Padraig Harrington returns to Dick’s Sporting Goods Open as champ
BINGHAMTON, NY — Preparations for the 16th edition of the Dick’s Sporting Goods Open — part PGA Tour Champions tournament, part musical treat, and part Old Home week — are really getting underway at En-Joie Golf Course on Wednesday, and the event continues until at the conclusion of the final round game on Sunday.
The defending champions couldn’t be better known, and neither could the Friday night concert headliner compared to modern country acts.
The former, Padraig Harrington, has been regarded as one of the most popular champions since the opening event of the 2007 Dick’s Open, and for reasons that go beyond dominance on the scoreboard.
The latter, Kenny Chesney, represents a high point on the tournament canvas in terms of the big players appearing from the 18th green on Friday night.
“I think we have something for everyone, whether it’s spectators, golf fans, children – for everything,” said tournament director John Karedes.
All in all, the latest in a long line of summer sports and entertainment in Endicott seems to be on the rise, albeit falling on a very crowded weekend. To see how that might affect the crowds, you don’t have to look beyond Karedes, who left the grounds to attend his son Jake’s graduation on Saturday morning.
Padraig Harrington and his wife Caroline and sons Patrick and Ciaran pose with the trophy after Harrington won the 2022 Dick’s Sporting Goods Open at En-Joie Golf Club in Endicott, New York. (Photo: Ryan Young/Getty Images)
“Actually, it’s the kids, because there will still be finals in certain age groups. That makes it a bit more difficult for some of the organizations where children under the age of 18 help us,” Karedes said of the conflict at the closing weekend. “But I think we’re covered. It just took a little more creativity and a few more phone calls to complete. But I think we’re in good shape.”
For many attendees, the highlight of the week will come after sundown on Friday, when Chesney takes the stage. He and his band played to 1.3 million fans on their 2022 tour, including stops at 21 NFL venues.
“We’re bringing this show to Endicott and it’s big. I think it’s the biggest show we’ve ever had in terms of name and star power,” Karedes said. “But what we’re going to do is make it like a night out with 14,000 people. It won’t be a 20,000 night with fans.”
According to Karedes, concert attendance for the 2017 Bon Jovi fiasco peaked at 25,000 at Dick’s Open.
Back to defending his championship will be Harrington, 51, whose Dick’s Open debut brought rounds of 66-67-67 and a three-stroke win over Mike Weir and Thongchai Jaidee, while Jim Furyk and Vijay Singh added another lead .
Harrington’s impact last summer, and presumably this week, was and is disproportionately noticeable compared to the usual numbers.
“Padraig is such a nice guy and an amazing guy when you look at what he’s done around the world,” Karedes said. “He definitely likes the grasses here in the Northeast when he was in the Saucon Valley last year, where he did the senior PGA cut at Oak Hill. When it comes to his personality, nothing beats it.”
“…He made time for everyone (after the 2022 tournament). Here’s a man who was elected to the World Golf Hall of Fame, but here we are in Endicott, NY, he made time for everyone, autographs, pictures, anything anyone was looking for. He made sure they didn’t leave empty-handed.”
Among other very well-known players who have signed up to play at En-Joie: Darren Clarke, John Daly, Ernie Els, Miguel Angel Jiménez, Bernhard Langer, Vijay Singh.
One of En-Joie’s most followed players in decades will be off the field for the first time since his debut at the 2008 Dick’s Open.
Longtime resident of the Horseheads, now a resident of the city of Lansing and a two-time BC Open champion, Joey Sindelar has retired from competition due to health reasons. However, he will play at Dick’s Open Pro-Ams on Wednesday and Thursday.
Joey Sindelar at the 2009 US Senior Open.
What might viewers discover as new and/or updated?
“Last year we still didn’t have COVID disease, in 2021 we still didn’t have a tournament, in 2020 there was no tournament,” said Karedes. “I think in 2023 I can say, ‘We’re back.’ And we’re back to the crowds and the concession stands. I think all the grandstands are already set up except for one.
“The concert is a bit bigger than what we’ve done before, but we’re still not going to make it big because we’d like to keep it to a manageable, fun audience. That was one of the things we learned during COVID that bigger isn’t always better. We are looking for a pleasant audience for the concert evening.”