The Winner Of The 2010 Bob Jones Open: Bobby Jones

This is an Ambush entry that I received a few months ago from a Bob Jones of Surprise, AZ.:

Good afternoon, Matt. Last year we submitted information on the Bobby Jones Open for your consideration. Obviously we didn't make the cut, but we want to be back on your potential list for 2010. I hope you might recall that the ticket for entry into this group is the name--it has got to be Bobby Jones. Of course Bob, Robert, Roberta, Bobby, Bobbie or an acceptable variation will get you in the door. This year's BJO will be played at the Cleveland Country Club in Shelby, N.C., on June 21-23. With Bobs and their guests, we could have anywhere from 55 to 80 show up. A great opportunity for the world of Bob Joneses to come together, play golf, have some fun and raise money for Syringomyelia, the neuromuscular disorder the put our namesake in a wheelchair and ultimately led to his death. Over the years we have raised $250,000 for the cause.__ This will be the 32nd annual get together and our first trip to the Carolinas. Sincerely hope that you might be able to join us!

Bobby Jones____Surprise, Ariz. __

I didn't Ambush in the month of June. I was sick for a week and then I went to Wales and so the Ambush took a month off. (It will be back for the October issue, so I'll be meeting up with another group in July for Ambush No. 29.)

A few days ago I received this update from the BJO:

From the desert, good afternoon Matt and "Happy 4th." Just got my August issue and that reminded me that I needed to get a short note off to you.__ Well, the 32nd annual Bobby Jones Open Golf Tournament has come and gone. We missed you. Sorry your schedule didn't coincide with ours but there's always next year and I hope we will continue to be one of your considerations. Cleveland Country Club in Shelby, North Carolina was a fun course. Weather was good except for the humidity that we, from the desert, aren't used to. By my count we had 58 "Bobs" and guests playing. A good crowd. Winner was Bobby Jones, but I don't suppose that surprises you. The 33rd in 2011 promises to be just as good and maybe we'll have better luck getting together. Boundary Oak is the venue, which is in Walnut Creek, Calif. June 13-15 are the dates. We'll stay in touch. Please keep us close to the top of the pile.

__Bobby Jones____Surprise, Ariz.

I played a lot of college golf at Boundary Oak. At one point it was the home course for St. Mary's College in Calif. The team is better now, the program has some polish. A guy like me would never make the squad. And I'm guessing St. Mary's probably has a different home course. But I'll never forget a practice session at Boundary Oak back in the early 90s. I passed by a tournament scoring board where a young Tiger Woods had blitzed a field of juniors the day before we came to play. I remember thinking: Tiger? Who names their kid Tiger? Now that kid can get into any tournament he wants to. Except for the Bobby Jones Open. (And the Elin Open is probably closed as well.)

If your name is Bobby Jones and you would like to learn more about this prestigious event, contact R.D. Jones at a/c: 812-332-4431. Or by email at: rdjones@jmblegal.com. Additional information can be found at their website: www.bobbyjonesopen.com.

If you want to submit an Ambush entry form so that you and your annual crew can grace the pages of Golf Digest, click here and tell me why your trip itinerary is worth sharing with the masses.

--Matty G.