JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Four holes at the Timuquana Country Club golf course were vandalized overnight late Wednesday or early Thursday, just a day before the Constellation Furyk & Friends tournament, briefly throwing the major charity event into jeopardy.
“There [were] a number of holes that were dug, looks like maybe possibly a shovel. There might have been as many as 10 holes and in four different greens. So 40, maybe 40, possibly all together,” said PGA golfer and tournament host Jim Furyk. “I didn’t count them. But it was a lot of damage.”
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However, crews were quick to mobilize and fix the issue, repairing the greens in time for tee time on Friday morning.
“They got right to work on the damage, called in some help from TPC and the agronomy team with the PGA Tour, and also from the Cure at Golf, a construction company that did a renovation here at Timuquana,” Furyk said. “So, we’ve got all hands on deck.”
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Miller Brady, the president of the PGA Champions Tour, also told Action News Jax that overnight security will now be ramped up as a result of the incident.
“There’s security on site throughout the night. Unfortunately, these folks, you know, bypass the security that were here. We’re gonna ramp up security for the rest of the weekend,” Brady said.
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Statements have also been released from tournament officials which can be read below:
STATEMENT FROM MILLER BRADY, PRESIDENT of PGA TOUR CHAMPIONS: “Overnight, the course at Timuquana Country Club was vandalized and four greens were damaged. PGA TOUR Champions rules and competitions have been working with the tournament team and Timuquana Country Club staff to repair the damages to the course. Thanks to their fantastic efforts, we will have the course ready for the first round of competition tomorrow morning. We encourage everyone in the Jacksonville community to come out and support this great event and support Jim and Tabitha. Any additional questions about the incident should be made to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office.”
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STATEMENT FROM ADAM RENFROE, TOURNAMENT DIRECTOR of CONSTELLATION FURK & FRIENDS: “What took place is unfortunate, as we want to represent the best of Jacksonville with this tournament. We won’t let the actions of a few individuals take away from a great week for our city and our ability to give back and create impact here in the community. We appreciate the swift action taken by the PGA TOUR Champions team to make sure the course is ready for the start of competition and look forward to fans joining us at Timuquana Country Club this weekend.”
The tournament is now set to begin without a hitch Friday morning at 8:45 a.m. with the ceremonial tee-off.
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