STEVENS POINT, WI (WSAU) — The final countdown to the 2023 USGA Men’s Senior Open tournament at SentryWorld in Stevens Point is on, and Mayor Mike Wiza says he feels the city is as ready as they will be.
“I feel 80% ready,” said Mayor Wiza. “But in reality, I think we are 95% to 96% there. That’s because you’re always nervous about ‘what if?’”
He says their experience hosting the USGA Girls Junior Championship in 2019 helped lay the groundwork for this year’s event when it was awarded to Stevens Point almost 18 months ago. Wiza also credits officials with the USGA, who have been on the ground in Stevens Point for more than a year, with helping them check all the boxes to get ready for the event.
“We’ve been working on this for a year and a half. I think we are very well prepared, even for those things we can’t predict,” added Wiza.
He also trusts the community and residents to help the city put its best foot forward, especially after the experience of hosting the 2019 Girls Junior Championship. Before the event, a thunderstorm swept through the town causing damage to several trees on the course. However, with the assistance of volunteers equipped with chainsaws and pickups, the debris was cleared promptly, ensuring a smooth start to the event.
The one variable that he’s most worried about is running out of food. The Senior Open will run right into Riverfront Rendezvous, the city’s biggest annual festival. Meaning his advice to restaurant owners is to stock up in advance because you don’t want to miss an opportunity for sales as they arise. “Many restaurants don’t keep food a week- they order twice a week. Now if on Tuesday [they] realize ‘boy, I’m going to run out before the weekend,’ and the supplier can’t get them one thousand extra hamburgers, they could be put in a lousy spot at the top of the game on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.
“Every restaurant knows what to expect on a typical Tuesday or Wednesday night. Then they up their game on Fridays and Saturdays. Now they really don’t know what to expect,” added Wiza. “We don’t know if a group of 50 will choose to rush your place. You could get inundated really quickly.”
He goes on to say that the city has planned for extra food truck space for Riverfront Rendezvous to help keep everyone fed and alleviate line congestion, anticipating that some of the golf spectators will make their way to the park for some of the live music and other events.
Other topics Wiza discussed with WSAU’s Mike Leischner include:
Start of video- Final prep for Senior Open
10:00- NFL Draft reaction
14:40- Other summer events
