Well another year, and another spring at Las Colinas, to
cover the AT&T Byron Nelson Golf Championship.
The first major change is going to be the title sponsor,
instead of the former Hewlitt Packard logo that we have been used to seeing
over the last 7 years, its now the familiar blue globe and orange background
known as AT&T… Texas born and Texas Raised!
Now they are the title sponsor of this golf tournament, that
has some tradition that goes along with the name.
We’re familiar with the type of golf that comes into this
area, the names roll off our tongues like a roll call of who’s who of golf royalty!
Lets start with Phil Michelson, or Tiger Woods, Tom Watson,
Ben Crenshaw, just to name a few, but the list goes on and on.. former Dallas
native, Scott Verplank, who won the tournament in 2007, the first year that was
without the Patriarch of this tournament Lord Byron Nelson himself.
Though this year, 2015, the changes are subtle, but the golf
is the same, only this time there is a young man from Dallas named Jordan
Spieth, who just happened to have won the Masters back in April, and finished
second at the Colonial in Fort Worth!
He has a following from family and friends, that are on the
course, that are cheering his every move, but on a Saturday that where its
commonly known as Moving Day on the PGA, we are seeing names on the leader
board that we have not seen before.
For example, Steven Bowditch, or Brendon DeJonge just to
name a couple of names that were leading the tournament after three rounds!
The tradition of the “Nelson” is still within the confines
of the Pavilion along “Champions Way”… the music the sounds, the people
watching, but for a change not the place to pick up or be picked up at the
Pavilion as in years passed!
It might have more to do with the fashion or lack there of,
in the past, there were more opportunity to see women in stilettos heels, and
short skirts, however after a week’s worth of rain, there is more rain boots and
keeping the fashion to work the elements that might come to the area, than
worrying about how good they look!
In a couple of years from now, this tournament moves to
Trinity Forest, which is south of the Downtown Dallas area, and out of Las
Colinas, the contract runs through 2018, so that’s three more years, but
between now and then anything can happen!
The Four Season, which has been the home to this tournament
for 31 years, and before that it was held at Bent Tree for a couple, and Las
Colinas Country Club, and truly before ANY of those there was Preston Trail,
and then before that—before it was named after Byron Nelson, it was the Dallas
Open.. and it played at Tennyson Golf Course in East Dallas…. Can you even
imagine, if the “Dallas Open” was like the NELSON today—oh my goodness, the
parking nightmares, and the logistics would be a joke! But none the less the
tournament was played out near White Rock Lake, and now is in Las Colinas, and
will soon move to South Dallas. WHEW figure it out if you can!
And so as this 2015 AT&T Byron Nelson Championship goes
forward and soon into the history books, we are reminded the reason why all of
this took place to start with! The KIDS!
The Salesmanship Club of Dallas is the charity, now its called
Momentous and they make sure that children that have had hard times have a
second chance, and that they can make something of themselves, even though they
have been dealt the hand that they were given!
Camps and schools, and being able to be productive in the community…
they give so much back to the community! So we back them, and salute them, and
hope that in the end they will accomplish their goal of not letting one child
be left behind! EVERYONE Goes forward!
The Nelson is and will be for many years to come, THE place
for CHAMPIONS to GROW!
Just a thought!
