The world’s best golfers are coming to the Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, Texas to take part in the Charles Schwab Challenge golf tournament on May 27-30.
The tournament wouldn’t be possible without the efforts of countless staff members, organizers and volunteers. Dallas Express reached out to the tournament director for any unsung heroes behind the scenes and Chris Haller’s name came up specifically. This tournament will be Haller’s ninth year as a volunteer and he has served on the tournament committee for four years.
“Planning is year around, but preparations really start beginning after the first of the year. There are thousands of hours that go into planning and preparations each year, not to mention the hours during the actual tournament. It’s a massive event and between the various tournament committees and the tournament staff, it’s a well-oiled machine,” Haller told Dallas Express when asked about how much time goes into preparing the venue for the tournament. “During the tournament, I am usually at the club from around 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. I probably spend 10-15 hours prior to the actual start of the tournament prepping and I’m just one of 30-something committees.”
There were over 1,000 volunteers helping to make sure the tournament will be a success, but the number of volunteers this year was somewhat lower than usual because of pandemic-related reasons.
“This year we will probably have around 1,300 volunteers,” Haller told Dallas Express. “Pre-COVID, we were probably around 1,500 volunteers. The 2022 tournament will hopefully see us back to those levels.”
2021 is the 75th anniversary of the prestigious tournament. Due to the COVID-19 health crisis, the 2020 tournament was postponed until June, but this year will see the tournament return to its traditional start time on Memorial Day weekend, the Daily Independent reported.
“This tournament has such a significant place in golf – and Texas – history and Charles Schwab is honored to help continue its tradition during this historic 75th anniversary year,” Jonathan Craig, senior executive vice president at Charles Schwab said, according to the Daily Independent. “From being associated with some of the greatest names to ever play the game, to its position last year as the first sporting event to return amidst the pandemic, the tournament has long held a deeper meaning given its history – and we are excited to once again demonstrate our commitment to Colonial, its fans and the Dallas-Fort Worth community through our programming this year.”
This year, the organization is partnering with several charity organizations to help give back to the local community.
Tickets for the event can be purchased here.
Attendance for the event will be limited due to ongoing pandemic health concerns.
