I once had the opportunity to spend time around Jackie Burke, Masters champion and owner of Champions Golf Club in Houston. He described an analogy about tournament golf that has stuck with me: “Battlefields are special places because something historically significant happened on that soil. Similarly, that’s why tournament golf matters to courses.”
In that spirit, Wakefield Plantation hosted its 16th Rex Hospital Open in May. Trey Mullinax - a Birmingham native who played collegiate golf at the University of Alabama - was the champion of the event with a 14-under-par total. Wakefield’s own Web.com Tour players, Cameron Percy and Grayson Murray, each posted top-10 finishes. During the final round, there were only 14 total scores under par. We will have to see how the rest of the year plays out, but the 73.65 final round scoring average (par 71) might be the highest on the Web.com this year.
This annual golf tournament is about much more than the game. Rex Hospital has a longstanding commitment to PGA Tour golf in the Raleigh community, and this was the 29th professional golf tournament the health care system has sponsored. This year’s event proceeds will go to a new Heart and Vascular Center.
Over 450 volunteers helped make the event a success. Wakefield Plantation’s head starter Bob Bidwell was named the 2015 Web.com volunteer of the year and hit the ceremonial tee shot. Bidwell, a beloved part of the Wakefield community, also announced his 60th tournament this year.
Overall, it was another opportunity for us at Wakefield to witness history being made on our battlefield. We’re already looking forward to next year.