Few Doral residents realize that the Doral-Ryder Open, one of the PGA's premier events, is also the oldest, longest-standing professional golf tournament in the state of Florida. This year's incarnation of the event will be coming to the Doral Country Club and Resort February 26 and will last through March 5.

The crowd at last year's Doral-Ryder Open

Judy Janofsky, media director for the event, explained, "The tournament was began in 1962 by Alfred Kaskel and at the time had the largest purse in professional golf--$50,000--with $5,000 awarded to that year's winner, Billy Casper. By contrast, this year's winner will take home $540,000."

But while the stakes may be high for the players, the week should be a fun, relaxed one for all spectators, and not just die-hard golf aficionados. The Open's events are geared to also appeal to even the most casual fans--the diversity of activities planned ensures fun for the entire family.

On Saturday, February 26, there will be a free "Concert on the Green" (the 18th, that is). That night, starting at 6:00 PM (the gates open at 4:30) and lasting until 8:30, the New World Symphony will be giving a free concert from a stage floating in the water near the 18th hole. The Symphony will be conducted by Jerry Goldsmith, who composed soundtracks for well-known movies like Gunsmoke, Basic Instinct, and LA

Confidential, and all guests are encouraged to bring blankets, refreshments, whatever you might need; last year, a number of people even brought candles.

The rest of the events can be covered by a weekly badge, which only costs $40 at the gate or $35 if you purchase it at a Home Depot store in Miami-Dade, Broward, or Palm Beach counties.

First, on February 29 there will be a nine-hole PGA Tour celebrity skins game on the White course that is always a great deal of fun--the players are very relaxed and there is usually a lot of good natured kidding and banter going on between them.

Next, on Wednesday March 1 there will be a celebrity pro-am, the Bridgestone Gold, which will start at 6:40 AM on the Blue Course that is also great fun. This year's event will include former Boston Celtics' star Bill Russell, Cincinnati Reds' great Joe Morgan, Miami Dolphins' hero Nat Moore, BYU Head Football Coach Lavell Edwards, and ESPN's Robin Roberts, just to name a few (many more should be announcing their attendance in the near future).

The big event though, the tournament itself, starts Thursday March 2 and will feature some of the world's best golfers. Doral's course includes the world-famous (some would say infamous) Blue Monster, and is notoriously challenging even for the professionals. It concludes on March 5, and even casual fans should be swept up by the beauty of the course and the grace and skill of the players themselves.

"To get all of that," said Janofsky, "plus a free round of golf in the summer (some restrictions apply), all for the cost of that badge--you won't find a better deal anywhere. Just the round itself is worth more than the cost of the badge! Seriously, I'm not sure there is another sporting event anywhere that offers what we do for such a reasonable price."

Perhaps the nicest thing about the event is that all proceeds go to charity: the American Cancer Society.

Janofsky explained, "We are a non-profit organization and all proceeds go to charity--our chief beneficiary is the American Cancer Society. So far, we've raised over $8 million for them, more than any other event in the country."

There is even a local star to root for--Erik Compton, who graduated from Miami Palmetto Senior High. Compton was a three-time Junior Player of the Year who had a heart transplant at the age of 12, who also happens to be one of the nation's finest collegiate golfers (at the University of Georgia).