Receiver arrested at Taylor protest
Stills and 86 others face felony charges
made even more difficult by the coronavirus pandemic and oncourse temperatures pushing into triple digits.
“Those guys have been busting their tails for three weeks straight doing these split shifts and preparing two golf courses, so it’s unique in that it’s an extended period of time,” Miller said. “It’s physically, as well as emotionally, draining on the staff, but they’ve done a fantastic job. They’re beat, and they’re tired, but we’ve only got a few days left to go, and we’ll be to the end.”
Tournament play presents much stricter upkeep demands than the usual maintenance for guest and membership use, Miller said.
The biggest adjustment is mowing frequency, which in
Houston Texans wide receiver Kenny Stills was arrested and charged with a felony in Louisville, Ky., along with 86 others who were protesting the lack of action against three police officers who fatally shot Breonna Taylor.
Stills was arrested Tuesday outside the home of Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron. He was processed and released from jail on his own recognizance Wednesday morning and assigned an Oct. 8 court date, Louisville law enforcement authorities said.
Stills has been charged with one felony, intimidating a participant in the legal process, and misdemeanor third-degree disorderly conduct and second-degree criminal trespass.
After being released from jail, Stills posted a photo on Instagram of himself wearing a shirt that said: “Breonna Taylor’s Killers Are Still Police” and wore a Breonna Taylor face mask.
“‘Good trouble’ with my broth
creases to daily rather than two or three times per week. Needing to provide a firm, dry surface on fairways and greens, the crew uses the course’s irrigation system only sparingly, preferring to water by hand.
Miller arrived in San Antonio on June 29 to begin readying for the tournament on the Canyons course, which ran Thursday through Sunday last week. The initial steps included edging and evening out the bunkers, as well as trimming native areas on the perimeter of the course that might become landing spots for errant shots.
Work on the Oaks course for this week’s tournament, which began Wednesday and ends Saturday, was minimal during Miller’s first week on site, but he and the team already were scoping out the area and developing plans.
A workday during a typical advance week runs 10 hours, Miller said, underscoring the strain created when a tournament week and an advance week overlap.
Last week, with the event at the Canyons underway and the tournament at the Oaks approaching, Miller said the agronomy team worked from about 4:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., with only a short break before regrouping to touch up the Canyons course from about 5:30 to 9:30 p.m.
“There is a lot of stress that goes on when preparing for a tournament, and usually you’ve got to go through that stress period for only advance week — the week before the tournament — and again tournament week,” Miller said. “Now, when you double that, you actually have to stretch that out for a threeweek period.”
All 40 members of the agronomy team were called on for both shifts each day to meet the demands of the courses, Miller said.
The pandemic prevented the tournament from bringing in the usual complement of 15 to 20 volunteers, who Miller said might handle anything from mowing to more menial tasks such as raking bunkers or filling divots.
“If you have a lot more volunteers available, you can start to get more people some time off, or speed up the tournament prep,” Miller said. “Instead of it taking three or four hours, it might only take two or three.”
The agronomy team’s work has not been affected much by distancing guidelines, though face masks are required and vehicles are limited to one occupant. Group members must pass a symptom screening and temperature check each day — the same precautions placed on players, caddies and tournament staff.
This week has been less demanding than the last, Miller said. Only a “skeleton crew” checks in on the Canyons course as it returns to normal use, with most of the focus on the Oaks.
When the morning shift wraps up around 9 a.m., the agronomy team has a break until about 3:30 p.m. — enough time to relax or take a nap, Miller said. The workday ends at about 7:30 p.m.
With temperatures surging past 100 degrees, one staffer is charged with driving the course to provide water or Gatorade to each member of the agronomy group.
Miller said he has been involved in the agronomy process at TPC San Antonio since the property was first built, working on the specifications for the two courses designed in 2010.
“We’re ecstatic,” Miller said. “We feel that we’re providing the best conditions and challenge for the players, and we’re delivering on it. Both courses, we’ve reached what we feel is championship conditions for them.”
Tournament director Darren Nelson said the agronomy group, including TPC San Antonio director of agronomy Roby Robertson, has done an “amazing job.”
Tyrone Van Aswegen, who shot 6-under Wednesday to hold a share of the lead after the opening round, has competed in four Texas Open tournaments at TPC San Antonio since 2014. After playing the Canyons course last week and the Oaks course this week, he said the venue has been up to PGA Tour standards.
“It’s awesome, given the heat that we’ve had,” Van Aswegen said. “The courses have held up great. … This is super hot, so I think the superintendent has done a fantastic job.”