17 minute read
3,000 volunteers make this week work
The volunteer force it takes to run the 2022 PGA Championship is over 3,000 strong, larger than four out of every five incorporated towns and cities in Oklahoma.
Volunteers range from highly trained specialists who go from major championship to major championship, sometimes working the PGA Championship, U.S. Open and Open Championship in the same summer, to the guys in my Wednesday night golf league at LaFortune Park (Hole 9 marshals, thank you very much).
Kenny Martin, a 29-year-old graduate of the University of Louisville with a masters in business administration, is working his first PGA Championship as Manager of Volunteer Operations. His job is to recruit, train, coordinate and manage those 3,000 volunteers in areas that affect every aspect of tournament play.
Under the Championship Services umbrella for example, there are marshals, media center services, staffing the massive merchandise center, roping and staking of the entire course and contestant shuttles.
Under Contestant Services, led by former University of Oklahoma golfer Josh Walker, there are caddie services, evacuation plans, registration, contestant transportation, daycare, tee refreshments and the work done by the South Central Section professionals, who man the driving range and practice areas.
Each contestant gets the use of a courtesy Cadillac for the week and those have to be matched up with the airport where the contestant is arriving and then gathered up when he is leaving. Sometimes they have been collected from some strange places. Walker said the caddies this year will like the caddie building being constructed just south of the main entrance not far from the first tee. The air-conditioned building includes refreshments, televisions, a kitchen and other amenities. He compared it to the 1994 PGA Championship where the sweltering caddies, unable to wear shorts at that time, had to purchase their food from a food truck and had nowhere to cool off.
Martin said one of the more interesting volunteer committees to serve on is the laser operators, about 200 of whom are posi-
tioned on the fairways and greens to measure a contestant’s shot from the tee and distances to the hole on and around the greens. The information is then transmitted to PGA Tour scoring, where it shows up on the website and app if you’re tracking a player. “The PGA Tour has a couple of producers who are verifying the information coming in,” Martin said. “But these are veterans who have done it before. They are usually low handicap golfers and really understand the game.” A volunteer who signs up pays a fee but is only asked to work four four-hour shifts during tournament week and for that gets two polo shirts, a hat, jacket and access to the full tournament when not working as a spectator. For Martin, tournament week will Kenny Martin be a whirlwind of 20-hour days coordinating and making sure all goes off smoothly, or at least gives the appearance of having done so. Probably the worst-case scenario is an Oklahoma spring storm that forces evacuation of all 45,000 souls on the course, but there is a plan for that if needed. “It’s a lot of coffee and a lot of adrenaline,” Martin said. “Fortunately we have a team who loves it and embraces the craziness.”
by sam humphreys
Scottie Scheffler is on one of the hottest streaks in PGA Tour history. Just to recap, in the last six months he went 2-0-1 at the Ryder Cup as a Captain’s pick, won at the Waste Management, again at Bay Hill in the Arnold Palmer Invitational and then prevailed in the WGC Match Play at Austin Country Club, moving to No.1 in the world.
Surely that meant he would freeze at The Masters? No, he went on to win in dominant fashion, with his high, soft irons, fantastic touch on chipping and pitching and solid putting leaving the field in the dust. It capped one of the best streaks of any player not named Tiger Woods.
The Oklahoma pros who lived with Scheffler and played against him on a daily basis while the world struggled through the first Covid shutdown are not surprised. They have seen this before.
In June of 2019, after leaving the University of Texas and starting his pro career on the Korn Ferry Tour, Scheffler moved into a house in Dallas with former Sooners Max McGreevy, Charlie Saxon and Grant Hirschman as well as Drew Ison of Edmond, who played collegiately at Drake and is now a sales consultant at Collective Health.
With his love for Southern Hills docu-
mented and the previous success he’s had there, winning the Big 12 Championship in 2015 as a Longhorn freshman and finishing tied for fifth in 2018, he would have to be a favorite for the 2022 PGA Championship.
McGreevy, who now plays on the PGA Tour, and Saxon, currently on the Korn Ferry Tour, didn’t know Scheffler when he moved into the house, but McGreey said they quickly bonded.
McGreevy recalls a time the Saxon was struggling with his chipping and Scheffler came to the rescue.
