After four decades in Wichita sports, Roy Turner is retiring following Wichita Open
After helping turn the Wichita Open into an iconic stop on the Korn Ferry Tour, tournament director Roy Turner announced on Tuesday he will be retiring in October following his 23rd year in charge of the golf tournament.
Turner was the innovator behind creating a party atmosphere on the Par-3 No. 17 hole at Crestview Country Club, which has become the hottest ticket in Wichita every June. It also helped the Wichita Open earn the 2019 Tournament of the Year award on the Korn Ferry Tour.
This summer’s Wichita Open begins on June 16 and concludes on Sunday, June 19 with Turner presenting the trophy and champion’s check to the winner. The total purse of $750,000 is the largest in the event’s history.
“Roy has taken a small, local PGA Tour-affiliated event and grown it into the best event on the Korn Ferry Tour,” said Jack Pelton, board chairman for Air Capital Charities, in a statement. “Roy’s impact on the city of Wichita’s professional sports, entertainment, and charitable giving has been nothing short of remarkable and this community is grateful for his exceptional efforts.”
The Liverpool, England native has been a mainstay in the Wichita sports world for the past 43 years, beginning in 1979 when he was hired as the head coach of the expansion Wichita Wings in the Major Indoor Soccer League.
He became synonymous with the Wings over the next two decades with different iterations of the indoor soccer team as a coach, general manager and president.
Turner was then hired by the Wichita Open in 1999 and successfully turned the golf event into a staple in the community.
“I think my passion for Wichita is obvious,” Turner said in a statement. “It is so satisfying to see the recognition our community receives via the Wichita Open.”
Turner helped raise more than $3 million that was donated to local charities during his run as tournament director, as well as establish an ambassador program that consists of 50 businesses that have pledged their financial support for the tournament.
“On behalf of everyone at the PGA Tour, I want to offer my sincere gratitude and appreciation for everything Roy has done for the Korn Ferry Tour over the last two-plus decades,” Korn Ferry Tour president Alex Baldwin said in a statement. “As one of the original tournaments on the Korn Ferry Tour, the impact the Wichita Open has made in the Wichita community since 1990 is truly incredible, and Roy’s leadership and vision has helped cement this event as one of the best on our tour.”
Turner will be replaced by Dusty Buell, who has already joined the staff and will be the fifth tournament director since the inception of the Wichita Open in 1990. Buell has worked heavily with charities benefiting children with Sunlight Children’s Services, Wichita Children’s Home, Heartspring and EmberHope Youthville.
The press release states the Wichita Open has five-year contracts in place with both the PGA Tour and Crestview Country Club.
“The foundation is set for the next journey in the growth of this tournament,” Buell said in the statement. “I want it to go from great to greater. That means looking for opportunities to grow interest in the game of golf, charitable giving and giving back to the Wichita area community.”
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