The PGA Tour Greenbrier Classic returns in three weeks, and resort Owner and West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice "took a shot at golf’s governing body" in wake of the flooding that cancelled the '16 event, according to Grant Traylor of the Huntington HERALD-DISPATCH. Several Tour players like Bubba Watson and Phil Mickelson have been "ambassadors for the resort in recent years" and are expected to play this year. Justice "lauded those players for their help in getting the word out to restore The Greenbrier." He said, “Tour players really stepped up and helped, whether it was Bubba and [wife] Angie or Phil Mickelson and on and on. Ask yourself what did the PGA Tour do? What did they do? You’ll find hollow answers.” He added, “This tournament is not here because of the PGA [Tour]. This tournament is not here because of the insurance companies coming through and doing what they are supposed to do.” Traylor notes after the cancellation of the '16 event, there were "whispers that The Greenbrier Resort was in trouble, along with" the tournament itself. Justice said, “A lot of people cast stones at The Greenbrier’s troubles and The Greenbrier’s struggles or The Greenbrier getting back to where it was. People can be really cruel, to tell you the truth.” Justice noted that he and staff were able to get the tournament "back off the ground, just one year after" what he called "the worst weather-related event that I know of in our state." One rumor "not addressed by Justice" was whether the tournament "would move to another time on the PGA Tour schedule" (Huntington HERALD-DISPATCH, 6/12).
