The PGA Tour Champions is in Richmond, Virginia, at the Country Club of Virginia for the Dominion Energy Charity Classic this week, with the opening round set to tee off Friday morning.
Before arriving, the players in the field were warned about potential flaws in the course’s conditions, specifically on the back nine.
Last month, the greens of Nos. 10, 11, 12, 13 and 15 were vandalized by a petroleum substance and what was left behind were trails of burnt grass.
The repair process was tedious and included replacing the burnt blades with fresh pieces of earth.
Luckily, the results were better than anticipated.
“They were expecting a lot worse,” Christian Sain, Country Club of Virginia’s director of golf and grounds maintenance, told the Richmond Times-Dispatch Wednesday of the PGA officials’ assessment. “They were very complimentary of the staff and the effort that was made to put it back.”
Steven Alker praised the maintenance staff for their work and how quickly they were able to fix the damage.
“I did see the holes on the back nine. They’ve done an amazing job. You really can’t tell.” he said. “It’s covered up pretty good.”
Four weeks after it was vandalized, the James River Course at the Country Club of Virginia is in ample condition ahead of this weekend's Dominion Energy Charity Classic.
"They’ve done an amazing job. You really can’t tell." https://t.co/Vme9xCMMyY
— Wayne Epps Jr. (@wayneeppsjr) October 19, 2022
Bernhard Langer was disappointed someone could do that to a golf course.
“It’s just a shame that kind of thing happens. Just to ruin somebody’s property and cost a lot of money and work and labor and love to repair it, it’s a shame it happens,” he said.
Sain believes the greens are back to 95 percent of what they were.
Alker leads the Charles Schwab points list and tees off Friday at 12:31 p.m.