Kingsmill Championship's return to old course attracts fans, media attention
The Kingsmill Championship, formerly Michelob Ultra Open, which was played from 2004 to 2009 at the Kingsmill Resort, Williamsburg, is returning to its old venue in the 2012 edition.
The Kingsmill Resort has been regarded as a perfect spot for staging professional LPGA (Ladies Professional Golf Association) tournaments, and now that it is making a comeback to its old place, a large number
of spectators are expected to flock to the course to see their favourite players show their skills.
Kingsmill Resort Vice President of Sports Operations, Wayne Nooe, also seemed to be pretty happy about the development, as he said he hopes to see better arrangements for the match this year. Nooe said that
plenty of top-ranked LPGA stars have confirmed their participation for the tournament, and the match is likely to turn into a tough battle.
Another important aspect is the strong roster. Since most of the top-ranked contenders will be playing at the tournament, the media will hopefully be projecting the event like it did last time.
Although there are several players who are able to steal the show, most of attention will be focused on American Cristie Kerr, who has won two editions of the prestigious tournament. Kerr is a talented contender
and has been able to make a name for herself as far as this event is concerned.
The American star is expected to do her best when she comes face-to-face against rivals, but it remains to be seen how she wins this time.
While the tournaments officials had been in the process of changing the name of the tournament from Michelob Ultra Open to Kingsmill Championship, most of the players and fans had demanded that the tournament
be associated with the Kingsmills Resort, Williamsburg.
Players’ contention was that the event has been played on the course for a long time now, and switching the venue to somewhere else will likely have a negative impact on their performance. The reputation of
Kingsmill Resort is evident from the fact that, in 2007, most of the LPGA players voted in its favour, saying they love to play the course.
The Kingsmill had successfully staged the prestigious tournament from 2007 to 2009, but after the Resort was acquired by a new party in late 2009, the tournament had to be suspended for two years. During its
termination, players and fans had been waiting for the tournament’s officials to come up with a good decision.
LPGA’ Chief Marketing Officer, Jon Podany, who was in the meeting that made the decision to return to Kingsmill Resort, said while speaking to the media that players were bent on playing the tournament at the
same course, and they already started convincing the officials to go back to the event’s roots.
Podany said that the tournament’s officials made the right decision, as the players will now play more passionately. Moreover, the spectators also welcomed the decision, which is good for the LPGA Tour in general
and the tournament in particular
“I was in our board meeting in November when we first talked about the possibility. … I can tell you the immediate reaction was eyes lit up. I'm not sure there's any other venue (that would have generated that
level of enthusiasm). "Obviously we are both going into this with the hope that (the tournament is) here to stay," Podany said.
The upcoming edition of the Kingsmill Championship is going to see the participation of past champions Suzann Pettersen of Norway, South Korean Se Ri Pak, and Karrie Webb.
Tags: