Q&A With The Boeing Classic Tournament Director Michelle Delancy

April 9, 2010 by sydney

With the 2010 Boeing Classic just a few months away, Golf Today Magazine: North West Edition’s Publisher Cameron Healey couldn’t wait to get the inside scoop from Tournament Director Michelle Delancy. As Cameron found out, Michelle and her team have been working hard to ensure Northwest golf enthusiasts have something to talk about this summer. An incredible field of Pros, including Seattle-native Fred Couples, is set to make history at TPC Snoqualmie Ridge while the events surrounding the Classic are a score for ticket holders.

What is the history of the Boeing Classic? How did it come about?
TPC Snoqualmie Ridge was designed for a TOUR event, with Tod Leiweke’s background with the Tour as a past executive, the TOUR contacted him to assist in bringing a tournament to Seattle. The great community leader that Tod is, he reached out to Mike Rona and Darlene Corkrum at Virginia Mason Medical Center and Virginia Mason Medical Center became the host organization and the beneficiary; Tod Leiweke, Seattle Seahawks and Vulcan Sports and Entertainment became volunteer number one. With Tod’s leadership, a volunteer based tournament committee of Community Leaders was created and included: Bob Babitsky; Skanska, Bob Donegan; Ivars, Mark Shuken, FSN, Dick Thompson, Jim Johnson; Washington Athletic Club, Pete Shimer; Deloitte, John Bracken and many other influential members. Hiring a full time staff person; Chuck Nelson, and “creating a tournament from scratch” in a year, Boeing became the title sponsor in June and we couldn’t have asked for a better title sponsor to help make this one of the premier events on the Champions Tour. The Boeing Greater Seattle Classic teed off in late August in 2005. The Seahawks were and continue to be great partners to the tournament with many of their staff helping with many aspects of the tournament. Other community partners that helped shape the tournament to what it is today includes the Washington Athletic Club.

Tell us briefly about your history with the event and how your role has evolved in recent years.
I was the Marketing Director at Virginia Mason Medical Center (the tournament beneficiary and host organization) when we announced the “Greater Seattle Champions Classic” event in August of 2004. At the time there was one full time tournament staff person, and the rest of us were volunteers. While in my role with Virginia Mason I managed the marketing, branding, media and assisted with other pieces for the first 2 years. In 2007, I became the Associate Tournament Director and the 2^nd full time staff person with the tournament. I continued to oversee Marketing, Media and picked up additional pieces including sponsorship fulfillment and some sales, as well as player relations pieces and more. In May of 2009, I became the Interim Tournament Director, and in November of 2009 the Tournament Director. I now oversee all of the tournament operations, players and tour relations, sales, and work closely with our volunteers, and tournament committee members. We now have a team of five that manages the day-to-day activities and we continue to have a great group of volunteers that lead the tournament.

What makes TPC Snoqualmie the ideal venue for this event?
The players love the course and the views are amazing. The course is a challenge for the players, including a few of the signature holes that makes it fun for players and fans. The course also features open spaces, which allows for large galleries as well as the opportunity to get close to the action, so fans are better able to follow their favorite players.

Everyone wants to see iconic, top athletes perform. What is in store for the spectators in 2010? Obviously the addition of Fred Couples and Corey Pavin must rank high.
The Champions Tour continues to get better each year. In 2009 we had our best field to date, and 2010 is looking even better with a great rookie class including Couples, Pavin, Mark Calcavecchia, Paul Azinger and Kenny Perry. The field is competitive; we’ve had a great finish each year, including a seven-way tie in 2007, and Tom Kite as a two time Champion. Legends of Golf including Ben Crenshaw, Fuzzy Zoeller, Scott Simpson, Fred Funk, Gary Player, Mark O’Meara, Nick Price, Loren Roberts and Jay Haas all have competed at the Boeing Classic and will continue to do so. It’s the guys that we grew up watching, and for some-guys that don’t seem like they’re old enough to be on the Champions Tour!

