Now that Buick has said it will not sponsor the PGA event in Flint after this weekend, Michigan is poised not to have a PGA, LPGA or Nationwide Tour event in the state next year.
How did this come to pass in a state renowned for its golf? Michigan has, what, more than 900 golf courses and just under 10 million people. I have seen claims that makes Michigan No. 1 for courses on a per capita basis. Michigan has quality to go with quantity, too. Arcadia Bluffs and Tullymore are just two nationally recognized venues that come to mind.
Yet, the top tier of professional golf in the U.S. won’t be seen in the state in 2010.
Flint’s Buick Open has been a PGA fixture for 50 years. Lansing used to host the Oldsmobile Classic for the LPGA, too. And 2010 will have nothing?
Amazing.
