WORTHINGTON COUNTRY CLUB
Labor Day Classic
VOLUME 45
GOLF TOURNAMENT
WORTHINGTON, MN
2016
DOUG WOLTER dwolter@dglobe.com WORTHINGTON -- Year in and year out, it’s always the same. Competitors at the Labor Day Classic Golf Tournament in Worthington sing the praises of the tournament, the course, the welcome and the competition. “It’s just on the calendar. We don’t miss it,� said Lakeville resident Jamie Quesnel last year after winning his second consecutive championship. “This is my favorite tournament out of any tournament I have ever played,� said Tony Brown, of Wayzata, after winning in 2012. “Just the atmosphere, the people. Everybody is so nice and it is a great time.� The following year, Bret Taylor, of Des Moines, Iowa, made a similar statement after winning the crown. “We won’t miss this tournament if we can help it. It’s just a blast,� he said. The 2016 Labor Day Classic, played out on the greens of the Worthington Country Club, is the 63rd annual. Players love the four-day event for many reasons. It’s been called a small-town tournament with a big-town, professional feel. This year’s tournament will be the second under the ownership of GreatLIFE Malaska Golf and Fitness Club of Sioux Falls, S.D. Cory Pelzel, head golf professional, is a relative newcomer on the LDC scene. But it hasn’t taken him long to become tremendously impressed with the format, the high level of competition, the volunteerism, and the well-kept fairways and greens courtesy of grounds superintendent Bob Wethor and his crew. “It’s not just another four days,� he said. “This isn’t something that got put together in just two weeks. The planning started in May.� Every year, planners work hard at improving the event. Long-time participants already enamored with the
tournament wonder how something so special could even be improved. “We added so much last year ‌ We really try to make it feel like a PGA tournament,â€? Pelzel said, adding that with several people spending money on plane tickets and hotel rooms, the need to constantly strive for excellence is always there. “We have people say that the only way they’re not going to be at the tournament is if they’re on their deathbed. They just know not to schedule something on Labor Day because they always know where they’re going to be,â€? Pelzel said. This year the organizers are planning a special ceremony prior to the Final Four sendoff. It’s a closely-guarded secret. That Final Four experience is what sets the Labor Day Classic apart from your normal, runof-the-mill tournament. It occurs every Labor Day Monday afternoon after Saturday’s championship flight stroke play qualifier, then a round of 32 and later round of 16 match play competition on Sunday, and a round of eight match play competition on Monday morning. At about 2 p.m., the final four competitors begin stroke play to decide a champion. Carts -- lots of them -- follow them over 18 holes. Deb Jaycox, general manager of the country club, enjoys seeing all the carts. But many people in the community, she says, don’t know that they’re welcome to be part of the crowd. You don’t have to be a member. Everyone’s welcome to follow the golfers at their leisure. LDC organizers, two weeks prior to the start of the 2016 event, rented 115 carts. Many of those same carts will be made available for the Final Four spectators. Those who aren’t interested in carts even prior to the Final Four are still invited to sit on the deck and watch the golfers go by.
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CLASSIC KEEPS GETTING BETTER AND BETTER
Good Muck from Ameriprise Financial Never stop pursuing your dreams. All the best from Ameriprise Financial. Donovan & Aggen A financial advisory practice of Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc. 1020 3rd Avenue Worthington, MN 56187 507.372.2033
Kevin C. Donovan Financial Advisor Ameriprise Financial Services, Inc. Member FINRA and SIPC. Š 201 Ameriprise Financial, Inc. All rights reserved
Elwin Aggen, CFPÂŽ Financial Advisor