The WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship was a lot of things.
It was the best golfers in the world.
It was fancy.
It was quiet.
It was pristine.
But there’s one thing it wasn’t — a party.
Set at the Ritz-Carlton at remote Dove Mountain, Match Play’s vibe was a relaxed and peaceful one.
But after an eight-year run, Match Play relocated to Northern California for 2015, leaving a void in the Southern Arizona professional golf scene.
Enter the Tucson Conquistadores Classic.
Set for March 16-22 at Omni Tucson National, the inaugural Conquistadores Classic will bring the Champions Tour back to Tucson for a three-day tournament and a two-day pro-am.
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And unlike Match Play, expect the mood at the Conquistadores Classic to be a bit rowdier.
“We’re going to have a party out there,” said Judy McDermott, the executive director of the Conquistadores. “We’re going to have 81 players there Friday, Saturday and Sunday. All legends of the game. It’s going to be some great golf for three straight days, and we’re going to have a lot of fun with it.”
The field for the event already has commitments from the top Champions Tour players, including Fred Couples, Tom Watson, Tom Lehman, Colin Montgomerie, Bernhard Langer, Tom Kite, Jesper Parnevik, Lee Janzen and Mark O’Meara.
The three-day stroke-play event will begin Friday, March 20, and the pro-am is set for the 18th and 19th.
The Conquistadores are making it so the superb field won’t be the only attraction at Omni National.
With the NCAA tournament set to start March 19, the Conquistador Club will house 40 TVs in a sports bar-type setting and show all the games — and some of the golf action — throughout the day. The club also has an outdoor patio, a beer garden and a cigar area, and will host a “Flashback Friday Night” party.
“We’re embracing the NCAA tournament,” McDermott said. “Come out and do both.”
The different feel at the tournament is just one of the many signs that the Conquistadores are back in control of Southern Arizona’s professional golf tournament. For Match Play, most of the onus was on the PGA Tour.
The Conquistadores haven’t run a tournament since the 2006 Tucson Open.
“The Conquistadores having the burden of running the tournament is different, and it’s a lot of fun and work rolled into one,” McDermott said. “We didn’t have the pro-am to sell with Match Play. Now we have it. I call it like fantasy golf camp. It’s pretty awesome.”
The Conquistadores have been searching for a title sponsor for the event since it was officially announced in the fall. McDermott said she doesn’t expect to add one before the start of the event.
“There’s not enough value to come in at the last minute, quite frankly,” McDermott said. “Something could still happen, but I don’t think we’re close to inking a deal.”
Although there isn’t a title sponsor, McDermott said the Conquistadores have added several other sponsors to the event. Unlike the Match Play event, where most of the advertising and signage around the course belonged to Accenture, the Conquistadores Classic will have more variety.
McDermott also said ticket sales have been strong. Tickets are available at www.conquistadoresclassic.com. There has been another benefit for the Conquistadores, an organization that has been supporting youth athletics through professional golf for decades.
“It has been some nice awareness for the Conquistadores,” McDermott said. “The Conquistadores have been around since the town was small. Everyone knew who they were. Now there are people who could think we’re a hotel. Unless they are getting charity from us, they don’t know who we are. And that’s all good. But it will be excellent to have an event to go to.”
