Ol' Colony -- this is a 2010 file photo of No. 9 -- will play host to the Alabama Open this year on July 29. (The Birmingham News/Joe Songer)The Alabama Open will be played this year at Ol' Colony Golf Complex in Tuscaloosa on July 29-31.
Ol' Colony was designed by Jerry Pate, synonymous with golf at the University of Alabama, and opened in late 2000 to widespread acclaim. This top course was unaffected by the devastating tornadoes that ripped through the area April 27, but has certainly felt its effects.
"We've lost a lot of tournaments and play is understandably down," John Gray, director of golf, said of the course owned and run by the Parks and Recreation Authority of Tuscaloosa. "We see hosting the Alabama Open as a way of letting people know we are still here and most definitely open for business."
The deal to bring the Alabama Open to Ol' Colony was already in place before April 27.
However, it takes on a different look as it is now open only to Dixie Section club professionals and amateurs with a handicap of six or less. Nonaffiliated professionals (mini-tour players residing in the state for at least a year) are no longer eligible.
The championship has long been dominated by players such as Todd Bailey of Daphne, who has won it a record five times. It's doubtful Bailey would have played this year as he is exempt on the Nationwide Tour, but mini-tour players across the state have always represented a significant portion of the purse as their entry fee was higher than that for section members and amateurs.
"Our membership and tournament committee is very much in favor of this change," said Bart Rottier, executive director of the Dixie Section. "We expect larger section participation and our title sponsor Yamaha likes the change, too."
This year the entry fee is $250 for both club pros and amateurs and also new is a senior division open to players 50 and above, with a third (48) of the total field (144) designated for the senior division.
Ol' Colony is home to the University of Alabama's golf teams. Just last week Kathleen Ekey, who starred in recent years for the Crimson Tide, won on the Futures Tour, which is the LPGA's version of the Nationwide Tour, and current players Jennifer Kirby and Stephanie Meadow qualified for the U.S. Women's Open and Ladies British Amateur, respectively.
And Bud Cauley, the top player for the Tide the last three years, qualified Monday for next week's U.S. Open, which will be his first event as a professional.
Ian Thompson's golf column appears on Thursday in The Birmingham News. Email him at golfsth@aol.com and check out his bimonthly digital golf magazine at golfsouthmagazine.com.