Crenshaw Sings at Silverado Swan Song
Ben Crenshaw ends a 20-month drought with a win in Napa at the Anheuser-Busch Golf Classic
Join us on our journey through the past as we visted the wine country, Napa, and the Siverado Resort and Spa for the 1980 Anheuser-Busch Golf Classic. This was the last year that the tournament would be held at Silverado and the reason may surprise you. Scroll down to learn more in the main story feature.
We’ve written about the 1970 Kaiser International HERE, won by Ken Still, the 1972 event won by George Knudson HERE, and the 1968 tournament won by Kermit Zarley HERE.
While the PGA TOUR was idle last week, there was some men’s professional golf played, and some news, so I provide a few of my thoughts, as well as the Clips You Might Have Missed.
We’ve got a question for you to weigh in on with the Tour Backspin Poll. This week’s Music Clip features Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers doing “Refugee” live in 1980, and Tour Backspin Goes to The Movies, with the trailer for “Caddyshack” in 1980. Scroll down to listen and watch.
We take a look at a young Ben Crenshaw swing in the Swing Like a Pro feature. You should be able to figure out the WHAT HOLE IS IT? Presented by Rota Golf this week and then you may just win a golf swag prize pack. Rota Golf has a cool way to map out your bucket list journey of playing the top 100 courses in the U.S. We’ve got some links for you in the Check it Out section and a Wilson Staff ad from 1980 in this week’s Vintage Ad. Scroll down to view.
Last week we wanted to know if you thought it was a good idea for the PGA TOUR to cede the weekend to college and professional football by having an off-week. In very close results, 55% of respondents thought it was a bad idea as the second-tier players need to play to get more opportunities next season, while 45% of respondents thought it was a good idea because who’s watching anyway.
We’re going to stay on the same topic as we wonder if golf fans will put their money where their mouth is. Are you going to watch the Procore Championship, or football this weekend? Let us know in this week’s Tour Backspin Poll.
We’re playing 1980 PGA TOUR Trivia in this week’s Tour Backspin Quiz. Scroll down to play.
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Okay, we're on the tee, let's get going.
Enjoy!
Larry Baush
Crenshaw Wins the Final Anheuser-Busch Golf Classic Held at Silverado
It is Monday, June 16th, 1980, at the Silverado Convention Center on the grounds of the Silverado Resort and Spa, and a press conference is underway. Reporters gathered to hear the shocking and sad news that the Anheuser-Busch Golf Classic, scheduled to start in 100 days at the North and South courses at Silverado Resort, would be played for the last time in Napa, CA.
The news was shocking because of who was pulling the plug on the tournament that brought in over $1 million to the local economy and two charitable organizations. Community Projects, a non-profit, non-sectarian, women’s volunteer organization, received a $30,000 donation from the tournament while the Napa Boys Club received $6,000 every year, an important part of the organization’s $45,000 budget.
It wasn’t the PGA TOUR, or Anheuser-Busch, who was responsible for pulling the plug on the tournament. It was Amfac, Inc., the corporation who developed the property in the 1960s and now relied on the revenues from conventions, conferences, and property rentals. Holding a PGA TOUR event every year was negatively impacting their business. The tournament was not televised, and Amfac was disappointed in the lack of publicity it received during the week.
Anheuser-Busch paid Amfac $62,500 for the use of the two golf courses, and other facilities, but this seemed to be small change compared to the business that the resort was turning away for the week.
“We can make $100,000 some days,” said Bob Drum, Silverado’s director of sports activities.
“They asked us to review why we’re losing so damn much money. I said this golf tournament is no good. The president of the company backed me up.”
The resort had invested $5 million in 1979 to expand conference and recreation facilities, and on tournament week, these were unavailable for the company to earn revenues on. The lost revenues were not the only reason that Amfac announced it was pulling the plug.
“It’s cost us a lot of money over the years,” Drum told reporters including Kevin Courtney, a Napa Valley Register staff writer.
Silverado’s new management team was asked by Amfac to assess the costs of the tournament related Drum saying, “They asked us to review why we’re losing so damn much money. I said this golf tournament is no good. The president of the company backed me up.”
The news was not received well in the community.
