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Next to
the first tee at the 2003 Rolex Tournament of Champions stood
an nondescript sign; a placard of the past, displayed like
a forgotten monument to those who had weathered the storm
and came out victorious. To most, it was simply a listing
of past champions, but to those with a sense of nostalgia,
it was so much more.
The First Tee at the 2003
Rolex Tournament of Champions
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When people
or things or places are around long enough, they mysteriously
become traditions. Simply stated, history yields tradition.
So it’s amazing that as much as the AJGA prides itself
on its ever-evolving nature, how, through 25 years, it is
so conscientious of its past.
If the
walls of the AJGA National Headquarters could talk, they would
speak volumes. When you get a drink of water, a signed flag
from the 1995 Rolex T of C stares back at you, with Matt Kuchar’s
signature reminding you he was there. At the refridgerator,
a scroll from the ’96 T of C has Beth Bauer’s
and Grace Park’s autographs on consecutive lines. An
entire hallway is dedicated to Polo Golf All-America teams
for goodness sake, with people like Woods, Duval, Howell and
Kerr watching your every move.
But there
is even more history, more traditions outside the walls of
the AJGA observed by the staff. There are the day-long drives
across west Texas. There is the summer-ending dinner at Dreamland
Barbeque in Mobile, Ala. There are the fireworks at Epcot
in Walt Disney World after Thanksgiving Dinner.
More importantly,
there are the people; those who make the AJGA tick. People
like Mike Bentley, Digger Smith, Jerry Cole, and the rest
on the AJGA’s growing list of Most
Influential People.
So when
Louis Wicker passed away a piece
of AJGA history went with him. Or did it? The longtime starter
for the annual Abilene, Texas, event left a mark on the tournament
and the AJGA. So this year, before our eyes, a tradition was
born; history was made. With vibrantly colored shirts and
hats, like only Wicker would have worn, the AJGA staff carried
on his legacy.
And from
now on, every player who comes to the Abilene tournament,
just like in the past, will know who Louis Wicker was.
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