Steve Bergum: New name, but same feel for tourney at Fairways

There’s a new 72-hole golf tournament in town.

But when the inaugural Open at West Terrace plays out later this summer at The Fairways at West Terrace golf course, organizers hope it will have an old, familiar feel – like that of the venerable Lilac City Invitational it will replace, perhaps.

The Lilac City Invitational officially ended its 47-year run as the region’s only 72-hole golf event earlier this year when local real estate developer Buster Heitman purchased The Fairways from absentee owner Charles Klar.

The change in ownership resulted in Dave Lowe replacing John Durgan as the director of day-to-day operations at the 6,408-yard layout, which had been the home of the Lilac for the past 20 years.

It was Durgan’s late father, Joe, who founded the Lilac back in 1960 when he was still the head professional at Downriver Golf Course. The Durgan family moved their tournament to The Fairways after leasing the course from Klar when it first opened in 1986.

But John Durgan announced in late December, following his dismissal, that the Lilac City Invitational – noted as much for its barbecues, live music and party-like atmosphere as its splendid golf – was history.

Now Lowe, as The Fairways’ new director of golf operations, is hoping to retain that same friendly “we threw a party and a golf tournament broke out” feel for the Open at West Terrace, which will be staged July 5-8.

“We would have liked to have kept it the Lilac, but out of respect for the Durgan family – and at their request – we have changed the name,” Lowe said. “But we want to make sure the tradition of fun associated with the Lilac carries on in our tournament.”

To that end, Lowe and Kris Kallem, a longtime assistant pro at The Fairways and tournament chair of the Open at West Terrace, have kept the format of their new four-day event much the same as that used in the past for the Lilac City Invitational.

Amateurs in the field, Lowe said, will be paired with a professional as part of a pro-am event during the first day of competition, with their scores counting toward their 72-hole flighted tournament.

The professional field, Lowe added, will once again be comprised primarily of players from the minitours in California and Arizona, although there will be new emphasis placed on attracting local pros from the Inland Empire Chapter of the PGA to the event.

“And we’re still going to have barbecues at night on our new patio,” Lowe said. “We want to make sure we keep up the hospitality for the amateurs, so they come out here and really enjoy themselves for four days.”

The biggest change from the Lilac, which struggled in recent years to secure adequate sponsorship, will probably be the amount of money paid out to the professionals.

Lowe said he hopes to pay the winner of the Open at West Terrace $10,000-15,000 out of a total purse of more than $50,000, while offering discount entry fees to local club professionals, who will compete in their own division and be guaranteed of cashing at check.

“We’ve got quite a few sponsors, because of the new ownership, who are jumping in on this,” Lowe said, adding that close to $30,000 has already been pledged to the new tournament. “We’ve secured well over the sponsorship we’ve had in the past and the sky’s the limit on this one, as far as we’re concerned.”

Lowe said he hopes to have a field of more than 200 golfers for the inaugural Open at West Terrace and will cut off entries at 240. In addition, he will hold the entry fee for amateurs at or less than the $200 they paid last year.

Promotion of the event will begin in earnest Monday, with flyers being sent to all of the area golf courses. But Lowe said entries are already being accepted.

“We’re getting a lot of calls from players who have played in the past who have heard about the change of ownership,” he said. “They’re calling to make sure we’re going to continue the tournament and we’ve said, ‘Yes, but under a different name.’

“There hasn’t seemed to by any problem with the name change, thus far.”

According to Lowe, The Fairways’ new ownership has already pumped more than $200,000 into improving the course.

“Which will be in the best shape it has ever been in but the time the tournament comes around,” he said. “Our whole year is geared up for this event. We’ve tried to schedule everything around it so this ends up being the week of all weeks out here.

“We’re trying to make this the best professional-amateur event around, and I truly believe we can rival the Rosauers Open.”