TOLEDO- There are no banners. No signs. The number 30 isn’t plastered throughout the course and clubhouse. But the Marathon Classic presented by Owens Corning & O-I is quietly celebrating a milestone this week in the 30^th playing of the event, making the tournament the second longest running non-major on the LPGA Tour.

“It’s a little emotional as you can tell,” said Tournament Director Judd Silverman, holding back tears. “The people, the sponsors, the people we work with, the volunteers. It’s like a big family.”

Silverman founded this event in 1984 in his hometown of Toledo, Ohio. A former PGA Tour caddie looking for a full time job, Silverman saw an opportunity not only for himself but also for his community and the LPGA Tour.

“At that time when I looked at the landscape of professional golf, the PGA Tour schedule was full, so I was like I don’t even have a sponsor yet, I’m not going to displace anybody. But the LPGA had plenty of openings in its schedule so that’s what attracted me to it,” said Silverman .“I love my hometown of Toledo, Ohio and to be able to do something positive for your hometown I was certainly driven by that.”

That motivation drove Silverman to tell a bit of a tall tale in order to get himself a meeting with then LPGA Commissioner John Laupheimer. It paid off for the Toledo native who earned not only a spot on the LPGA Tour’s schedule but a new friendship as well.

“He was a good friend, we joked many years later and I’m sure he was very happy he took the time to meet with me because he didn’t know and good for him for doing that,” Silverman remembers.

Celebrity events were at the height of their prime, with the Bing Crosby Pro-Amateur Golf Championship, Bob Hope Desert Classic and Sammy Davis Jr. Greater Hartford Open mainstays on the PGA Tour. Tapping on that same idea, Silverman sought out Toledo native and actor Jamie Farr in hopes of earning his name and support for the event.

“It took awhile to get to him and convince him and I think once Jamie took a good look at it and what professional golf is, it’s a charitable organization that raises money for local children’s charities, it was a perfect way for him to give back to his hometown and we were lucky,” said Silverman.

The past 30 years haven’t been without their up’s and down’s. Like any business, raising money is a challenge says Silverman, who has worked to create a balance in attracting the world’s best players and donating generously to local charities by which Silverman seems to find the most joy.

“That’s what makes professional golf fun, because it’s all about charity,” said Silverman. “We’re all working together to put on a first class sporting event and that’s everybody from the players, to the caddies, to sponsors to volunteers, the media. We’re all working together and when that happens its like magic. It’s like putting on a big party that is successful that everyone walks away saying ‘I hope they do that again.’’

They will continue to do it again for at least three more years with the announcement in June that each of the event’s three title sponsors in Marathon Petroleum, Owens Corning and O-I extended their sponsorships through 2018.

“I just pray that this event goes on a lot longer than I’m around and there’s no reason it shouldn’t,” said the event’s founder. “As Mark McCormack used to call it, this is a great property and we want to keep this property and this business going. That would be a dream come true to see it continue on. I’d love to come back to this thing when I’m 90-years-old and shake the staff’s hand and have a nice day.”

Here’s to another 30 years.

Marathon Classic Celebrates 30 Years On Tour

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