Nostalgia fills void left by patriarch
The golf cart was in its usual spot, behind the ninth green, right next to the 10th tee. For 15 years, it was Frank Fuhrer’s favorite vantage point.
If he wanted, he could look to his left and see the tee box at No. 17. Or turn around and watch the players go past in the seventh fairway. If he looked far enough, he could see shots landing on the par-3 16th green.
But what Fuhrer really liked was when the players would exit the ninth green and walk up the grassy slope to say hello. They would thank him for putting on a three-day, 72hole tournament with a first prize bigger than nearly every one of them had ever cashed. He was always in the same spot, always wearing a cashmere sweater, no matter the temperature, and a yellow cap with the Initials “FBF” on the front.
“I’m sure everyone looked up at that cart and smiled,” said mini-tour player Spencer Mellon of Oakmont.
The $200,000 Frank B. Fuhrer Invitational went on as planned Monday at the Pittsburgh Field Club, but without the founder and patriarch. Fuhrer died on May 21, at age 96, leaving behind a legacy as large as the borough of Fox Chapel and stripping the game of golf of its benevolent archangel.
“It’s weird not having him here,” said three-time champion David Bradshaw. “I mean, it’s his tournament.”
As a tribute, his golf cart was parked in its usual spot, his picture and his favorite yellow cap sitting on the seat next to the custom-made tartan plaid sport coat he annually presented to the winner of his tournament (cost $1,500). Players could see it as they walked from the ninth green to the 10th tee. Some came up and touched the cart. Others took a photo.
A placard with Fuhrer’s name, his date of birth and death was placed on the first tee. After Field Club professional Chris Sheehan teed off to start his opening round, he tapped the
sign with his driver.
On this day, it didn’t seem to matter that three players shared the 36-hole lead at 1-under 139, including Bradshaw and 2013 champion Mike Van Sickle. It was more about who wasn’t here.
“When I walked into the locker room, no one was sitting at the table where he always sat,” Van Sickle said. “I slapped the chair and teared up.”
Fuhrer staged his own invitational for 22 years, shortly after the Family House Invitational — a two-day exhibition featuring top PGA Tour players — ended in 1997. It’s a select field comprised of 35 minitour players and five amateurs playing for a $40,000 first prize.
The field for this year’s event was already set when Fuhrer passed away last month of congestive heart failure. It is not official, but the tournament is expected to last one more year with all past champions invited to attend.
“I valued every chance I had to speak with him,” said 2014 champion Eric Cole, who plays on the Korn Ferry Tour. “I had a super-high opinion of him and that’s why I always came back. The world we live in is super-soft and he wasn’t. That’s something I admired a lot.”
Bradshaw, a seven-time West Virginia Open champion, was one of Fuhrer’s favorites. He owns the singlemost exciting moment in tournament history when he had a walkoff hole-in-one at the 215-yard 18th hole to end a sudden-death playoff with another former champ, Mike Gligic, in 2016.
“He and I had such a great rapport,” Bradshaw said. “I liked joking around with that guy. He was the best.”
Mellon, 30, has known Fuhrer for a long time. One of his best friends growing up was Corey Wagner, Fuhrer’s grandson. When he started his pro career, Fuhrer was one of his financial sponsors.
“He’s a special guy,” said Mellon, who shot 69-73 – 142 and is three shots from the lead heading into Tuesday’s third round. “What’s he’s done for people in my position in professional golf, you can’t say enough about that.