2018 marked the inaugural Sanford International presented by Cambria. When we reflect on our experience, we can’t help but smile. The Sioux Links crew attended all three days of the tournament and enjoyed every second! The effort to put on an event of this magnitude is monumental, and the weather was the biggest conversation early in the week. As was the case all of 2018, torrential rains plagued many area courses multiple times throughout the season, and the Sanford International was not spared its rath. Practice and Pro-Am rounds were affected and rained out. As the tournament neared, grounds crews worked feverishly to dry the course, empty water from sand traps and prepare the areas that fans would use to access the course. They even pulled a rabbit from their hat and brought in the Sanford Health helicopter to dry greens and saturated fairways. Once this happened, the city was abuzz anticipating this event!
Then, something incredible happened. The sun came out and provided the lift that was needed. Instead of rain, spectators began to flood the course and watch the opening round on Friday. Every detail was thought of. There were ample ways to arrive by shuttle, and we took the buses from The Empire Mall each day, saving us parking and driving complications. Our tickets were scanned, and we grabbed our free swag bag of goodies. The excitement was palpable as we were in the doors and began our journey down the guided trail past the practice green and driving range. Our early arrival provided us with time to take in each encounter we had. The practice routines of the Champions Tour players were intriguing and their flawless swings mesmerizing.
One of our first stops included the Austad’s store which offered plenty of branded merchandise and memorabilia to purchase. The Sanford Golf exhibit had spectators putting with a very unique device and had experts on hand to decipher what it all meant. We continued to the first tee box and positioned ourselves to watch the opening ceremonies, and our vantage point got us within ten feet of the Golden Bear himself, Jack Nicklaus! The scene was electric as the first shot of the tournament was hit by host Andy North and continued that first day as low scores came in with the favorable weather conditions. We started exploring the course, walking to every corner. We walked, and walked, and walked! Luckily we had good refreshments, Fernson Brewing from Sioux Falls, introduced an exclusive beer named Wedge, a Kolsch style ale dry-hopped with Lemondrop hops that was very thirst-quenching. Our highlight of day one was following John Daly and being part of “the crowd”. We were able to see the whole course this way and follow one of the more popular players that attended, and we were glad we did! Unfortunately, an injury forced him to withdraw before the final day. The players were so courteous once their round was complete and we were able to get an autograph from eventual tournament champion, Steve Stricker!
Our patron group doubled from two to four on day two. The four of us started chasing some of the biggest names in golf to be able to say we have seen. Some of the players we searched out included Vijay Singh, Jesper Parnevik, Scott McCarron, Rocco Mediate, and a player I followed closely as a child, Mark Calcavecchia. We nestled in at The Ranch between holes one and seventeen and watched the action as well as some college football that they showed on the giant TVs, very much appreciated. The hospitality everywhere you looked was second to none. It was a great day and was capped with a round of golf of our own at Brandon Country Club.
Day three, the final day, and our group was down to two. It was moving day as the anticipation for seeing these pros finish their rounds was too much to pass up. We decided to hunker down in the stands to watch the action instead, and we found seats in the front row of the grandstands at the green on hole eighteen. My legs were happy! As avid golfers, seeing how each golfer approached the green and completed their round was an experience you can only find in person. Stricker entered the final round tied for the lead with Brandt Jobe, but Stricker started round three with back-to-back birdies on number one and two and Jobe recorded a bogey on number one allowing Stricker to build a three-shot cushion and maintained a multi-shot lead for the duration of the round. He finished at 13-under and tallied his third victory on the PGA TOUR Champions earning him $270,000 and we had a front-row view of the final hole and subsequent trophy presentation. The perfect ending to a fun-filled weekend!
The first year event was exceptionally well run, but they are planning improvements for 2019. Most importantly, a larger variety of food and more locations to purchase them and thankfully Fernson’s Wedge will be back too. New additions will also be put on the Spectator Journey so now is the time to get your tickets at www.sanfordinternational.com/tickets. 2019 dates are September 16-22.
Derek Soukup
Sioux Links, Editor
