The show will go on.
Around 4 a.m. Thursday, an agronomist at Timuquana Country Club discovered four vandalized greens, one day ahead of the PGA Tour Champions’ Constellation Furyk & Friends.
The 10th, 12th, 16th and 17th greens had been smashed and torn up.
The club’s superintendent promptly summoned his team and also received help from workers at nearby Timuquana CC, Maccurrach Golf and TPC Sawgrass. Together, they worked overtime to repair the damage by patching it with sod. Those holes were not used during Thursday’s pro-am, however, they will be ready for Round 1 on Friday morning.
“Thanks to their efforts,” PGA Tour Champions President Miller Brady said in a statement, “we will have the course ready for the first round of competition tomorrow morning.”
Added Tournament Director Adam Renfroe: “What took place is unfortunate, as we want to represent the best of Jacksonville with this tournament. We won’t let the actions of a few individuals take away from a great week for our city and our ability to give back and create impact here in the community.”
I’m hearing that four greens were destroyed overnight at Timuquana CC in Jacksonville. Unclear as to how or why.
— Casey Bannon (@CaseyFBannon) October 5, 2023
Jim Furyk’s Champions Tour event at Timuquana begins tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/79tLgqrt6O
U.S. Open champion Jim Furyk, who has hosted the tournament since 2021, received a call early this morning with the news and immediately drove to the course to see the damage. But when he arrived, his anxiety was quelled.
“By the time we got out here there was a plan in place,” Furyk said.
Despite its short history, this isn’t the first time the Furyk & Friends has been thrown a curveball. Last year, the course needed repairs after Hurricane Ian hit the area.
But thanks to some teamwork, the tournament will once again prevail.
"(The damage) was really bad,” Ernie Els said Thursday. “They really went in there. Someone was really, very angry, obviously. For (the agronomy team) to do what they’ve done already is really amazing. The tournament will continue and it will be a success.”