[12] Bmw Golf Championship On This Week Topic

Sally White, manager for the 2016 BMW Championship, is shown teeing off at the Atlantic Golf Club in Binghamton, N.Y.(Photo: Provided by Sally White.)

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As manager of the 2016 BMW Championship to be held at the Crooked Stick Golf Club, Sally White has had to continually hone her skills on and off the green.

White, 30, held the same position for the 2012 BMW Championship (which also was held at Crooked Stick and was named Tournament of the Year by the PGA TOUR), and she has been instrumental in ensuring the tournament’s return to the Carmel golf club from Sept. 5-11 next year.

The 2012 event drew some of golfing’s most notable players, including Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson and Rory McIlroy, along with an audience of more than 146,000 spectators, and raised more than $3 million for the Evans Scholars Foundation, which awards full college tuition and housing scholarships to deserving caddies.

“I started working for the BMW Championship in 2010 in preparation for the 2012 event,” White said. “I always wanted to work in sports, and given my golf background, tournament operations was a natural fit.”

Sally White is the manager for the 2016 BMW Championship to be held at Crooked Stick Colf Club in Carmel from Sept. 5-11 next year. White was the manager of the 2012 BMW Championship, also held at Crooked Stick. (Photo: Provided by Sally White.)

White’s background includes stints with the U.S. Senior Open Bruno Event Team and BMW and Hotel Fitness Championships with the Western Golf Association, dovetailing nicely into her current role. Personally, she’s no stranger to the Crooked Stick course, having played golf at Noblesville High School and at the University of Virginia. She still golfs for recreation and teaches golf lessons.

Ahead of the 2016 tournament, White is one of just two on-site staff members: Some of her professional duties include securing corporate hospitality commitments from area businesses and marketing partners, providing client services support, overseeing marketing partnerships, coordinating ad campaigns, and generating awareness for the tournament.

“The BMW Championship is a world-class event with the top 70 PGA Tour players invited to play,” she said. “It’s been a fantastic opportunity to work with all of the participating organizations from the Western Golf Association, PGA Tour, BMW, the host club and many vendors, community partners and volunteers. I love the variety of the work, and seeing the final product is extremely rewarding.”

White says the 2016 BMW Championship event will offer a rare opportunity to see the best golfers in the world playing right here in Indiana and take part in other special events that will take place throughout the week.

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BMW Championship set for Crooked Stick in 2016

Question: What’s something people would be surprised to know about Indy’s golf community?

Answer: “During past tournaments, players have commented on how hospitable Hoosier golf fans are. The players appreciate having such knowledgeable and thoughtful volunteers working the event, and it’s always exciting to have large crowds, especially early in the week. It helps build the excitement for the rest of the event.”

Q: Do you have a personal business philosophy you try to follow?

A: “Everything we do is a team effort. It takes incredible coordination and organization to put on major events, and everyone plays an important role, whether it’s small or large. We couldn’t put on events like the BMW Championship without the 2,500 volunteers, vendors, public safety officials, fans, players and everyone else who makes this tournament possible.”

Q: What does the word “leader” mean to you?

A: “Leadership means organizing your team and creating an environment for individual success that positively contributes to the collective goal.”

Q: What is the best piece of career advice you’ve ever received?

A: “Be observant and conscious of others around you and what you like about their management styles. Try to replicate those qualities to in your own management style.”

Q: What’s the best part of your job?

A: “The variety of people I get to work with is incredible. I get to interact with business leaders, volunteers from all different backgrounds, fans from near and far, professional athletes, public safety officials, interns, vendors, philanthropists, and the list goes on and on.”

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Hot Property: $2.5M home on Crooked Stick Golf Club

More about Sally White

Job title: Championship Manager, Western Golf Association.

Education: Bachelor of science in commerce, concentrations in marketing and management from the University of Virginia.

Prior employment: Bruno Event Team, NCAA.

Family: Husband, Patrick White.

Favorite pastimes: Sports, cooking and golf.

Favorite musical artists: “I’m a big country music fan!”

Favorite quote: “If you laugh, you think and you cry, that’s a full day. That’s a heck of a day. You do that seven days a week, you’re going to have something special.” — basketball coach Jim Valvano

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