‘Community full of resolve’: Cleanup efforts underway at Wichita Open
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Storms caused downed trees at Crestview two days before the Wichita Open starts.
- Cleanup crews work to repair tree damage, rebuild bridges and assess structures.
- Organizers express confidence despite rain threat and hospitality suite damage.
Severe weather early Tuesday caused significant damage at Crestview Country Club and left tournament officials scrambling just two days before the start of the Wichita Open.
Winds up to 80 mph around the area left countless downed trees throughout the course and created substantial damage to the hospitality suites on holes 17 and 18, which have become staples of the long-running community event.
The cleanup effort, spearheaded by tournament director Dusty Buell and the staffs of the Wichita Open, Korn Ferry Tour and Crestview, was in full swing on Tuesday in what was described as an “all hands on deck” situation.
“In times of adversity, you see people’s true colors and it’s been amazing to see the outpouring of support that we’ve had,” Buell said. “We’re a community full of resolve and I know it because of the phone calls and text messages I’ve received from folks who were willing to jump in and do whatever it takes. We have a good, strong team of people out here and if it can be done, it’s going to be done.”
The most pressing issue on Tuesday was cleaning up the golf course. Not only did the severe thunderstorm dump close to two inches of rain, the high-speed winds caused significant damage to large trees on the course.
Instead of the typical sounds of a Tuesday practice day on the Korn Ferry Tour, Crestview was filled with a constant hum of chainsaws working to remove the trees damaged in the storm.
Another problem emerged on the par-3 No. 5, where players cross a bridge to reach the green. That bridge needed significant repair after a large tree fell on it.
“This isn’t my first rodeo with bad weather, but I’ve got to tell you, this is pretty unique what we’ve got going on here,” Korn Ferry Tour spokesperson Tom Hearn said. “This was pretty extensive damage.”
Tournament officials are confident they can remove debris from the course without an issue. While Tuesday’s charity tournament was canceled, there is optimism the rest of the week’s schedule will not be affected with the annual pro-am slated for Wednesday and the opening round of the tournament set for Thursday.
But the looming problem will be rain.
The course had already received a tremendous amount of rain this month before Tuesday’s early-morning thunderstorm deposited another 1.7 inches. And with another thunderstorm expected later Tuesday, officials will be closely monitoring the situation.
“We just can’t quite get the course dried out,” Hearn said. “It’s a matter of it can only take so much before it starts flooding. If certain bridges become unpassable or the golf course is under water, then that’s when things start to change.”
The other priority for tournament officials is evaluating the extent of damage to the spectator areas. High-speed winds ripped the entire overhead cover off the No. 18 hospitality suite, while knocking over other structures. The No. 17 hospitality suite, which has become a staple of the event, sustained moderate damage but not as much as its counterpart on No. 18.
Buell said the company that assembled the structures is sending a crew of 15 workers from Phoenix to examine the structural integrity and determine if they can still hold spectators. Once that decision is made, Buell said, the Wichita Open will develop a new plan ahead of Thursday.
“We are doing everything in our power to give our fans the experience that they deserve,” Buell said. “This isn’t just a four-day golf tournament, this is a 365-day-a-year event. We owe it to this community to do everything we can. In times like this, you’ve got to cling to any positives and right now that positive is how many people there are out here willing to help.”
Buell said the Wichita Open is seeking more help from those in the community who are skilled laborers. Those interested in helping with the cleanup effort can show up at Crestview on Tuesday.
“This was a bad storm and we know Round 2 is on the way later tonight, but we’ve just got to keep working and keep a positive attitude,” Buell said. “In times like this, you find out that job titles don’t matter one bit. There are people from all walks of life out here helping us and we all have the same goal. We truly believe this can be done and it will be done.”
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