Peter Uihlein of Oklahoma State putts on No. 4 green as a small crowd watches during the final day of the Gifford Collegiate Championship tournament, held Nov. 9-11 at CordeValle.
SAN MARTIN -- In the days after CordeValle's championship golf course was completed in summer 1999, Travis Skeesick, then an assistant professional, and course architect Robert Trent Jones Jr. would toss visions back and forth like schoolmates playing catch in a make-believe World Series.
Sitting in his elegantly cluttered office at CordeValle, Skeesick recalled one of those dream-storming sessions two weeks ago, as the final round of the fifth Annual Gifford Collegiate Championship tournament concluded outside.
"'One day, we are going to have a big event here,'" said Skeesick, who is now the director of golf operations at CordeValle. "'What's it going to be?' We didn't know, but some day."
A first-class championship event was the goal Jones Jr. had in mind when he designed the pictureque 260-acre course. Since its opening 10 years ago, CordeValle has been named the No. 14 best course in the country and tops in the state by Golf Digest.
But the crown jewel was set Nov. 4, when the PGA Tour announced it is moving the Frys.com Open to the Rosewood resort in San Martin.
"There's so much excitment right now. It's incredible," Skeesick said. "The energy here has turned on to a new level.
"This was the dream. This is finally going to put CordeValle on the map, which is what we've wanted to do all along. We are humbly appreciative."
Life has been quite busy for Skeesick and his staff as of late. They have crafted a detailed plan to accomodate the best golfers in the world without making significant changes to the property.
The course's 7,169-yard length has a capacity to stretch much further, Skeesick said. Its tee boxes were pushed back two years ago, when rumors of a PGA event coming to CordeValle began to surface. Skeesick, a scratch golfer who plays professionally in his spare time, said the course posed a fair challenge during the U.S. Open qualifiers, U.S. Amateur Championship quaifiers and Collegiate tournaments.
Several hospitality tents and grandstands are planned to be built for the gallery, which, depending on the golfers entered, could range between 10,000 and 15,000 spectators.
"It's going to be a really cool scene," Skeesick said. "Our corporate members have really embraced this. They can't wait ... talking about volunteering and asking, 'Is Tiger coming?'
"John Fry really wanted to bring this tournament close to home, and they've done it. Now they want to bring in the big names."
The Frys.com Open will no doubt provide an economic shot in the arm to the South Valley, just as the Senior PGA Championship at Coyote Creek Golf Club did several years ago. Some experts say the open could create up to $20 million in revenues.
"I think this is going to be big," Don Leone, Coyote Creek's director of instruction, said last Friday. "I was here for the Senior Championship. Everyone was there: [Gary] Player, [Jack] Nicklaus, [Lee] Trevino. They brought out a lot of fans.
"(CordeValle) is a great facility for (the PGA players). The course isn't too difficult but it will challenge them."
In its three years, the Frys.com Open has raised roughly $1.7 million for charities in California and Arizona, according to the event's Web site. The proceeds could factor into CordeValle's Youth Golf Foundation, which organizes four tournaments a year to raise money for golf programs in Santa Clara County.
"I can't speak for Frys, but with this Frys tournament coming in, that should bring more value to them," Skeesick said. "The charitable contributions could be massive."
Just as the Collegiate Championship was a steppingstone for a PGA Tour event, the Frys.com Open is only the start of bigger things down the fairway for CordeValle. The resort is planning to hold the 2011 PGA Cup, the club-pro version of the Ryder Cup, which pits U.S. players against a Great Britain/Ireland team. It will be the 25th running of the event.
Skeesick caught a glimpse of that international style of play during the Collegiate Championship. The tournament featured 14 of the nation's top NCAA programs, including UCLA and Stanford.
"I could hear some of the players talking with German accents," Skeesick said. "There's no doubt these guys are the future of the PGA. We hope they come back."
Scott J. Adams Scott J. Adams covers Morgan Hill sports for South Valley Newspapers. Send him an email or call him at 779-4106.
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