bottom of the cup, it was only Rahm’s personal roar that rang louder than the neighboring Metra train that runs parallel to the iconic property of Olympia Fields Country Club (OFCC).
After everyone caught their breath from this dramatic ending, a local reporter heard Rahm embrace his wife, with her eyes full of happy tears, and say in disbelief, “Can you believe it, we persevered!” How little did Rahm know how telling those words were!
Planning
Just 20 months earlier, in late December 2018, a press release was about ready to be sent. There was a buzz in the Olympia Fields Clubhouse as board members and OFCC leadership knew what was about ready to hit the airwaves. Just around lunch time it became official:
“The 2020 BMW Championship was coming back to Olympia Fields Country Club!”
As preparations were put into high gear, all the traditional components associated with hosting a Championship of this magnitude began. There was a sense of pride and excitement that was palpable. There was an infectious buzz among the community and Olympia Fields members were thrilled to be back on the international golf stage. The community embraced the news with a collaborative spirit felt by everyone involved.
When 2020 officially arrived, hospitality numbers were tracking—even exceeding—expectations. Course preparations were falling into place, applications for volunteers were being received from throughout the country and excitement around Olympia Fields Country Club, including the entire south suburbs of Chicago was at an all-time high. In mid-February, local legislators and educators met to finalize infrastructure requirements, parking was secured, and members of Rascal Flatts were confirmed to perform at the pro-am pairing party. It was all coming together and everyone was in lock-step to provide a first-class experience, consistent with the brand of the Championship’s longtime and impressive title sponsor, BMW. Thirty days later, the world changed.
Adapting
The first reports of coronavirus started to hit the airwaves just as an update report was being prepared for the Olympia Fields Country Club board of directors. As the positive momentum was being shared, the coronavirus remained a bit of an unknown. The reports created concern and confusion, but it was unfathomable to think this virus would impact a golf tournament in late August. That would quickly change.
Within a few days, closures began throughout the country and rumblings of a stay at home order were being discussed. Then the unthinkable happened—March Madness was cancelled and shortly thereafter the NBA, NHL as well as the PGA TOUR cancelled their events. The world came to a stand-still. While distracted by the current realities presented by COVID-19, the 2020 BMW Championship was considered too far in the future to be impacted significantly—grounds tickets were still selling and inquiries from interested volunteers continued from around the country. We were nervous for our neighbors, our loved ones, our friends, but optimistic that this was going to be short-lived and we were going to move forward, assuming the world would be back to normal quickly.
That didn’t happen. The cancellations and quarantine continued, and reports of the deadliness and severity of the virus grew at a frantic pace; this was not going away. The world was in the middle of a full-blown pandemic and much to the dismay of all involved, we had to accept that the BMW Championship was in jeopardy.
Daily, if not hourly, the phone would ring and questions would be asked about the future of the BMW Championship. One interested party said, well, after all, “it is just a golf tournament.”
The truth is, the BMW Championship, like so many golf tournaments, is actually much more than that. Thanks to BMW and the Western Golf Association, the BMW Championship raises significant dollars for the Evans Scholarship, one of the most generous and impactful scholarships available to deserving young men and women caddies throughout the country. Communities nationwide rely on Championship golf for the philanthropic impact they bring. The BMW Championship doesn’t just provide a platform for the 70 top players to compete in the FedExCup Playoffs or highlight cars that drive exceptionally well, it’s an important and driving force for young scholars, their families and most importantly, their future.
Playing
The 2020 BMW Championship had to persevere. As long as golf was being played, there wasn’t a choice. Given the courage and leadership displayed by the PGA TOUR and its executives, golf would be played during the pandemic, other TOUR events were scheduled, the FedExCup Playoffs were on and the BMW Championship was a go!
On Thursday of Championship week, the winds were howling. The greens were fast and firm and complete focus was required by the players. On the tee box of the 6th hole, a dicey downhill par three, Jon Rahm, the man who would ultimately persevere, was reeling from his bogey on the previous hole and pulled his tee shot to the left, greenside bunker. Things weren’t looking good for Rahm. He was on pace to shooting a 5 over 75, putting him seven shots behind the leaders. He was frustrated enough that for a split second, those who were on that 6th tee box almost saw him crack his iron across his knee.
COVID-19 was our wind. It blew us in directions we didn’t expect, wreaked havoc in countless ways and was equally frustrating given the chaos it created during the planning process. Just as the players had to adapt to surprisingly difficult conditions on the course, so did the planning team leading up to the Championship.
It required focus and perseverance. Vince Pellegrino of the Western Golf Association, the PGA TOUR, BMW and Olympia Fields Country Club. COVID-19 created a Championship that nobody envisioned, but in many ways, it brought out the best in everyone and in the end, a Champion was crowned but lives were also impacted. Rahm was correct when he embraced his wife Kelley, “we persevered.”
Mike Bruni is NCA’s vice chair and partner with HPS in Chicago, Ill. He can be reached at [email protected].