The Barbasol Championship

The tournament will commence July 16, when golfers of all ages will gather at Champions’ sister course, Keene Run at Keene Trace, to compete for four open qualifier spots. July 18 is when PGA Tour members and those who qualify will officially hit the links, all seeking a piece of the championship’s $3.5 million purse. But behind the inevitable big names, low scores, trimmed greens and clean divots is a tale of persistence and trial commandeered by a group of people with big dreams and a host of ready connections.

If you visit Champions and notice the course’s luxurious clubhouse, wide cart paths, picturesque ponds and yellow flag pins, you probably wouldn’t guess that merely four years ago it was in a state of bankruptcy.

Evan Mossbarger and B Frye purchased the course from the bank in 2014 and immediately created a resuscitation plan. It just so happened the two had a relationship with Brooks Downing, the former University of Kentucky Sports Information Director and current president of bd Global — a sport marketing and event planning firm Downing founded in 2012 and ran from the basement of his house. When the then-college basketball-oriented company expanded to include a golf sector, astutely named bdg Golf, grand visions formed between Mossbarger, Frye and Downing.

As bd Global continued to grow in business, Downing realized a move from the basement was needed. “It just so happened they had extra office space here [at Champions],” said Downing. “We moved our operations and started renting the offices upstairs because we had the goal of someday getting a tournament here to this course.”

Although bdg Golf runs two Web.com PGA events in the Bahamas — the Great Exuma Classic and the Great Abaco Classic —  they wanted something closer to home. “We thought about ‘Hey, what if we brought back professional golf to central Kentucky?’” said Downing.

The PGA Tour has been absent from the Bluegrass entirely since the Senior Championship was hosted at Louisville’s Valhalla Golf Club in 2011. However, Champions is no stranger to prestigious events. According to the course’s website, it has hosted tournaments such as the USGA Senior Amateur, the NCAA Championship, the Men’s and Women’s SEC Championships and the Kentucky Open.

Downing and company’s big opportunity presented itself last year. Through the events in the Bahamas, bdg Golf was approached about hosting the Barbasol Championship, one of the PGA Tour’s smaller events that had spent its first three years in Opelika, Alabama. “We couldn’t say yes quick enough,” Downing said.

The tournament hasn’t come without challenges, though.

The community will be relied upon heavily to make the championship possible. Downing and company are seeking 1,500 volunteers for tasks that range from guiding parking to holding up “Quiet”signs on the course.

Brian Miller, president and CEO of the Bluegrass Sports Commission — a nonprofit that brings economic development through sports to central Kentucky — has been in charge of harvesting the funds necessary to make the $6-7 million event possible.

“Ticket revenue, hospitality revenue, Pro-Am spots, sponsorships, all go in to really pay off a $3.5 million-dollar purse, $1 million dollars in television production to put this event on the Golf Channel and then obviously the operation of turning one of the nicest courses in Kentucky [Champions] into a stadium for a spectator event,” said Miller.

Physical changes to Champions have pertained to three things: appearance, playability and logistics. Downing says the greens have been redone and the bunkers will have drainage issues fixed soon. The nines will be flipped, meaning that what is now the 9th hole will be the 18th and vice versa. According to Downing, this will allow for a more aesthetic finish to the round because the 9th hole is bordered by a body of water and has adequate space around the green for spectator stands.

Due to the crop of talented players that will participate, several holes must be altered individually. “The guys hit it so far,” said Downing. “The course has to be lengthened a little bit. It plays at 7,100 yards now; it’ll play about 7,300 once they add these four new tee boxes.”

The parking situation is also something that has been considered. “We’ve got an opportunity to bring 80,000-100,000 people through the gates, and we’ve got one entrance,” Downing said. General parking will be at Keeneland where buses will shuttle visitors to Keene Trace, which Google Maps estimates to be a 16-minute drive.

The British Open, one of the four major PGA events, is to be held in Scotland the same weekend. Therefore, it is difficult to predict who exactly will be competing in the Barbasol. However, that is no reason for golf fans in Kentucky to fret.

“The British Open is the hardest tournament for a PGA Tour member to qualify for,” said Downing. Golfers can qualify from all over the world, meaning many winners of events in other countries get Open berths ahead of Tour members. “We’ll lose some elite players, [but] we’ll have everyone else on the tour here,” said Downing. “At the end of the day, the world’s 100th best player is better than a lot of folks you know who can play golf.”

Last year, the Barbasol saw the likes of several former major champions in Jim Furyk, Angel Cabrera, Davis Love III and Lee Janzen. However, it was Grayson Murray who won the championship, shooting 21-under and securing his first tour win. Downing and company hope to yield a similar mix of proven talent and fresh faces in Nicholasville this year.

Although the Open may steal some of the world’s top golfers, it won’t lure any viewers away from the Barbasol. According to Brad Hicks, former golf professional at Champions and current director of golf for bd Global, British Open tee times will be broadcasted in the morning and early afternoon, whereas the Barbasol rounds will start in the late afternoon. “We’re going to have some great primetime for summer golf in the late afternoon [and] early evening, on both the weekdays and weekend,” said Hicks.

While it may heavily rely on community involvement, the Barbasol gives back in many ways. According to Miller, several days will recognize and celebrate the following: women’s executives, kids, college students, military members and Toyota employees. Downing also has created a program called Birdies for the Bluegrass that unites the event with several charitable organizations around the state and helps raise dollars for their respective causes.

From an economic standpoint, the impact in the surrounding area ought to be resounding. “This will pour roughly $18-20 million into the economy every July,” said Downing. “The tide raises all ships, and that’s what this will do.”

Once the loose ends are tied together everyone pulling the strings hopes that attendees of the Barbasol Championship view the event as the “biggest party of the summer,” and walk around asking one question: Who invited all these golfers here?

“There’s only 49 PGA Tour events in the world, and we’re one of them,” said Downing. In a state where professional sports often play second fiddle to collegiate athletics, the Barbasol Championship has at least four years to serve as a breath of fresh air and create a unique experience for Kentuckians.

Photo by Ty Schadt