“It’s a demonstration of the fact that they (Amfac) have a lack of interest in the community,” said Jack Hancock, the tournament’s volunteer community relations chairman. “They were more interested in the economics.”
“I’m just sick about it,” said Primo Colla, the tournament’s volunteer accommodations chairman. “I think they’re giving up a great thing. It’s what made Silverado—the Anheuser-Busch and Kaiser golf tournaments.”
The Kaiser was played at Silverado from 1968 to 1976 before Anheuser-Busch took over the sponsorship.
“Sadly, it being the last year might help us. We may get a lot of players who would not have thought of coming here or haven’t been here for years since this will be the last one.”
Anheuser-Busch was not happy with the decision by Amfac either. The brewery’s Vice President Orion P. Burkhardt made that clear at the press conference but also said that Amfac had the right to make a “business decision.”
Vern Peak, tournament director of the Anheuser-Busch Golf Classic, which featured a $300,000 purse tried to put the best face on the situation saying, “Sadly, it being the last year might help us. We may get a lot of players who would not have thought of coming here or haven’t been here for years since this will be the last one. We have a good commitment list. I anticipate a good tournament.”
On Monday, September 22nd, the swan song of a PGA TOUR event at Silverado got underway with the qualifying taking place. Paul Purtzer, who graduated from the PGA TOUR qualifying school at Silverado in 1972, shot a five-under 67 to lead the 48 players who qualified for the tournament. Ron Cerrudo, a former resident of Napa, also qualified for the event.
Two pro-ams were held on Wednesday utilizing both courses at Silverado with a record 80 five-man teams competing, including baseball great Roger Maris. Ed Fiori was the low pro on the North Course with a 66 while Larry Nelson was the low pro on the South course with the same score.
Tickets for the event were priced at $8 for Wednesday through Friday and $10 for the weekend when just the North course would be used. Season passes were priced at $30, and $40 with the latter including clubhouse privileges. Despite it being one of the coldest summers on record, the forecast for the week looked promising with fair and warm temperatures.
John Fought, the defending champion, was ready to get the action started. He spoke with Nick Nasch, the Sports Editor of the Napa Valley Register, after a practice round, a session on the range, and then taking part in the Peter Jacobsen clinic that included comedic swing mimics of the game’s biggest stars.
“I’m looking forward to this week, though,” he said. “The weather is so good, the people are so nice, everything’s great. Of course, I have good memories. I love California because I don’t live too far from here (in Portland). It’s easy for me to get to. It’s great being here.”
Fought teed off on Thursday at 11:58 from the 10th tee on the South Course, while Ben Crenshaw, looking for his first win in 20 months, and Johnny Miller, playing together, went off at 11:50 on the 1st tee of the North Course. Chip Beck, who lost his playing card in 1979 and had to return to the tour’s qualifying school, was teeing off at 11:10 on the 10th tee of the South course. Beck needed a good week as he was again in danger of losing his card. Jack Renner teed off at 11:34, also off the 10th tee of the South course.
“I got off to a very good start and that helps. I made a 50-footer on the first hole.”
The players had their way with both courses at Silverado in the first round as 54 players shot under par. Crenshaw and Beck both shot six-under-par 66 and sat atop the leaderboard. One shot off the lead were Mark Hayes, Renner, Gary Hallberg, and Scott Watkins. Johnny Miller and Tom Watson were in a group of nine players at 68. Fought opened his defense of the title with a 70.
“I got off to a very good start and that helps,” Crenshaw said after his round and then a big grin crossed his face. “I made a 50-footer on the first hole. When you get off to a start like that, the day can’t be too bad. I played well throughout the day, drove the ball really well, made some putts. I just had a nice, nice round.”
“The main thing I wanted to do is get a good round in on the South course and I can make the cut tomorrow,” Beck told Nasch and other reporters after his round. Beck had six birdies on the South course and could have held the lead outright if not for a three-putt at the final green. “It’s so important for me to make the cut because I’ve been struggling for a year. Last year, I missed the card cut. This year, I’m 161st on the money list. I need to move up a little bit. Got to keep plugging away.”
Renner was making a comeback from mononucleosis which had laid him up for two months.
“There’s no mystery about it. It’s been a bummer of a year,” Renner said. “I think it’s a matter of time till I play as well as I was before. I feel again like I’m making progress after eight months.”
