EAST CORNING – The crowds were gone, the scoreboards were down, and Corning Country Club members were once again enjoying their golf course.
On the surface, Monday was a typical Memorial Day at Corning Country Club, except this one wasn’t typical at all. Volunteers and employees of the LPGA Corning Classic were busy Monday with wrap-up work from the 31st annual tournament, which ended Sunday. But as things slowly returned to normal at the golf course that just a day before was overrun with media, spectators and professional golfers, there was also the realization that there would never be a day after the Corning Classic again. “I’m a 30-year volunteer. There is a nostalgic feeling,” said country club member Don Creath of Corning. “As a volunteer, you bond with a lot of people who come back for a week.” Corning Classic officials, who announced in April that the 2009 tournament would be the last, held a big celebration after Sunday’s final round to thank the community for its support over the years. Monday was a day to get back to business, and even though there is no 2010 event to plan for, the Corning Classic office will probably be open for several months, said Tournament Director Dawn Marie Castellana.
“We are in the process of finalizing the breakdown. Corning Inc. told us we are here as long as we need to be in this building,” Castellana said.