Among his list of successes, Tom Wilson can count being able to skirt wintry squalls and a fog bank or two, toughen up two courses, watch Tiger Woods’ amazing victory run and witness the echelon of young, long-hitting players light up the leader board. These events, after all, simply come with producing a major PGA golf tournament for 20 years. Now, after serving for two decades as tournament director, he’ll step down following the Farmer’s Insurance Open at Torrey Pines, Jan. 23-29. “I toss about 100 balls in the air and try not to drop one,” he said of his approach to organizing such an event. Recently, Wilson recounted his years — and the many mishaps and triumphs he witnessed during them — as head of the tournament. He managed to build the event into a multi-million dollar operation, beginning with a stormy start in 1993 when winds tore away officials’ tents. Weather, however, has — surprisingly — cooperated for the most part. Over the course of the of tournament’s 59 years, only twice did it have to be shortened to 54 holes because of bad weather — once in 1998 because of fog. “We’re fortunate that Torrey Pines drains pretty well,” Wilson said. “Only a few spots have created problems for us. We may worry about water in the bunkers. Otherwise, we play through it.” Another storm to bear — not surprisingly — was another kind of green: money. When Wilson began his tenure in 1993, the total prize was $1 million and the winner (Phil Mickelson that year — his first as a pro) collected $180,000. Now, the victor can take home $1,080,000 from a $6 million pot. Wilson endured a stressful period after Buick pulled its sponsorship in 2009 because of General Motors’ financial restraints. In an 11th-hour decision, the PGA notified him that Farmer’s Insurance had agreed to be the sponsor. Wilson, 64, explained how, surprised by the bankruptcy at General Motors, he and his team had settled on renaming the tournament the San Diego Open, due to the lack of a big-name sponsor. When Farmer’s Insurance stepped in at the last minute, it meant more scrambling. “We had a week to prepare and replace San Diego Open signs with that of Farmer’s,” he said. After his first tourney, Wilson asked pro golfers Tom Kite and Ben Crenshaw why more of the PGA’s top golfers were not playing here. The answer, they said, was simple. “‘Your fairways are too wide, there’s no rough and the greens are slow,’ they told me. Anyone can win the tourney, they said, but the name pros wanted something more challenging, ” Wilson recalled. In other words, he said, they wanted something that would separate the best players from the average players. He immediately went to work to make the course tougher, to much success — under him, the tournament became a favorite for on-course fans and gained an international television following. After 1993, Mickelson won twice more. Others in the winner’s circle have included Scott Simpson, Craig Stadler, Davis Love III, Mark O’Meara, Jose Maria Olazabal and John Daly. Woods, meanwhile, took home the title six times. Wilson’s successor is Peter Ripa, who previously ran the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial in Ft. Worth, Texas. Ripa will work closely with Wilson on Wilson’s final undertaking, even sharing responsibilities of directing the event. Ripa will take over directly following the tournament. As Ripa takes the reins, Wilson can relax a bit more this year than in years past. “Most of my duties are completed prior to the tournament, so I spend a great deal of time doing some public relations, like thanking the players, sponsors and staff members,” he said. “Maybe I’ll have to put out some small fires if they should appear.” With the end of his tenure as head of the tournament, Wilson also leaves behind his post as director of the Century Club, the nonprofit that administers and promotes the tournament. Apart from hosting the Farmer’s Insurance Open, the club supports various charitable causes — notably the San Diego County Junior Golf Association. Junior Gold, Wilson said, has always been a program close to his heart, and he’s done the work to prove it. “When I came along, we were donating between $75,000 and $100,000 [to Junior Golf],” he said. “Three years ago, we hit our peak with a $2.7 million donation.” As for what he’ll do with all his free time, Wilson said he intends to spend a lot of it with his wife, who recently retired from teaching. And maybe in his retirement, he’ll finally have more time to play the game to which he’s devoted so much of his career. The 2012 Farmers Insurance Open marks the 50th anniversary of the tournament and will include special civic and other events to recognize the milestone. For more information, call (858) 886-4653 or see www.farmersinsuranceopen.com.
