June 22, 2010
Remarks by Pierce County Executive Pat McCarthy
Good afternoon. I am Pat McCarthy, the elected Executive of Pierce County.
On behalf of Pierce County, it's my pleasure to welcome you to this incredible venue.
Many of you already know that Chambers Bay is a great story. First and foremost, it's a story about reclamation.
This 930-acre property on the shores of Puget Sound operated as a gravel mine for 100 years. After the mining was done, the land sat vacant and scarred - like a moonscape.
The public could only peer through a chain-link fence and imagine the possibilities.
Then my predecessor, John Ladenburg, saw how Bethpage State Park in New York reinvented its Black Course as a U.S. Open course. The County Council took some courageous votes and gave John the go-ahead to build a very special golf course on about 250 acres.
So here we are today - just 61 days from hosting the most prestigious amateur golf championship in the world.
We are very proud of the fact that Chambers Bay will be the first publicly-owned course to host the US Amateur in the championship's 110-year history.
In 2015, we'll be just the third publicly-owned course to host a US Open.
These are tremendous honors, and they come with serious responsibilities.
My team has been working hard to get ready to host the US Amateur.
The planning effort is led on a daily basis by my deputy executive, Kevin Phelps, who you will hear from in a few moments.
We are in regular contact with USGA officials - including Mike Davis, Robbie Zalzneck and Larry Gilhuly, as well as David Fay and Jim Hyler.
We love hearing USGA leaders tell us what Chambers Bay means to them. In particular, we liked hearing Jim Hyler mention during his remarks at the USGA annual meeting that Chambers Bay serves as an example for the industry.
First, it reflects the USGA's interest in making the game more accessible by hosting premiere championships on public courses.
And second, we're demonstrating that American golf courses don't have to be quite so lush, quite so green. Chambers Bay shows that there is a way for championship golf courses to use on less water and fewer chemicals and still result in a great experience.
Now I want to take a moment to recognize some of our key partners.
I'll start with KemperSports. General Manager Matt Allen and his team are doing an outstanding job in the care and feeding of this unique golf course. They provide excellent customer service, which is just as important as the condition of the course.
Second, we have an ideal partner in the Pacific Northwest Golf Association, and its CEO, John Bodenhamer. The players in the US Amateur will find The Home Course to be a serious test of their skills during the stroke-play rounds.
We continue to have a great relationship with Chambers Bay architect Bob Jones, and his team at R-T-J-two. We worked closely with Bob as we made the changes to the course that the USGA requested. I think it would be a great story for you golf writers if Bob's associate - Jay Blasi - is able to qualify as a player in the Amateur on a course he helped design. That's not an unfair advantage, is it???
We have a pair of Honorary Co-Chairmen who've done plenty to earn more than honorary titles. I am pleased that Mike Gregoire is able to join us today. 'First Mike,' as he's called around here, understands the potential the golf course has for boosting tourism in Western Washington. Our other Honorary Chairman is professional golfer Ryan Moore. Ryan is a Pierce County native who won the US Amateur in 2004. He strongly supports this championship. And as we all know, he's clearly not afraid to ask tough questions to make sure it succeeds.
We have also worked closely with administrators and elected officials in the cities of University Place and DuPont. They help make sure that our permits our sound, and our planning for things like transportation is set.
Finally, I want to thank the USGA.
Many of you in this room have been to USGA championships. So you've seen how good they are at what they do.
I was just at Pebble Beach over the weekend, and I continue to be highly impressed with their ability to conduct memorable championships.
My staff and I will be available today and over the coming weeks to answer your questions about Chambers Bay and the rest of the property.
I hope you enjoy your experience on the course this afternoon.
I am now going to turn the program over to Kevin Phelps, my deputy county executive. He will provide more specific details about the championship.
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