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Posted online: June 9, 2005 12:23
AM Inaugural
QC Open could offer $10,000 winner’s check
By Tom Johnston, tjohnston@qconline.com The pieces are falling into place for the inaugural Quad
City Open golf tournament. John Valliere, head professional at Glynns Creek Golf Course, announced Wednesday that two
major sponsors are backing the professional/amateur tournament to be played
at the Scott County Park course the second full week of July. It will follow
the PGA Tour's John Deere Classic that is scheduled to finish July 10. Valliere said Wolfe Beverage of Eldridge and the
Isle of Capri Casino have become sponsors and that the tourney received a
grant from the Scott County Regional Authority. That will help boost the
purse for the professional portion of the 54-hole event that will feature
both pros and amateurs. Valliere said that he's
hoping, along with entries, that the purse could climb to $60,000 so that the
winner can claim a $10,000 paycheck. Valliere is also pushing to get entries up.
"We'd like to get 100 professionals and 120 amateurs," he said,
noting there has been plenty of interest in the first event such as this in
the Quad-City area. It will also serves as a "major tournament" on
the local National City Bank Amateur Tour circuit -- carrying more importance
in the season-long points race. As expected, Valliere said the QC Open will join
forces with the long-standing Waterloo Open and the Cedar Rapids Open to form
a Midwest Grand Slam, which will include a bonus pool for the guys with the
best combined finishes in all three events. Valliere
said there is a $25,000 bonus to anyone winning both in Cedar Rapids and
Waterloo, but that the Q-C event was not organized soon enough this year to
be included in that kitty. While the first-place payout of $10,000 is less than what Waterloo ($30,000)
and Cedar Rapids ($15,000) offer, Valliere hopes it
catches up to those two that have been in existence for 72 and seven years,
respectively. "That's exactly what we're trying to do is grow this so that in
three, four, five years that we can get up to that $30,000 payout for
first-place pro," Valliere said. One of the unique aspects of this event is that the pros and amateurs play
from the same tees. All golfers will play 36 holes before a cut -- to top 60
and ties in the pro division, top 30 and ties among amateurs, low 18 senior
pros and low 12 senior ams -- for the final 18
holes. "This is a chance for a lot of these amateurs to go head-to-head with
the better professionals," Valliere said.
"It's a chance (for the local amateurs) to strut their stuff.’’ |