Send Wichita Open Kicks Off With Record-Breaking Crowd

Reporter: Jordan Shefte

Wichita Open Kicks Off With A Record-Breaking Crowd

Thursday, June 21, 2012

Golfers have wrapped up round 1 of the Wichita open, but this year’s event started out a little different than most. Record-breaking crowds found their way to the course.

The weather sure didn’t hurt the cause. With 64 players off of the money list competing, including some well-known names, this year’s tournament was sure to be a hole-in-one.

Arnold Palmer’s grandson was there, and the relation to the all-time great drew large crowds to the Wichita Open. But there was more to draw to the day’s even than just Arnold Palmer’s grandson. Local golfer Woody Austin was also a fan favorite. Attendance of 4 to 5 thousand is record for the middle of the week.

Tournament Director Roy Turner says, “It's been absolutely overwhelming, I've never seen anything like it in my life, this is Thursday, we usually have a very quiet day on Thursday."

"People will you know come to see even that, you know to see some relation to some really famous golfers," says spectator Kathy Henderson.

Turner says, "We have parking problems in the public parking, the stands are back so full on seventeen you can't get a seat down there, I don't know what we can expect for the week, but this is fantastic, but a problem."

It’s a good problem to have, one that has an economic impact of around $5 million.

"It just makes our town look better. I think the economics are better, and I think we've got something to show this great town of ours off," says Turner.

So whether it’s to see a hometown hero, a legend’s legacy, or just a good game of golf, spectator Mike Sowell says, “its nice to get out here and see how they can really hit a ball because I haven't figured that out yet."

It’s a good bet we haven’t seen the end of the large crowds.

Turner says, "If he gets to Sunday, maybe they might say ‘is Arnie Palmer going to come in by any chance to watch him win his title?’ All of these little stories going on - everybody's got their own, but there's so many of them out there it's drawing more and more people."

The biggest problem associated with the big crowds is the parking. If the crowds continue through the weekend, tournament organizers may have to find extra parking lots.

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