TULSA, Okla. — In just 50 days the PGA Championship comes to Tulsa’s Southern Hills Country Club.
Although it’s well over a month away, with a major event like this coming to Tulsa, there’s a lot to do to get ready.
PGA staff, contractors and volunteers are working hard and fast to get things up and running. Preparations started in late February.
"It takes a lot of different moving parts," Kristin Powers with PGA said. "I handle the sales so getting the local companies and seeing how they want to participate in the event. Then we have our operations manager who handles all of our vendors, parking, shuttles, anything on-site you see that somehow needs to be built, planning for that.”
The PGA crew is busy building suites, concessions, bars, grandstands and the merchandise tent as well as prepping the grass on the course. The event is expected to bring a $143 million boost to Tulsa’s economy.
SEE >>> Photos: Preparations underway at Southern Hills for 2022 PGA Championship
“Between the jobs that come in that we need help with we hire locally, try to do, for a lot of the different areas whether it’s concessions or our America maintenance vendor they usually try to give as many jobs to the local economy as possible,” Powers said.
Then there will be all the money people attending will spend when they are away from the venue. However, it’s still all about the experience of watching the best golfers in the world.
“Really you’re out here to watch championship golf and have a good time and be social and that’s what the PGA Championship is known for,” Powers said.
Why Tulsa you might ask?
“Tulsa doesn’t necessarily have a professional sports team," she said. "So this is kind of the professional sport so when it comes in the business community has embraced us speaks volumes to Tulsa as a business community the market. They’ve been so welcoming and it makes the PGA of American want to come back here all the time.”
Tulsa last hosted the PGA Championship in 2007.
The production of this event has been impressive to see, especially the merchandise tent which will be filled with many different athletic brands.
Play at the PGA Championship in Tulsa begins on Monday, May 16, with the full competition running May 19-22.
You can shop at the merchandise tent starting May 13.
We will keep you updated on all things PGA Championship as the event nears.
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