Superintendents set for pros

Research Triangle Park, N.C. – Rafael Martinez, superintendent of Via Verde Country Club, San Dimas, Calif., and Matt Miller, superintendent of The Course at Carey Park, Hutchinson, Kan., will represent superintendents in the 2005 People vs. the Pros tournament presented by BASF. They will have a chance to compete head-to-head against Justin Leonard at Barton Creek Resort and Spa Sept. 12 in Austin, Texas, and win $100,000.

Rafael Martinez, right, will play in the Superintendents Cup as part of the People vs. Pros tournament in September.

Martinez’s net score beat out more than 80 other competitors during the April 11 regional qualifier at the Redlands Country Club in Redlands, Calif. He will now compete against 244 other amateurs in Texas for a chance to play with his handicap against a pro.

“I’m very happy and excited to represent the Southern California chapter at the national event,” says Martinez. “I’ll do my best at Barton Creek; I won’t let my chapter down.”

With a net score of 65, Miller, a 17 handicap, won the regional tournament hosted by the Kansas GCSA at the Shawnee Country Club in Topeka, Kan. on March 31. He battled more than 30 competitors and a strong Kansas spring wind to secure his berth in People vs. the Pros third annual tournament.

The regional qualifiers are among 17 tournaments conducted nationwide on the road to the People vs. the Pros third annual tournament.

BASF Professional Turf and Ornamentals sponsors tournaments for golf course superintendents between March and July.

Matt Miller, right, won the Kansas DCSA qualifier to earn his spot in the Superintendents Cup.

“Sponsoring these events locally and being a presenting sponsor at the national tournament provides BASF a national platform to recognize the professional dedication of golf course superintendents,” Dr. Toni Bucci, business manager for BASF Professional Turf and Ornamentals, says. “It’s our way of saluting the crucial work that superintendents around the country are doing to provide quality turf for their home courses and especially for the golfers who play on them.”

Additionally at every regional tournament, BASF will donate $2,000 dollars to the hosting GCSA chapter to help support their superintendent’s educational fund.

The People vs. the Pros tournament allows two amateurs—one in a 50-and-over division and one in a 49-and-under division—to compete head-to-head against PGA pros Ben Crenshaw and Justin Leonard, respectively, in an 18-hole stroke-play match. The winner in each division, be it pro or be it amateur, will win $100,000. The runner up will receive $50,000.

Last year, professional golfers John Daly and Gary McCord were defeated by amateurs John Sniegowski of Cadillac, Mich., and Phil Johnson of McKinney, Texas.

In addition to the grand prize tournament, BASF Professional Turf and Ornamentals will host the second annual BASF Superintendent’s Cup on Barton Creek’s Fazio Foothills course where the two golf course superintendents with the lowest net scores from the three-day, 54-hole handicapped stroke-play event, will in head-to-head match play for $10,000 cash and BASF products for their home course. The runner-up will receive $5,000 cash.

Last year, Kip Wilson, superintendent at the American Legion Golf Course in Kokomo, Ind., defeated Matthew Fitzpatrick of Dublin Country Club, Dublin, Ga., at the inaugural event played on the famed Pinehurst No. 2 course. 

The final match-up between pro and amateur will be broadcast on ESPN on Sept. 19 and will feature highlights from the Superintendents Cup event.