THE COMMERCE BANK CHAMPIONSHIP

A Brief Tournament History

The Commerce Bank Championship began its 18-year run in 1987 as the non-sanctioned Northville Invitational in the aftermath of Raymond Floyd’s 1986 U.S. Open Victory at Shinnecock Hills.  A group of Long Island Businessmen led by Harold, Jay and Gene Bernstein of Northville Industries decided that it was time Long Island had its own annual professional golf tournament.  In 1988 the tournament became a sanctioned event on the Senior PGA Tour which changed its name to the Champions Tour in 2003.

Over the years many of the greatest golfers to ever play the game have competed in the tournament.  These include Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Lee Trevino, Gary Player, Raymond Floyd, Hale Irwin and Billy Casper among others.

Five players have posted multiple wins on Long Island: Gary Players (‘87 & ‘97), George Archer (‘90, ‘91, ‘92), Lee Trevino (‘94 & ‘95), Bruce Fleisher (‘99 & 2000)) and Jim Thorpe (‘03 & ‘04).

Five players won the event in their first year on the over 50 circuit; Don Bies*, John Bland*, Dana Quigley, Bruce Fleisher* and Bobby Wadkins.  Three of those marked with an* went on to be named Rookie of the Year, and Bobby Wadkins win was in his very first Senior tournament.

Remarkably, each of the 18 tournaments has had some unusual or exciting element in it.  The most dramatic and poignant of these was 1997 when Dana Quigley gained entrance as a Monday qualifier and won a three hole playoff with Jay Sigel only to learn that his ailing father had died a couple of hours earlier.  Dana pledged that day to become the “iron man” of the Tour and then played 278 consecutive tournaments before the string was broken in 2005.

The tournament has been played on two of Long Island’s finest courses; the prestigious Meadow Brook Club from 1987 through 2002; the legendary Red Course at Eisenhower Park in 2003, 2004 and 2005 which Nassau County restored to a first rate professional track, impressing professionals and spectators alike.

Nationally televised since 1990 on ESPN, CNBC and The Golf Channel, the telecast has been used as a vehicle to promote Long Island to a national audience, the first effort of its kind here.  Several other tournaments have since followed suit.  The Long Island Regional Economic Development Project Committee, which has supported this television effort, is a consortium of State, County and Township Industrial Development Agencies, Businesses and business and labor organizations.  A highlight of this unusual effort has been the hosting of business prospects at a major networking event at the tournament overlooking the 18^th green as tournament play opens on Friday.

The annual tournament budget, which has grown to about $4 million, requires extensive financial support.  This has come largely from the business community in the form of sponsorships in corporate hospitality, pro-ams, advertising and signage in addition to the economic development effort.

There have been three title sponsors over the years beginning with Northville Industries 1987 through 1997, Lightpath, a Cablevision Company 1998 – 2002, and now Commerce Bank since 2003.  While there have been literally hundreds of other sponsors at various dollar levels over the years Bouchard Transportation and KeySpan deserve special mention for many years of high level sponsorship.  Also Irving Schneider and his late wife Helen of Schneider Children’s Hospital fame made extremely generous personal contributions throughout the years.

The PGA Tour also provides substantial support through purse subsidies and charitable contributions as well as attracting national corporate marketing partners, which purchase sponsorships.

The Commerce Bank Championship, like all other Champions Tour events is run by a not for profit 501 (C) (3) Foundation which hires the small staff that organizes the event, sells sponsorships, handles marketing, advertising and tournament operations.

One of the critical segments of the tournament is the volunteer corps, “the heart of the tournament”.  Each year 600 – 800 volunteers led by 15 to 20 Chairpersons devote an incredible amount of personal time, perform a host of functions from course marshalling, scoring, leaderboards, admissions and players transportation to administrative, hospitality, media and handicap services. 

Many of the volunteers and their Chairpersons have served for 16 years or more and have developed into an extremely experienced corps.  We are very proud that many of the Commerce Bank Championship’s chairpersons and hundreds of its volunteers were recruited for the 2002, 2004 and 2006 U.S. Opens at Bethpage, Shinnecock and Winged Foot where they provided the cornerstone of many functions.

The proceeds of the tournament go to its charitable beneficiaries Schneider Children’s Hospital of North Shore LIJ Health Systems and the Boomer Esiason Foundation.  Schneider Children’s Hospital is a world-class pediatric facility which has received more than $4 million dollars from the tournament as well as substantial publicity for its world renowned pediatric center. The children’s care is provided in bright and comfortable surroundings aimed at reducing the fear of hospitals and helping the children and their families cope psychologically and emotionally during hospitalization, surgery and treatment for illness or injury.

The Boomer Esiason Foundation is a partnership of leaders in the medical and business communities joining with a committed core of volunteers to provide financial support to research aimed at finding a cure for cystic fibrosis. The Foundation works to heighten education and awareness of cystic fibrosis and to provide a better quality of life for those affected by cystic fibrosis.