NAPLES, Fla. — After being canceled in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic, the QBE Shootout’s concert, Live Fest, is back.
Thomas Rhett, Cole Swindell, Runaway June and Ben Allen Band will play on the Tiburón Golf Club driving range from 4:30 to 10 p.m. ET Saturday.
Live Fest is just another example of the meshing of golf and music, with many events across all three major tours having concerts as part of their experience.
Fittingly, when Hartman got together with Lady A’s Charles Kelley, whose band played the inaugural Live Fest in 2019, they did on a golf course. In Nashville.
“The snow melted for a day and we were able to get out to play,” Hartman said. “So many of these artists are really embracing the game.
“The melding of music and golf has been around for a while, but it’s only going to get bigger and better.”
That goes for the second Live Fest as well. After 8,000 fans attended the 2019 concert that featured Darius Rucker, Lady A, Jordan Davis, and Ben Allen Band, organizers have made room for another 1,000 people.
All tickets are sold out except for general admission, which are $135 (children 10 and under get in a free with a ticketholder) but Hartman said many of the improvements from the 2019 inaugural Live Fest are with the general-admission crowd in mind.
“It was our first time ever hosting a concert,” Hartman said. “We were building a temporary venue for one night. Most of our improvements were in the guest experience. We’ve gone from 43 points of sale to concessions up to 73. We’ve more than doubled our restrooms that we have on property. We’re adding a center walkway. We’re adding a video wall for the GA ticketholders.
“Much of the improvements that we’ve made and investments we’ve made have made have been on the general admission side to improve the overall experience without losing sight of having a first-class hospitality experience for our VIP ticketholders and corporate sponsors.”
Hartman said Kelley made some introductions to Rhett’s and Swindell’s teams to get the ball rolling for this year’s lineup.
“He helped facilitate some conversations,” Hartman said. “At the time, we weren’t sure we were going to be able to have this.”
But since that February meeting, for the most part, live music has returned, and Hartman was buoyed by the response when tickets went on sale.
Field update
One “third” is in the field this week, and another dropped out.
Charles Howell III will make his 12th start in the Shootout after Lee Westwood withdrew due to an illness. Howell will be paired with Ian Poulter.
Harold Varner III withdrew with an injury, and 2021 Honda Classic champion Matt Jones will play with Ryan Palmer instead. When Jones, an Australian, won the Honda, he received a congratulatory video call from Shootout founder and host Greg Norman, his idol.
Last week, U.S. Ryder Cup captain Steve Stricker, a former Shootout champion, withdrew and was replaced by PGA Tour Rookie of the Year Will Zalatoris, who will play with Sean O’Hair.
Pro-am celebs
ESPN’s Chris Berman, a regular during the pro-am, will not play this year due to a “balky back.” Boomer had played in the pro-am every year since 2004.
Country singer Cole Swindell, who is one of the headliners of Saturday’s Live Fest concert, and Bret Baier of Fox News are playing in both pro-ams Wednesday and Thursday.
Winners in the field
Jones joins 10 others who have won on the PGA Tour in 2021 or early in the 2021-22 season. The others are: Sam Burns, Harris English, Max Homa, Billy Horschel, Kevin Kisner, Jason Kokrak, K.H. Lee, Marc Leishman, Kevin Na and Hudson Swafford.
First-timers
Jones is among six first-time participants, joining Burns, Homa, Lee, Swafford and Zalatoris.