Oilman’s ready to tee off

Published 12:00 am Friday, April 20, 2001

In 1955, a group of oil independents – led by Herb Shortridge – decided they wanted to host officials from the local oil industry for a weekend of golf.

The group spent countless hours knocking on doors to raise the necessary funds for the initial tournament, and it grew from 79 golfers in 1955 to more than 1,400 participants in 1978. Thus began the Confederate Oil Invitational. However, as the oil industry has dwindled, so have the numbers at the Confederate Oil Invitational.

&uot;This is a long-standing event,&uot; said Beau Pr\u00E9 Chairman of Golf Woody Allen. &uot;This tournament has put members of the oil industry together for many years.&uot;

Email newsletter signup

Allen said the tournament is mostly about fun, though.

&uot;Sometimes its more about fun than it is golf,&uot; said Allen, who has been involved with the tournament for more than 20 years.

One former Confederate Oil Invitational champion said he’s glad to be back in Natchez after a six year absence.

&uot;It’s great to be back in this tournament,&uot; said Ron Swanson, who captured back-to-back beginning in 1994. &uot;This city and oil community are gracious hosts. It’s fun to come back to visit and meet with old friends.&uot;

Swanson said the tournament committee has done an outstanding job keeping the tournament alive, despite the local oil industry’s decline.

&uot;It’s a testament to this community that this tournament is still going,&uot; he said. &uot;I think there are more than a hundred players playing this year. That’s great.&uot;