Bob Wojnowski

An old-time classic dances to final tune

Grand Blanc, Mich.

The music blared and the crowd cheered, and one more time, the party was on. Up the 16th fairway at Warwick Hills came the most famous golfer in the world and one of the most famous rock 'n' rollers in the world, stride by stride. And from a not-so-distant house, the noise echoed.

"Still like that old- time rock androll."

No golf decorum here, not this day, not now. Bob Seger's voice was playing on someone's huge speakers just as Seger was playing his shot in the Buick Open's pro-am Wednesday, before the tournament begins today. Tiger Woods watched and smiled, and nostalgia clung to the humidity.

For half a century, the Buick Open has been Michigan's annual, celebrity-soaked, summer funfest. The players love it because the short course with immaculate greens is birdie-friendly and crowd-friendly. The fans love it because one moment they might see a rock 'n' roll legend driving the ball, and the next moment they might see Woods trying to putt his way out of a mini-slump.

Soon, by most accounts, it will be gone, the latest casualty in our state's economic crisis, with GM unable to justify sponsoring a golf tournament while laying off workers. The Buick Open is worth fighting to keep in Michigan, for its charitable causes and its entertainment value, but like all decisions these days, the bottom line beckons. Some reports have the PGA Tour already eying a venue in West Virginia, although nothing is official.

So much for fun

It's sad and troubling and so darn redundant, isn't it? In tough times, you cut back where you can, which is why the fun stuff -- such as the on-hiatus Detroit Grand Prix and the Buick Open -- feels the pain.

"It's like losing a relative," said Gordon Freeman, a retired Flint-area teacher who has attended about 15 Buick Opens and was watching near the 18th green. "Seems like we don't need any more defeats in this area, you know? Just another nail in the coffin, I guess."

Maybe a big-time sponsor can step in and save the tournament, or at least keep it in the state. Or maybe it's just another hard-driven nail of reality, pounded into an area that's numb to it now. Michigan is one of the country's great golfing and outdoors states, and it doesn't need a Tour stop to prove it. But this is a truly unique event, from the famously crazy gallery in the bleachers at the 17th hole, to the close proximity between players and fans, to the rich history.

All along the course, fans were particularly grateful Woods was playing, swelling the crowds. They shouted their thanks again and again, and if this is a farewell, it figures to be a rollicking one.

Woods is here for the first time since 2006, for the first time since Buick ended his endorsement deal, and although he didn't come for sentimental reasons, his sentiments were clear.

"The people here are absolutely fantastic," Woods said. "It's a small, intimate atmosphere. It's a smaller town so you see the same people at the same holes each and every year. It's much more personal here."

Personal with its own Pure Michigan signature, if you don't mind me stealing an advertising slogan. Last year, it was Kid Rock playing in bib overalls alongside John Daly and a cooler of beer. Barry Sanders often shows up. On this day, sports figures from Red Wings general manager Ken Holland to new (and yet-untarnished) Lions coach Jim Schwartz to new (and yet-untarnished) Pistons coach John Kuester played and mingled.

And of course, there was Seger, the rock 'n' roll Hall of Famer who made his career here and makes his home here. He received louder cheers than Woods, which isn't a surprise.

Everyone's a fan

After playing 18 holes with Woods, Seger sounded like a kid, albeit a 64-year-old kid with a big, gray beard. He heard the music on the fairway and he heard the fans, but when he heard about the apparent pending doom of the Buick Open, he was disappointed.

"You want to hope it comes back because I know some golf fans, and they love it," Seger said. "I can't tell you how many times I heard out there, 'Thank you for coming, Tiger.' It's a shame if it's the last one."

That's what the celebrities say, that's what the fans say and it's surely what the affiliated charities say. It's a shame all this goodwill gets pushed aside. At least if the Buick Open dies, we'll know it didn't wither from lack of care, although when Woods was absent some years, the galleries were noticeably smaller. Even for the veterans who have played every corner of the world, Warwick Hills' traditional narrow fairways and low scoring -- 20 under is the average winner -- made it memorable.

"An event can't be at a place for 51 years if it's not good," 14-year pro Woody Austin said. "I miss all the old golf courses. It's sad to see that it could possibly go away."

Yet another Detroit-area party rings the closing bell, yet another sign is posted. Woods was often the attraction but the Buick Open was here before Tiger and survived Tiger-less years. It likely won't survive this, which is too bad, because there's nothing like a classic old song on a hot summer day.

bob.wojnowski@detnews.com