Chubb Classic: Brendan Cunningham, other deceased volunteers remembered on first tee
Volunteers – over 20,000 of them – are invaluable when it comes to advance preparation and tournament week on the PGA Tour Champions.
The Chubb Classic presented by SERVPRO in normal years attracts over 800 volunteers from the area but faced a sad transition this week with the deaths of three longtime volunteers since the 2020 Chubb Classic.
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John Burmaster and Brian Kearns, directors of volunteer services and hospitality, respectively, and well-known announcer Brendan Cunningham were or will be honored during the week at the Tiburón Golf Club at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort.
Cunningham was known for vibrant outfits, including his socks. Volunteers and staff, even some players, wore his favorite loud socks on Friday.
Defending champion Scott Parel and his caddie, Keith Nolan, wore Scooby-Doo socks. Jerry Kelly was another player who was seen with some loud socks, putting out with his right one pulled up over his pants leg.
“Found them at Wal-Mart the other night and we intend to wear all weekend although the socks didn't help my score today,” said Parel, who shot a 2-under-par 70. “Brendan was a character, a good man, and a great asset for the tournament.
“We'll miss him."
The volunteer headquarters has been renamed the John Burmaster Volunteer Headquarters, and tournament staff and volunteer chairs will have a special champagne toast for Kearns at the 18th green following conclusion of play Saturday.
“The volunteer group has always made this event so special, one reason Chubb enjoys coming back every year, why the players enjoy playing here, and why spectators always had a nice reaction from our volunteers,” said Tim Erensen, managing partner of Eiger Marketing, which took over ownership of the event this year. “These three men were prime examples of why it was always a reunion week for everybody, like a homecoming.
“Brendan simply lit the place up in an amazing way with his handshake and smile and John was similar in running the volunteer center."
Sam Mok, the volunteer coordinator for Eiger Marketing, remembers Burmaster as an overjoyed volunteer.
“John was friendly, the room just lit up when he came around. He loved everything that went along with the responsibilities,” Mok said. “He was also a great storyteller and he loved sharing his experiences.
“Among the hospitality duties for Brian was making sure the skyboxes and other entertainment areas were running smoothly and he never missed a step."
Cunningham passed away at 75 last October after serving as the first tee and 18th hole announcer for the 30th time the previous February. He was also a member of the South Florida PGA Hall of Fame.
“Golf has given me more than I could ever give back,” Cunningham said in a 2018 story during the QBE Shootout.
“We have a deep volunteer bench but saying you're replacing any of these three men might be a stretch,” Erensen said.
Sauers' caddie takes a spill: Gene Sauers shot a 6-under-par 66 and is in contention, but he nearly had to look for a new caddie. Playing partner Jesper Parnevik accidentally ran into Billy Poore when crossing a bridge on a hole, and Poore went tumbling, scuffing up his left leg.
"I knocked his caddie off the bridge with my golf cart," Parnevik said. "He even has the tire tracks on his (right) leg."
Sauers said he was concerned when he heard it happening behind him — and after he found out Poore was going to be OK — whether his clubs had been damaged at all. But they had not. And Sauers promptly went and birdied the hole.
"I didn't know if he ran my clubs over," Sauers said.
In the field, in the lead: First alternate Steve Pate was a late entry Friday, replacing Steve Jones for a 7:56 a.m. tee time.
Pate proceeded to go 3 under through eight holes to grab the lead before a double bogey on the par-5 No. 9 derailed his round. He birdied the par-5 18th to finish even-par 72.
Sports reporter Greg Hardwig of the Naples Daily News and The News-Press contributed to this article.
Greg Hardwig is a sports reporter for the Naples Daily News and The News-Press. Follow him on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter: @NDN_Ghardwig, email him at ghardwig@naplesnews.com. Support local journalism with this special subscription offer at https://cm.naplesnews.com/specialoffer/
Chubb Classic
Saturday's second-round tee times
at Tiburón Golf Club, Black Course
No. 1 Tee
7:55 a.m. — Stephen Ames (79), Scott McCarron (79), John Harris (89)
8:06 a.m. — Scott Hoch (77), Paul Broadhurst (77), Frank Lickliter II (78)
8:17 a.m. — Cameron Beckman (77), Scott Verplank (77), Paul Goydos (77)
8:28 a.m. — Ernie Els (76), Sandy Lyle (76), Joe Durant (76)
8:39 a.m. — Peter Jacobsen (76), Jay Haas (76), Brad Faxon (76)
8:50 a.m. — Mark Brooks (75), Robin Byrd (75), Rod Pampling (76)
9:01 a.m. — Olin Browne (75), Mark O'Meara (75), Tim Herron (75)
9:12 a.m. — Billy Andrade (74), Steve Flesch (74), Jesus Rivas (74)
9:23 a.m. — Tom Gillis (73), Chris DiMarco (74), Loren Roberts (74)
9:34 a.m. — Brett Quigley (73), Wes Short Jr. (73), Larry Mize (73)
9:45 a.m. — Jesper Parnevik (73), Jose Maria Olazabal (73), Ian Woosnam (73)
9:56 a.m. — Duffy Waldorf (72), Fran Quinn (72), Craig Bowden (72)
10:07 a.m. — Mike Weir (72), Rocco Mediate (72), Colin Montgomerie (72)
10:18 a.m. — Tommy Armour III (71), Steve Pate (72), Retief Goosen (72)
10:29 a.m. — Tom Lehman (71), Jeff Maggert (71), Lee Janzen (71)
10:40 a.m. — Michael Allen (70), Stephen Leaney (70), Darren Clarke (71)
10:51 a.m. — Ken Duke (70), David Frost (70), Tom Byrum (70)
11:02 a.m. — Woody Austin (70), Brandt Jobe (70), Tom Pernice Jr. (70)
11:13 a.m. — Kevin Sutherland (70), Jerry Kelly (70), Vijay Singh (70)
11:24 a.m. — John Huston (70), Jeff Sluman (70), Scott Parel (70)
11:35 a.m. — Doug Barron (69), Kent Jones (69), David McKenzie (69)
11:46 a.m. — Marco Dawson (69), Ken Tanigawa (69), Billy Mayfair (69)
11:57 a.m. — Scott Dunlap (69), Fred Funk (69), Miguel Angel Jimenez (69)
12:08 p.m. — Glen Day (68), Shane Bertsch (68), Alex Cejka (68)
12:19 p.m. — Tim Petrovic (67), Corey Pavin (68), David Toms (68)
12:30 p.m. — Steve Stricker (66), Robert Karlsson (66), Kirk Triplett (67)
12:41 p.m. — Fred Couples (63), Bernhard Langer (65), Gene Sauers (66)