NAPLES, Fla. — Once the sun came out, for good, at about 11 a.m. on Friday for the Chubb Classic at Tiburon Golf Club, turning into a day of sweat, sunscreen and the need to drink plenty of water.
As 78 golfers teed off in Friday's opening round for the Naples-based PGA Champions Tour event, thousands of spectators also walked the course for this event, the first major sporting event in Southwest Florida since Hurricane Ian changed so much of the region.
"We're here, we're snowbirds and come down here for the winter," said Mike Hermanson, who spends the rest of the year in Massachusetts. "We were concerned about the Naples Pier, which isn't here anymore and the quality of the beaches. But the restaurants are opening up and the beaches are getting cleaned up but we're happy to be here in this beautiful weather."
Eddie DeGhelian, of Toronto, Ontario, talked about the scenes of recovery all throughout the region. "What's sad sometimes is going into the areas where there is still a lot of work to do. But the people are all upbeat about it with the positive side of things. The cup is half-full. Love to see that."
Rocco Mediate lived in Naples for many years, so he knows the geography and this golf course extremely well. After his opening round, Mediate said he was impressed the hurricane didn't take out Tiburon Golf Club and the tournament itself.
"I was driving down from Tampa and you can really see it, when that wind comes and you can see it," said Mediate, who won six PGA Tour events and four more on the Champions Tour. "It's amazing that we're all here. It's a great place to go and Chubb does an awesome job. I love playing here and I love being in Florida."
Paul Goydos and four-time Chubb Classic winner Bernhard Langer are tied for the lead after the first round with a 64, good for eight under par. Duffy Waldorf, Ernie Els and Dicky Pride are each one stroke back.
The imprint of Southwest Florida on this particular tournament goes back for decades, with 1988 being the first year of this event back when it was known as the Aetna Challenge and played at The Club at Pelican Bay. After 2019 and 2020 at Lely Resort, this year is the third straight year for the event at the Black Course at Tiburon.