Your success of the tournament has a lot to do with volunteers. How many volunteers do you rely on and what incentives do they have to participate?
Yes, a HUGE part of our success is because of volunteers, we wouldn’t be able to do it without them. As I’ve mentioned the tournament started with one full time staff person. That leaves a lot of work for volunteers. We’ve been fortunate to have a great group of people serving on the tournament committees, and volunteer committees leading the 900 volunteers that volunteer each year. Boeing and Virginia Mason employees are a big part of this volunteer base. We’ve had almost 200 returning volunteers from those organizations join us each year for the last five years. There are over 25 committees to volunteer for, and it’s a great time to rub elbows with the players, while giving back to charity. Volunteer opportunities are still available, and more information can be found on our website at BoeingClassic.com.

The Boeing Classic has announced a new beneficiary, Benaroya Research Institute. Tell us about the core focus of their Institute.
One in 20 Americans has one or more autoimmune diseases. These include diabetes, arthritis and multiple sclerosis. In fact, there are more than 80 different types of autoimmune diseases. They can be disabling, devastating and life threatening. Benaroya Research Institute at Virginia Mason (BRI) in Seattle is an international leader in autoimmune disease research and one of the few institutes in the world dedicated to eliminating these diseases. BRI is making groundbreaking advances in “unlocking the immune system” by discovering the underlying causes of these diseases and working to develop cures.”

The First Tee of Greater Seattle and Seattle Seahawks are also involved. How can patrons participate in these events?
The Seattle Seahawks will be hosting the Seahawks Rumble at the Ridge to kick off the week on Monday, August 23. Foursomes are available to play with Seahawk Ring of Honor members and other
local celebrities. The First Tee of Greater Seattle benefits from a tournament that ends the week on Monday, August 30^th. It is a great opportunity for amateurs to play the same pin placements the professionals played on Championship Sunday. Foursomes are also available for this event, and information for both of these events can be found at BoeingClassic.com.

The Boeing Classic Pro-Am lets golf lovers play alongside Champion Tour professionals. How can our readers learn more about this year’s opportunities?
The Pro-Am is a two-day event beginning with a pairings party on Tuesday evening. The Pro-Am kicks off on Wednesday morning with a morning and an afternoon shotgun. This is an amazing experience to play with a different Champions Tour professional each day while receiving tips from legends of the game, and building on relationships with clients and friends. Individual or foursome spots are still available for individual days- Wednesday or Thursday, as well as the Wednesday/Thursday two-day tournament. The Pro-Am is a tax-deductible opportunity, with proceeds benefiting The Benaroya Research Institute at Virginia Mason. More information can be found on BoeingClassic.com.

Free tournament admission for kids under age 14 makes this event family friendly. What else makes the Boeing classic family friendly?
The players are very fan friendly; you can walk along the ropes, get autographs when their round is done, and the players talk to the gallery as they play. It’s a fun event for families to come walk the course with the players, stop along the way for lunch at the 19^th hole for a Ivars Salmon burger or Cheeseburger and have dessert at the Ben & Jerry’s ice cream truck.

Grapes on the Green is a new event for 2010. What can attendees expect?
The Grapes on the Green event is being held in conjunction with the Boeing Classic on August 27^th. The event will take place at The Golf Club at Newcastle featuring wine tastings from premier West Coast wineries. In addition, guests will enjoy a summer supper buffet and exclusive silent and live auctions. Champions Tour professionals attend as well as many Community Leaders. Tickets are $125 per person and can be purchased at GrapesontheGreen.org.

This is the sixth year of The Boeing Classic. What is the economic impact of this event in the region?
Not only are we able to bring the world’s best golfers to Seattle, and generate almost $3 million to charity over the last five years; our economic impact on the region each year we estimate about $12 million-$15 million.

Thank you to Michelle for taking the time out of her busy schedule to chat with Golf Today Magazine! For more information about the Boeing Classic, please visit www.boeingclassic.com.

Share this on Facebook