“It was a cold day, so we were all inside, and I remember Scottie giving basically a lesson on bounce and chipping in our living room. He’s 23 at the time,” McGreevy said. “But I am listening to literally every word that he said. Obviously he was trying to help Charlie, but all of us sat in the living room listening because he really was just way more golf smart than all of us. And that is hard to take when it’s someone younger, but he had so much knowledge that we would always run questions by him and he would sit there and answer every single one. I took a lot from that little chipping lesson in our living room. Things I still think about two years later.”
“What is cool about Scottie is that you would never know he’s the No. 1 player
Left to right, Max McGreevy, Meredith and Scottie Scheffler and Grant Hirschman.
in the world,” Saxon said. “It’s not going to change him. All of his various player of the year trophies and trophies from wins were stuffed under a pile of NIKE stuff in his closet. He’s just a humble guy unless he beats you in a money game, and in that case, he’ll make sure you hear about it for the rest of the day.”
And there was plenty for Scheffler to crow about to his Sooner roomies.
“Around April of 2020, Scottie had a stretch where in a few week span, he shot 59 twice,” Ison said. “Once at Texas Rangers GC and once at Royal Oaks, and the day before he shot 59 at Royal Oaks, he shot a 60! He made golf look like a video game!
“The day he shot 59 at Rangers he was playing with his group from Royal Oaks and he didn’t even know he shot 59 until they were driving home and counting everything up. He had a bogey on the ninth hole after trying to hit a driver off the deck and topping it into a creek. He said he had to halve all the bets because it got out of hand.”
“We all obviously knew he was really good, but during Covid, he went on this run of next level golf for a few months. He took Max and me to the cleaners every time we teed it up.” Saxon said.
MAY 16-22, 2022 COURSE MAP COURSE MAP PGA CHAMPIONSHIP COURSE MAP PGA CHAMPIONSHIPCOURSE MAP PGA CHAMPIONSHIP MAY 16-22, 2022
SPECTATOR FACILITIESSPECTATOR FACILITIES PGA PREMIER HOSPITALITYPGA PREMIER HOSPITALITY
Admissions / Ticket OfficeAdmissions / Ticket Office PGA PREMIER HOSPITALITY PGA Member Club | Practice RangeN PGA Member Club | Practice RangeSPECTATOR FACILITIES N PGA PREMIER HOSPITALITY
Express BarExpress Bar Admissions / Ticket Office N
PGA Member Club | Practice Range
Pouring BarPouring BarExpress Bar
N O Preferred Viewing | 18 GreenO Preferred Viewing | 18 GreenPGA Member Club | Practice Range
O S1 Maxwell Suites - South | 6 GreenS1 Maxwell Suites - South | 6 GreenPreferred Viewing | 18 Green O SPECTATOR FACILITIESPreferred Viewing | 18 GreenSPECTATOR FACILITIES
Market ConcessionsMarket ConcessionsPouring Bar
S2 Maxwell Suites - North | 6 GreenS2 Maxwell Suites - North | 6 GreenMaxwell Suites - South | 6 Green
Admissions / Ticket OfficeMaxwell Suites - South | 6 GreenAdmissions / Ticket Office
Disability Viewing AreaDisability Viewing AreaMarket Concessions First AidFirst Aid Express Bar Pouring Bar S2 Maxwell Suites - North | 6 Green Express Bar Pouring Bar Disability Viewing Area Grandstand SeatingGrandstand SeatingMarket Concessions S3 Suites | 16 Tee Market ConcessionsFirst Aid
S2
S3
X1
NN
PGA Member Club | Practice Range PGA Member Club | Practice Range S3 Suites | 16 TeeS3 Suites | 16 Tee Maxwell Suites - North | 6 Green
