(2003) CCG Fits in Fall by John Hammer

This excerpt was taken from the Rhino Times web page to read the entire article go to: http://greensboro.rhinotimes.com/archives/102303/story01.html

"The new fall GGO, properly known as the Chrysler Classic of Greensboro, was bigger and better than any fall golf tournament in Greensboro. The tournament was not bigger and better than any tournament in Greensboro’s history, but it certainly was bigger and better than the last couple of Greater Greensboro Chrysler Classics, which is what the GGO was called most recently when it was played in the spring before it was moved to the fall and became the CCG."

"Also, you can’t get away from the fact that there is a lot more sports competition in the fall. Sunday there was a NASCAR race at Martinsville, and the Panthers played at home. Saturday there was the usual spate of college football games, and then there is the World Series. But despite all of that competition, the golf tournament had good galleries. People seemed excited about the fall date and interested in seeing the new course. "

"Considering all that has been done since the last tournament the Jaycees deserve a huge round of applause. Following the spring 2002 tournament, the Jaycees decided to have the Forest Oaks course redesigned, and it was completed in time for this tournament. It was no small feat just getting the course ready, but everything was a little bit different, and some things a lot different because this tournament was in the fall, not the spring."

"I ran into Gene Shanks, the 2005 Jaycee president, near the clubhouse on Sunday, and he said Jaycee membership had increased for the last couple of months, which is really good news. What seems strange to me is that it is 2003 and the Jaycees have already elected their 2005 president. "

"I think this must have been a first for the tournament formerly known as the GGO. After Shigeki Maruyama won, and before he got the check for $810,000 and the new Chrysler Crossfire, he did a television interview for Japanese television, and all of us monoglot American reporters hung around and wondered what he was saying. I don’t know what he said, but he must be a funny guy, because all of the Japanese camera crews were laughing.

When he did his interview in the press tent later, he used an interpreter for his answers, but he didn’t need to have the questions interpreted. He also got in a couple of funny one-liners in English.

His English appears to be pretty good; he just isn’t comfortable doing an interview alone when it is being taped and people are writing down every word he says. But he did describe his round in English, with some help on distances from the interpreter and a lot of body English.
He said a couple of weeks ago that he was trying to make sure he finished in the top 125. Now he’s hoping to finish in the top 30.

It was different to see waves of Japanese spectators in the galleries. "

"Riding the shuttle back to the parking lot Sunday evening, I rode with News & Record reporter Jim Schlosser. I don’t want to get Jim in trouble with his bosses by complimenting him, but he has an encyclopedic memory. I commented on the weather and how I remember being out there in the snow. Jim started talking about the first tournament he attended in 1953 and how there was a four-way tie for first, so they played 18 holes on Monday, and there was still a two-way tie. He, of course, was giving names and scores. I’m hoping I got the year right.
Then he started talking about the last tournament at Starmount Country Club, which was in 1960, and about a player being so cold he wore an overcoat between shots. "

"Overall this year it looks like the Jaycees are turning the corner. The course, the tournament, the attitude – all have improved tremendously from 2002.

Greensboro’s leaders have expressed a lot of interest in young professionals, and at one time the Greensboro Jaycees was the largest and richest organization of young professionals in the country. It should be a natural fit."

To read the entire article go to:
http://greensboro.rhinotimes.com/archives/102303/story01.html