IVINS, Utah — The best players in women's golf are arriving in southern Utah for the LPGA's first tournament in the state since 1964.
The women's Black Desert Championship begins Thursday in Ivins, marking a historic return to the Beehive State after a six-decade absence.
Black Desert Resort is making history as the only course currently hosting annual PGA and LPGA events in the same year.
"It was the first time in 60 years to bring the men, it's over 60 years to bring the women. To bring them both in the same year is pretty amazing," said Manning.
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On Monday, as professionals arrived, the final qualifying rounds took place with local talent competing, including St. George Pine View High School's Molli Mulhall and Utah Tech golfer Jane Olsen, who had the advantage of playing on her home course.
Players encountered some unique desert hazards during qualification rounds, including a rattlesnake that appeared near the 15th hole, causing a brief but necessary delay.
Manning, who manages Black Desert Resort, mentioned there had been concerns about having enough volunteers to staff the event, which expects to draw 20,000 spectators.
"To be safe, we probably could have brought a few more dozen, but we like where we are. These cities are volunteer-ready," said Manning.
The LPGA professionals received VIP treatment upon arrival, being flown in by private jets to St. George Regional Airport.
"I'm in my Jeep sitting on the runway at the airport watching the first of eight jets land, bringing the ladies here from Houston and just rolling out the red carpet for them and sending the jets to pick them up," said Manning. "They fly privately, hosting them at the resort at no cost to them staying here. It's just a lot of fun celebrating the women and showing them how much we appreciate the hard work they put in and how good they are."
Organizers have made improvements based on lessons learned from the Black Desert PGA men's event last October, particularly focusing on spectator movement around the course.
"We found a couple of things that we could improve upon, one of which was we had a little bit of a bottleneck for spectators at 1 and 10. And so we've been able to move the tee boxes around, and I think we will not see that be a pinch point here at the LPGA and future PGA events," said Manning.
The viewing structures have also been redesigned to enhance the spectator experience.
"Our structures, our builds were massive and they were very cool to look at. But you get up on the third floor, and if you're not right at the drink rail, you can't see the action. So this year we decided to broaden the stands, let the spectators really get that first-floor intimate feel up close to the players and not try to go so high. It's also good for the residents because the residents didn't like to see the high buildings," said Manning.