OO Preferred Viewing | 18 Green Preferred Viewing | 18 Green X1 PGA Partner Village | 16 FairwayX1 PGA Partner Village | 16 Fairway S1 Maxwell Suites - South | 6 GreenS1 Maxwell Suites - South | 6 Green Suites | 16 Tee X2 Chalet Village | 12 FairwayX2 Chalet Village | 12 Fairway S2 Maxwell Suites - North | 6 GreenS2 Maxwell Suites - North | 6 GreenPGA Partner Village | 16 Fairway
Information? Information? Disability Viewing Area X1 PGA Partner Village | 16 Fairway Disability Viewing AreaGrandstand Seating X2 X3 Chalet Village | 7 FairwayX3 Chalet Village | 7 Fairway S3 Suites | 16 TeeS3 Suites | 16 TeeChalet Village | 12 Fairway
Portable Phone ChargersPortable Phone Chargers First AidX2 Chalet Village | 12 Fairway First AidInformation
X3 Champions Club | 8 FairwayX4 Champions Club | 8 FairwayX4 X1 PGA Partner Village | 16 FairwayX1 PGA Partner Village | 16 FairwayChalet Village | 7 Fairway
RestroomsRestrooms
Grandstand SeatingX3 Chalet Village | 7 FairwayGrandstand SeatingPortable Phone Chargers X4
X2 Chalet Village | 12 FairwayX2 Chalet Village | 12 FairwayChampions Club | 8 Fairway X5 X5 Club 1916 | 13 FairwayClub 1916 | 13 Fairway
Information? Champions Club | 8 FairwayX4 Information?Restrooms X5
X3 Chalet Village | 7 FairwayX3 Chalet Village | 7 FairwayClub 1916 | 13 Fairway
Spectator EntrySpectator EntryPortable Phone Chargers X5 Club 1916 | 13 Fairway Portable Phone ChargersSpectator Entry X6
The PGA ShopsThe PGA ShopsRestrooms X6 Club Oklahoma | 16 Tee Restrooms The PGA Shops
X7 X6
CONTESTANT & COMPETITION VB Video Board
X6 Club Oklahoma | 16 Tee X7 Club PGA | 16 Tee Maxwell Plaza
PGA Swing Analysis Presented by Charles Schwab
“Go Like a Pro” Lesson Zone Practice Range Presented by National Car Rental Cadillac Immersive Experience Short Game Practice Disability Shuttle Route
CONTESTANT & COMPETITION VB Video Board
Club Oklahoma | 16 Tee X7 Club PGA | 16 Tee Maxwell Plaza
PGA Swing Analysis Presented by Charles Schwab
“Go Like a Pro” Lesson Zone Practice Range Presented by National Car Rental Cadillac Immersive Experience Short Game Practice Disability Shuttle Route
X4 Champions Club | 8 Fairway X5 Club 1916 | 13 Fairway Spectator Entry X6 Club Oklahoma | 16 Tee The PGA Shops X7 Club PGA | 16 Tee Maxwell Plaza PGA Swing Analysis CONTESTANT & COMPETITION Presented by Charles Schwab
“Go Like a Pro” Lesson Zone Practice Range Presented by National Car Rental Cadillac Immersive Experience Short Game Practice
CONTESTANT & COMPETITION X7 Club PGA | 16 Tee Spectator Entry The PGA Shops Maxwell Plaza PGA Swing Analysis Presented by Charles Schwab SOUTH LEWIS AVE CONTESTANT & COMPETITION Champions Club | 8 Fairway X7 X6 X5 X4 Club PGA | 16 Tee Club 1916 | 13 Fairway Club Oklahoma | 16 Tee “Go Like a Pro” Lesson Zone Practice Range Practice Range Presented by National Car Rental Cadillac Immersive Experience Short Game Practice SOUTH LEWIS AVE CONTESTANT & COMPETITION VB Video Board
Club Oklahoma | 16 Tee Club PGA | 16 Tee Maxwell Plaza
PGA Swing Analysis Presented by Charles Schwab
“Go Like a Pro” Lesson Zone Practice Range Presented by National Car Rental Cadillac Immersive Experience Short Game Practice Disability Shuttle Route
Accessible PathwaysAccessible PathwaysDisability Shuttle RouteShort Game PracticeDisability Shuttle RouteAccessible Pathways LB Leader BoardLB Leader BoardLB Video BoardVB Video BoardVB Leader Board
SOUTH LEWIS AVESOUTH LEWIS AVE SOUTH LEWIS AVE S2
S1
SOUTH LEWIS AVE
6
LB
EAST 61st ST S2 S2
S2
S2S2
S1
S1S1
6 2
N
Wi-Fi ZonesWi-Fi Zones Accessible PathwaysVideo BoardVB Accessible PathwaysWi-Fi Zones
LBLB Leader Board Leader Board
Wi-Fi Zones Wi-Fi Zones
LB Leader Board TRANSPORTATION SERVICESTRANSPORTATION SERVICESTRANSPORTATION SERVICES
