In 1974 Deane Beman had been appointed Commissioner of the Professional Golfers Association Tour. The Tournament Players Championship, one of his main responsibilities, had been played at various courses around the country and was looking for a permanent home. Beman had been impressed with the people he had met in the Jacksonville area and their sense of commitment to community. He had been favorably impressed with the volunteers he had seen in action at the Greater Jacksonville Open. He felt if they could sustain that level of commitments to his Tournament Players Championship, they would make a winning combination.