“Johnny Miller was ready to hit me when I made that 55-footer.”
The weather, and Crenshaw’s putter, continued to be hot in the second round on Friday. Crenshaw sank a 55-foot birdie putt on the 2nd hole on his way to a round of five-under 67 to take the solo lead by four shots. Beck shot a 73 and easily made the cut. Miller, playing with Crenshaw, had a wild round that included one eagle, six birdies, and five bogeys posting a 69 and a two-round total of 137 putting him alone in second place. Renner shot a 72 and was at 139, tied with Beck. Fought also made the cut shooting a second straight 70 for a 140 total.
“Johnny Miller was ready to hit me when I made that 55-footer,” Crenshaw quipped about his friend.
Attendance on Friday was reported at 13,069 for a two-day total of 40,265 which was up by about 700 over the numbers from 1979.
The weather was picture perfect for Saturday’s third round and Crenshaw took advantage of the conditions as he started, and finished, his day with birdies on his way to a 68 and a three-round total of 201. His closest pursuer was Jack Renner who shot a 67 for a total of 206. At one point during the round Crenshaw held a seven-stroke lead before a bogey, his second of the tournament, at the 14th hole decreased his lead which, at the end of the day, was five shots. J.C. Snead was at 207 after a third-round 67 while Miller was at 209 after a round of 72.
“Trying to catch Ben Crenshaw is not a realistic goal,” Renner said to Ron Agostini, staff writer for the Sacramento Bee.
J.C. Snead agreed with Renner saying, “He’s going the wrong way for the rest of us.”
Crenshaw had finished second eight times since he last won in Phoenix at the start of 1979, but a stumble here in Napa was unfathomable to the players chasing him.
“I don’t imagine he’s too scared,” Renner said of Crenshaw. “Ben is simply a good player who is just now coming into his peak years. He is only a couple of tournaments and a couple of shots from becoming a great player. People do not realize how good you have to be to finish second as many times as he has.”
The record for the Napa event, Billy Casper’s 19-under-par 269 was in jeopardy of being broken as Crenshaw only needed a 68 in the final round to match it.
“The record is something good to shoot for, to keep me from losing shots,” a smiling Crenshaw said. “The only one I have to worry about is myself. You don’t have to play spectacularly in this case.”
His hopes of setting a tournament record died in the bunkers of Silverado’s North Course, but the damage was not so severe as to put his lead in jeopardy. He shot a final round 71 for a total of 272 and a four-shot margin over Renner
“Really, the first two holes I could have just as easily taken two bogeys,” Crenshaw admitted. “I got it up and down from two bunkers, then birdied the third hole.”
His lead was never in danger after that and Renner knew it by the time he teed his ball up on the 4th hole saying, “I’m thrilled to death to finish second. I was dead serious Saturday night when I said I didn’t consider winning. Ben looked a little shaky the first two holes, but he hit it up and down and out with long bunker shots. Any lingering doubts I had were over then.”
“I can’t really describe how it feels to win,” Crenshaw said after ending his 20-month drought. “I’ve been so patient over the last couple of years, and it just feels fantastic. You start wondering even with a five-shot lead today. I’ve had some hard things happen the last two years and you just wonder whether you can hang on or not. But I really played pretty well. I didn’t play as well as the first three days, but again, I hit my driver well and that kept me in the ball game.”
Vern Peak, the tournament director, was proven correct with his pre-tournament prediction about the large crowd size due to this being the final tournament to be played at Silverado. The four-day attendance totaled 68,937 which ranked it as the second largest crowd in tournament history. Crenshaw, who won $54,000 for his victory, gave Napa a going out party in style with the wire-to-wire win and winning by third largest margin in Silverado history.
Napa golf fans would see the Champions Tour play at Silverado from 1989 to 2002 before the PGA TOUR returned in 2014 for the Frys.com Open which later became the Safeway Open, then the Fortinet Open, and now known as the Procore Championship.
But in 1980, it was a going away party, a swan song, led by Ben Crenshaw, as the corporate interests at Amfac, the owner of Silverado, could not make the numbers work to keep Napa on the tour schedule. It seemed inconceivable, but the plug was pulled on an event that was extremely popular in the community.
