Huron Expositor, 2009-06-10, Page 13`Watch tomorrow's sta
John Herbert
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Ken Doig hit the first shot and was
there to shake the hand of every Ca-
nadian Tour player as he walked off
the 18th green on the final. day of
last summer's ' first Seaforth Country
Classic.
"He told them he hoped to never
to see them again," daughter Caro-
lanne Doig says. "They looked at
him as if to say 'what are you talking
about' and then they'd laugh when
they caught on. They knew what he
wanted was for them to go on to big-
ger things and by that he meant the
Nationwide or PGA Tour. They re-
ally liked that."
The 81 -year-old icon of Seaforth
golf.will do it again this summer.
The Canadian Tour stops at the
Doig family golf course in Egmond-
ville, • just outside Seaforth, for the
second annual $150,000 Seaforth
Country Classic, Aug., 27-30.
The Doig family held their annual
media day last Monday at the club to
beat the drums for this year's tour-
nament.
Though the tournament lost about
$50,000, the Doig family is deter-
mined to make this year's a resound-
ing success with a better business
plan to reduce expenses a.i d- sell
more tickets: -----1
They also want to capitalise on
the theme "come and watch tomor-
row's stars today" as the big tour hits
small-town Ontario.
Just last weekend at the Crowne
Plaza Invitational at . Fort Worth,
two of the three players in a play-
off — Steve Stricker and Tim Clark
— were graduates of the Canadian
Tour. Stricker won. Both recently
sent $1,000 cheques to the Seaforth
Country Classic because they real-
ize without the Canadian Tour they
might not have made it to the big
time.
"The one thing we're trying to sell
is you're watching great golf one lev-
el removed from the PGA Tour," says
Carolanne Doig, co-chair of the tour-
nament with Maureen Agar.
"You can watch the future super-
stars. One day you might be sitting
on the patio having a hot dog with
him and the next year you see him
on TV playing in the leader group
the final day of a PGA Tour event."
Over the winter months, Doig wrote
letters to Canadian Tour graduates
asking for their moral support, but
did not ask them for financial sup-
port. Stricker, Clark and Pat Perez
sent cheques.
«ec
Thank you to the following businesses and
sponsors who helped make the Columbo Classic
Spring Scramble a huge success. Thanks to your
generous donations we were able to give $1,000 to
the Heart and Stroke Foundation and $4,000 to the
Seaforth and Area Food» Bank. Thanks Again.
The 132 Golfers who took part
Desjardins Credit Union
L. McGrath Plumbing & Heating
Box & Smith Funeral Chapel
McKillop Mutual Ins. Co.
Kissner Milling Co. Ltd.
Bob's Barber Shop
Donna's Hair Care
Seaforth Bakery
Progressive Turf Equipment
Seaforth Chiropractic Centre
Artech Signs
Seaforth Food Market
Seaforth Huron Expositor
B.J.M. Financial
Seaforth Legion
Epilepsy Foundation
Dick Burgess Photography
Tucker's Meat Shop
Seaforth Goff Course
UPI Energy LP
Olympia Ice Resurfacers
Sofina Foods
Pizza Train '
Nifty Komers
Box Fumiture & Floor Coverings
Radar Auto Parts
Anna's Dress Shoppe
CIBC
Pete's Paper Clip
Smith Peat Roofing
Smith Packaging
Archie's Service Centre
Vanden Heuvel Structures
Sills Home Hardware
KMM Drainage
Seaforth Automotive
Seaforth Freeze King
Seaforth Jewellers
Rona Cashway
ReMax
TO Canada Trust
Murals in Metal
Corks N Caps
Hickety Pickety
Needful Things
Seaforth Insurance
Maple Leaf Foods
Total Image II
Keatings Pharmacy
Brian E.Wightman Acc.
Case N Drum 011LP
Jason Dietz
John A.M.Norris Acc.
McLaughlin Chev Ltd. _
Successables Inc.
Middegaal Pools
Nuhn Vet Services
Seaforth Animal Hospital
Tulips Dental Centre
Advanced Equipment Sales
Intermodal Transport
Essentials
The Huron Expositor • = June .i o, aoost P•9s,13
i ,l
untry Classic
The Doig family bias a three-year
`;deal with- the- Canadian Thur and
has guaranteed the $150,000 purse.
While last year's wasn't a finan-
cial success -- they sold about 4,000
weekly tickets in advance, but only
500 daily tickets on the final two
days -- it was a resounding success
in just about every other aspect of
the tournament.
The players enjoyed the country
feel to the tournament which includ-
ed staying with billets, getting home
cooked meals and some getting their
laundry done.
"We did not meet our (financial)
expectations," Carolanne Doig says.
"But we were very pleased with the
entire event ... the way it appeared
to the players; the public, the vol-
unteers, the pro ams, the hospital-
ity tents. From the beginning to the
end, we were very happy."
The Seaforth tournament is look
ing for new ways for some financial
backing. They are trying to attract
75 businesses to each pitch in $2,000
for not only weekly tickets but also
to support a community event. Ken
Doig and his son Cam, who is the
club's general manager, have been
travelling or calling old friends at
clubs, hoping to sell them ticket
packages.
See HALF, Page 18
Seaforth U-10 travel soccer player Laynee Partridge takes the ball into the
Clinton zone during a game on June 3. Seaforth won the match 4-1.
Dan Schwab photo
Seaforth and District Food Bank treasurer Florence Unwin, centre, accepts a
cheque from Columbo Classic Spring Scramble golf event organizers Doug Fry,
Brian Nigh, Cam Doig and Marc Robinet. The food bank received $4,000 in pro-
ceeds from the tournament and $1,000 went to the Heart and Stroke Foundation.
One hundred thirty two golfers participated in the event on May 2.