OPERATIONS V PGA Volunteer Headquarters OPERATIONS V PGA Volunteer Headquarters OPERATIONS PGA Volunteer HeadquartersV TRANSPORTATION SERVICES OPERATIONS PGA Volunteer HeadquartersV OPERATIONS PGA Volunteer HeadquartersV Championship Office M Championship OfficeChampionship OfficeChampionship OfficeSpectator Shuttle PGA of America and RulesPGA of America and RulesPGA of America and RulesLot GP - Oral Roberts University Lot V - Cityplex Towers Security Gate Lot ADA - River Spirit Casino M Security GateSecurity Gate Clubhouse Media and VIP Shuttles
Championship Office PGA of America and Rules PGA of America and Rules Security Gate Security Gate Clubhouse Clubhouse ClubhouseClubhouse Lot S - Kensington Business Center Lot M - Media Hotel
MEDIA Lot K - Kirk of the Hills MEDIA MEDIAMEDIA Media Center PGA Premier Hospitality Shuttle Media CenterMedia Center
Lot C - Victory Church
Media CenterMedia Center Disability Services Shuttle TRANSPORTATION SERVICES TRANSPORTATION SERVICESSpectator Shuttle
Spectator Shuttle Lot GP - Oral Roberts University Lot V - Cityplex Towers Lot ADA - River Spirit Casino Spectator Shuttle Lot GP - Oral Roberts University Lot V - Cityplex Towers Lot ADA - River Spirit Casino Spectator Shuttle Lot GP - Oral Roberts University Lot V - Cityplex Towers Lot ADA - River Spirit Casino Spectator Shuttle Lot GP - Oral Roberts University Lot V - Cityplex Towers Lot ADA - River Spirit CasinoMedia and VIP Shuttles Lot GP - Oral Roberts University Lot V - Cityplex Towers Lot ADA - River Spirit Casino
M
Media and VIP ShuttlesM Media and VIP ShuttlesMedia and VIP ShuttlesM Media and VIP ShuttlesM Lot S - Kensington Business Center
Lot S - Kensington Business Center Lot M - Media Hotel Lot S - Kensington Business Center Lot M - Media Hotel Lot S - Kensington Business Center Lot M - Media Hotel Lot K - Kirk of the Hills Lot S - Kensington Business Center Lot M - Media Hotel Lot K - Kirk of the Hills Lot M - Media Hotel Lot K - Kirk of the Hills Lot K - Kirk of the HillsLot K - Kirk of the Hills PGA Premier Hospitality Shuttle
PGA Premier Hospitality ShuttlePGA Premier Hospitality Shuttle PGA Premier Hospitality Shuttle Lot C - Victory Church PGA Premier Hospitality Shuttle Lot C - Victory Church Lot C - Victory Church Lot C - Victory ChurchLot C - Victory ChurchDisability Services Shuttle Disability Services ShuttleDisability Services Shuttle Disability Services Shuttle The PGA Shops 1 Tee 18 Green 61st St Gate
Disability Services Shuttle
The PGA Shops 6 Tee 1 Tee 6 Green 18 Green 12 Fairway 61st St Gate 17 Green
The PGA Shops 1 Tee 18 Green 61st St Gate 6 Tee 6 Green Road Closure 12 Fairway 17 Green
The PGA Shops 6 Tee 1 Tee 6 Green 18 Green 12 Fairway 61st St Gate 17 Green Road Closure
The PGA Shops 1 Tee 18 Green 6 Tee 6 Green 12 Fairway61st St Gate 17 Green Road Closure
6 Tee 6 Green 12 Fairway 17 Green V
EAST 65th PL
HOLE SOUTHERN HILLS COUNTRY CLUB SOUTHERN HILLS COUNTRY CLUB HOLE 1 2 3 4 5HOLE 1 2 3 4 51 2 3 4 5
PAR
PARPAR HOLEHOLE 4 4 4 4 144 14 244 4 2 44 3 5 355
Tickets for Friday through Sunday are sold out. Remaining tickets for practice rounds and Thursday round available at www.pgachampionship.com/tickets
South of Southern Hills Country Club off-site PGA Public Parking will be complimentary and located at the Mabee Center (2599 E 81st St, Tulsa, OK 74136). Complimentary shuttle service will be provided to and from the Main Spectator Entrance at Southern Hills Country Club. There will be no public parking at Southern Hills Country Club during Championship Week.
