Less than a year from now, Tiger Woods could be spending a week in South County to compete for the roughly $900,000 top prize in the Frys.com Open.
The 2010 PGA Tour fall series event will be played at CordeValle golf course in San Martin, about six miles south of downtown Morgan Hill.
Following two weeks of rumors and speculation, Fry's Electronics and the PGA Tour confirmed the event's move at the electronics store's corporate offices in San Jose Wednesday.
"From the onset, the Frys.com Open has done a tremendous job in running and promoting its PGA Tour event," said Tim Finchem, PGA Tour commissioner. "The move to California near its corporate headquarters assures the continued growth and success of the Frys.com Open in the future."
Santa Clara County Supervisor Don Gage said Fry's Electronics submitted an entertainment permit application with county offices Wednesday. The application requests a permit for high-impact use of the golf site for Oct. 11 to Oct. 17, 2010, Gage said.
Peak attendance for the weeklong event is expected to be about 15,000, and the logistics of off-site parking and bus transportation to CordeValle will be sorted out in the coming months.
"I think it will be a nice thing for South County," said Gage, who represents the supervisorial district which contains CordeValle. "The hotels and restaurants will benefit."
The Frys.com Open has been played in Scottsdale, Ariz., the last three years. In its three-year history, the tournament has raised about $1.7 million for charity organizations in California and Arizona, according to the tournament's Web site.
This record of charitable giving is one of many economic benefits the Frys.com Open will bring to South County, according to Fry's spokesman Manuel Valerio.
"The added benefits of hosting this PGA Tour event so close to home should provide more support via spectator and corporate participation, which we hope will translate into more proceeds being available to local charities," Valerio said.
Economic development directors and public officials in Morgan Hill and Gilroy have noted what a boon a high-profile sporting event such as a PGA Tour stop would be to the local economy. Valerio estimates the Frys.com's total impact on South County - in the form of retail and hospitality sales, as well as tax revenues - to be about $20 million in one week.
CordeValle is an 18-hole, par-72 course designed by Robert Trent Jones, Jr., stretching across 7,169 yards of local hillsides, canyons and broad meadows.
The tournament will be televised in 220 countries on the Golf Channel, according to a statement from the PGA Tour.
Fry's Electronics has sought for the last three years to attract a PGA Tour event to the Institute golf course in Morgan Hill, which is owned by store owner John Fry and is closed to the public. A number of PGA Tour professionals have played that course "to favorable review," Valerio said.
The Frys.com Open's eventual move to the Institute course will likely be a "seamless and natural transition," but won't happen until 2013 or later, Valerio said. The course still requires construction of a clubhouse and use permits.
So South County sports fans can expect a local PGA Tour stop for years to come.
"With CordeValle and The Institute being in relatively close proximity to each other, we would expect that both players and fans would become well-accustomed to a PGA Tour fall series event being played in such beautiful surroundings with great Indian Summer weather," Valerio said.
Event organizers will work with planning officials to determine the expected traffic impact and to develop traffic control plans, Gage.
As the site is not big enough to accommodate parking for the crowds visiting from out of town, Frys.com officials will likely have to secure a parking site and a way to transport spectators to CordeValle. Gage suggested the tournament could use parking lots surrounding Christmas Hill Park in Gilroy, where the Garlic Festival is held, and transport visitors to the golf course, which is about five miles away, via buses.
Only Frys.com Open players, their caddies, and event staff will be allowed to park on CordeValle property, Gage said.
If approved, the entertainment permit would cover most aspects of the temporary land use at the site, including hospitality, retail and food sales, Gage said. Event organizers will be required to secure a permit from the state to sell alcoholic beverages.
Michael Moore Michael Moore covers county and law enforcement issues for the Morgan Hill Times. Reach him at (408) 779-4106, ext. 202, or mmoore@morganhilltimes.com.
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