Harbor Shores Development

Famous golfers Watson, Miller to join Nicklaus, Palmer for 18-hole skins event for opening of course

By BEN SANDERS - H-P Sports Writer 

BENTON HARBOR — Jack Nicklaus will be on hand for the Aug. 10 grand opening of The Golf Club at Harbor Shores.

And three famous friends will join him.

Nicklaus, who designed the course, will play with golfing greats Arnold Palmer, Tom Watson and Johnny Miller in the Harbor Shores Champions for Change Golf Challenge.

It will mark the first time the four-some have played together competitively.

The day will begin with the foursome giving a golf clinic at 9:30 a.m. The golf challenge will begin at 10:30 a.m. in an 18-hole “scramble skins” format, a type of match play.

The golfers, who have won a combined 199 PGA Tour events and 35 major tournaments, at 7:30 p.m. will participate in An Evening for Champions, a roundtable discussion at Lake Michigan College’s Mendel Center, “I consider Arnold, Tom and Johnny among my closest friends in golf, so I not only look forward to getting together with them again but also having them with me as we celebrate the opening of The Golf Club at Harbor Shores,” Nicklaus said in a news release. “The Harbor Shores Champions for Change event is a great opportunity to highlight how golf is being used as a vehicle for social and economic revitalization, particularly in the Benton Harbor community.”

A limited number of tickets for the event are available at www.HarborShoresChampions.com. The cost is $50 for the clinic and golf challenge and $25 for the roundtable discussion. For more information, call (866) 968-2783.

“We are truly honored to have four golf legends on board to celebrate the opening of this world-class resort golf venue and help us spark revitalization efforts throughout the community,” Harbor Shores Managing Director Mark Hesemann said in a news release.

Harbor Shores Marketing Director Ron Eng said discussions have taken place with CBS about filming the event, which could be aired before the 2011 Masters.

All 18 holes of the Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course are scheduled to open to the public by July 1.