Lot General Public South will be open Monday, May 16 - Sunday, May 22, 2022. It will be the only PGA Public Parking lot open, Monday - Wednesday.
Please note that during the Championship Rounds, Thursday - Sunday, Lot General Public South at the Mabee Center may fill to capacity. Please monitor
PGA Championship social channels (@pgachampionship) and the On-Site
Guide for the latest updates. In this scenario, spectators would be directed to Lot General Public North at the Tulsa Promenade - Macy’s Parking Garage (5097 E 43rd St, Tulsa, OK 74105). There will be no overnight parking in any PGA Public Parking Lots, and any vehicles left overnight will be towed at the owner’s expense. PGA Tournament Corporation is not responsible for damage to your vehicle, or items lost or stolen from your vehicle.
PGA PUBLIC PARKING (LOT GENERAL PUBLIC NORTH)
North of Southern Hills Country Club off-site PGA Public Parking will be complimentary and located at the Tulsa Promenade - Macy’s Parking Garage (5097 E 43rd St, Tulsa, OK 74105). Lot General Public North will only be open Thursday, May 19 - Sunday, May 22, 2022. Monday, May 16 - Wednesday, May 18, 2022, PGA Public Parking will only be available at Lot General Public South at the Mabee Center.
RIDESHARE & SPECTATOR DROP-N-GO
Spectators electing to utilize UBER, Lyft, or other rideshare services must be picked up and dropped off at the PGA Championship’s Official Rideshare lot located at the Southern Hills Tower (2431 E 61st Street. For an efficient Rideshare experience, simply enter “2022 PGA Championship” as the destination in your Rideshare app of choice and your driver will take you to the designated Rideshare lot. Spectators utilizing rideshare will enter and exit the Championship grounds through the 61st Street Entrance, a 5 minute walk from Southern Hills Tower.
The Championship’s Rideshare lot will also be available for any spectator drop-ngo. Do not attempt to perform spectator pick-up or drop-offs at or near either spectator entrance or in the neighborhoods surrounding Southern Hills Country Club.
WALK OR BIKE
Spectators who live within walking distance of Southern Hills Country Club, may enter and exit the Championship grounds through one of two spectator entrances.
North of the property there will be an
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entrance off 61st Street between S. Birmingham Place and S. Delaware Avenue. South of the property there will be a walkin entrance off E. 65th Place between S. Lewis Ave. and Timberlane Road.
Bike racks will only be available at the E. 65 Place (Main Spectator) entrance (South).
Note: All spectator drop-off and pick-up should occur at the Rideshare Lot located at Southern Hills Tower. There will be no daily readmission to the Championship grounds. If you leave the grounds, you must have an unscanned ticket to return to the Championship.
ACCESSIBLE PARKING
Designated accessible parking for those requiring lift-equipped transportation to the course will be available at RiverGate Church (1439 E 71st St, Tulsa, OK 74136). You will need a verified Disabled Person Parking placard, permit, or license plate to enter this parking lot. The person to whom the placard or plate is issued must be present in the vehicle, as a driver or passenger.
CONCESSIONS:
Many ticket packages include concessions, please check your tickets. See locator map for concession locations
Nick Faldo and Jim Nantz will anchor the CBS broadcast team.
RESTROOMS:
See locator map for locations
TELEVISION:
Thursday, May 19
Live first round coverage on ESPN+ from 7a.m. – 1 p.m. CDT; live coverage on ESPN from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. CDT
Friday, May 20
Live second round coverage – same schedule as first round
Saturday and Sunday, May 21-22
Live on ESPN+ 7-9 a.m. CDT both days. ESPN 9 a.m. to Noon both days. CBS coverage Noon to 6 p.m. both days. Live stream on Paramount + of third and final rounds.
Featured Groups and Featured Holes coverage on ESPN+ all day for all four days of the tournament
MERCHANDISE:
Main merchandise tent located below clubhouse to south of main entrance road.
CELL PHONE POLICY:
All cell phones must be silenced at all times.
