Annual Elmer Sears golf tournament tees off today
BRAWLEY— The granddaddy of Imperial Valley golf tournaments is set to start today as the 91st annual Elmer Sears Lettuce Tournament tees off at the Del Rio Country Club.
One hundred and ninety two golfers of various handicaps will play each day hoping to advance to the tournament’s final round on Sunday.
The elimination, match-play tournament features 12 flights. Today and Friday, the four-man groups will try to advance in their respective divisions.
Teams either progress to play in the semifinals Saturday or fall into one of 12 consolation flights, which continue throughout the four-day tournament.
Returning to this year’s tournament are the 2018 Champion Flight winner Jeremy Tucker and runner-up Blaise Smith. Tucker also won the championship in 2015.
Those who make it to Sunday, either through the championship or consolation brackets, receive prizes ranging from a new television to a set of golf clubs.
Crystal cups are awarded to the Championship Flight winner and runner-up.
While no changes were brought to this year’s tournament, the tournament continues to bring a professional atmosphere for participants, Taylor Sears Smith, one of the event’s committee members, said.
“It makes even the most amateur golfer in the tournament feel like they’re at a professional event,” Smith said.
“There’s nothing else like it here unless you’re playing in a PGA-sanctioned event. We strive to recreate the experience and really bring it to life out there in Del Rio.”
Smith described playing in the tournament as a “fun-filled environment with a little bit of pressure.”
“We do take the golf seriously, but the company is light,” Smith said. “It’s about fun and bringing people together.”
In fact, bringing people together was behind Elmer Sears’ decision to create the tournament 91 years ago, Smith explained.
Sears created the tournament to bring people from the railroad industry and the lettuce industry together. A strong element of that tradition continues, as a majority of players in the tournament are involved in the agriculture industry.
Although the tournament continues to be an invitation-only event, those interested in participating may reach out to a committee member for a possible invitation.
The Sears tournament has been consecutively held every year at Del Rio, except for a delay between 1943 and 1945 for World War II.
Descendants of Sears, including Smith, who is his great grandson, have continued to help organize the tournament through the years.
Smith is one of three current committee members related to Sears.
At least one of the 12 committee spots has been held by a descendant of Sears since the tournament’s inception.
“This tournament is a huge family tradition for us,” Smith said. “In a world that where tradition and similar things are getting lost in today’s society, we strive to continue moving forward.”