Stricker and Kelly try to save Milwaukee; Greenbrier in for Buick slot

News, news, news. That’s all Tim Rosaforte is good for these days! And you know what? I couldn’t be happier. Rosaforte has some gems in his recent article on Golfdigest.com that are worth noting – most importantly, his view on the Milwaukee tour stop and the future of the Buick Open slot.

So let’s dive right in to the news and see where the tour might be headed next season.

The Greenbrier is being touted as a possible replacement for the Buick Open in Michigan. And while I’m all for getting new blood on tour, I just don’t have a warm feeling in my body thinking about the state not having a tour stop for the first time in 51 years.

Also, the news that Buick may stay with the Invitational at Torrey Pines at the Buick Open’s expense makes me sick. Where is General Motors located? And you’re really going to drop your state tour stop for one in California. That’s just wrong if it happens.

The Greenbrier jumping in to grab the Buick Open date on the PGA Tour schedule, without a corporate title sponsor but with a resort owner trying to get eyeballs on his property, is a sign of our times. Jim Justice rescued the resort from bankruptcy, bought it for a song and is looking to invest in the PGA Tour. The flip side is the Detroit market losing its tour stop after 51 years on the schedule. What the Greenbrier has in history and tradition, it lacks in accessibility. White Sulphur Springs is not an easy get, so it’ll be interesting to see if Tiger and Phil fly their jets in there, or if it becomes a temporary patch to the tire. While Buick will end its sponsorship in Flint, tournament officials at Torrey Pines in La Jolla, Ca. are going ahead with the understanding that the strapped automaker’s money will still be sponsoring the event.

Also in the news in the report that a couple of events are clamoring for a better slot in the tour schedule next year. The Travelers and RBC want a bigger piece of the schedule piece, and given the economy and the fact that Stanford financial are off the map and the John Deere’s current plight, it looks like both may get their wish:

Also being discussed at tour headquarters is the possible swapping of dates between the Travelers Championship and the unsponsored event in Memphis. Travelers just re-upped and would like the spot before the U.S. Open, not after it. There’s also a chance in this shuffling that the RBC Canadian Open would get a better date than just after the British Open.

Finally, a big name is trying to help Steve Stricker and Jerry Kelly in their attempt to save the Milwaukee event after U.S. Bank pulled their sponsorship. Good luck with that, guys.

And Herb Kohler’s name has been thrown into the group joining Jerry Kelly and Steve Stricker in an attempt to save the Milwaukee event.