BONUS STORY
Johnny Miller, along with Roger Kent, the Rug Doctor Corporation founder, and the CEO of the company, Tim Wall assumed the ownership of the Silverado Resort and Spa in Napa, CA, in 2010 under the name Silverado Investment Group, LLC. Dolce Hotels and Resorts were hired to manage the resort.
Miller made many changes to update the courses including lengthening the North Course by 250 yards, rebuilding tees, repositioning bunkers, and widening fairways. The North Course was first designed in 1955 and then redesigned in 1966 by Robert Trent Jones, Jr. who designed the South Course at the same time.
“I liked the country, the open fields, the smells. It felt like home.”
In 1968, when Miller played in the Kaiser International Open at Silverado, he recognized that there was something special about the resort.
“I liked the country, the open fields, the smells. It felt like home,” Miller said.
He honeymooned with his wife Linda in one of the condos at the resort and then purchased a condo on the 6th hole fairway of the North Course before building a house on the lake at the 11th hole. Miller won the 1974 and ’75 Kaiser International Opens at Silverado.
Miller convinced the PGA TOUR to return to Silverado in 2014 with the Frys.com Open, which later became the Safeway Open, then the Fortinet, and this year is known as the Procore Championship. Miller served as the host of the tournament taking part in the broadcast and the trophy presentation.
In 2020, Kent sued Miller, and the other partners, in a $50 million lawsuit alleging “fraud, breach of contract, negligence, and misconduct with oppression and malice.”
In a February of 2022 news release, it was announced that the resort had been purchased by Colorado-based KSL Capital Partners, LLC, and New York-based Arcade Capital LLC. Miller is no longer associated with the tournament at Silverado.
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PGA TOUR Wrap-Up | A Rare Off-Week
The PGA TOUR ceded the weekend to College and NFL football by taking the week off. But there was some news concerning men’s professional golf. Rory McIlroy flexed his muscles and took a shot at getting the best players in the world to play against one another.
In his quest to unify men’s professional golf under the PGA TOUR umbrella, McIlroy will team with Scottie Scheffler in a match against LIV Golfers Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka in a made-for-TV match in December.
This is not only a match, but the players trying to move the ball forward on what the tour may become once the deal with the Saudi Arabia Public Investment fund, and other potential strategic partners, shakes out.
It will be interesting to watch the action—on, and off, the course leading up to the match in December.
Even though it was an off-week for the PGA TOUR, we still found some highlights from the golf world that you might have missed.
Clips You Might Have Missed
Sick.
Impressive that Mark Hubbard would go ahead and qualify for the Procore Championship, but also look who he’s playing with. Sangmoon Bae is attempting a comeback after serving in South Korea’s mandatory military service.
Great bounce and he took advantage of it.
Watch the caddie’s reaction.
Love how the official just lets the two players go on before stepping in
Tour Backspin Quiz | 1980 PGA TOUR Trivia
How many tournaments on the 1980 PGA TOUR schedule were associated with a celebrity? Celebrities came from stage, screen, music, and sports. Celebrity must have name in the title of the event. Can you name them?
Scroll down for answer
Swing Like a Pro
Ben Crenshaw’s swing in 1980.
Blind Shot
Click for something fun. 👀
The Golf Channel has the details on Tony Romo trying to qualify for the tour again this year.
Alex Perry at bunkered has more on what free stuff the pros get according to Michael Kim.
Tour Backspin Music Clip
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers doing “Refugee” live in 1980.
Tour Backspin Quiz Answer:
There were nine PGA TOUR events with a celebrity in the title. They were the Bob Hope Desert Classic, the Andy Williams-San Diego Open, the Bing Crosby National Pro-Am, the Joe Garagiola-Tucson Open, the Glen Campbell-Los Angeles Open, the Jackie Gleason-Inverrary Classic, the Byron Nelson Golf Classic, the Danny Thomas Memphis Classic, and the Sammy Davis Jr. Greater Hartford Open. Give yourself credit if you included the Walt Disney World National Team Championship for a total of 10.
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Vintage Ad
Final Thoughts
The clips displayed for both the music and movie this week catches some great facial expressions from Tom Petty and Bill Murray.
Clubs were pretty ugly in 1980. Not those Wilson Staffs, though—they’re beautiful.
That film from Augusta is great, be sure to check it out.