The 44th Annual Bobcat ND State Open

The North Dakota State Open — in its 44th year — benefits The Village Family Service Center of Fargo and is a notable stop on the Dakotas Tour.

Dakotas Tour

The Dakotas Tour is a developmental tour that has served as a starting point for many young pros coming out of college, wanting to sharpen their game prior to a shot at the PGA or Nationwide tours. Others use the Tour to hone their skills for a run at the Champions Tour. The Dakotas Tour runs July through August, and the Bobcat North Dakota State Open is the last event before the championship at the end of the month.
For more information visit: http://www.dakotastour.com/schedule/bobcat.htm

The Village Family Service Center

The Village Family Service Center has been working with children and families since 1891, when it was established as the North Dakota Children’s Home Society. Through the mid-1960s, the organization’s primary emphasis was to provide for homeless children through foster care and adoption. Over the years, its services have changed and expanded to keep up with the changing world and the changing needs of our community. Today, The Village provides a full range of services, including counseling programs, adoption, financial counseling, unplanned pregnancy counseling, child care, and mentoring programs like the Big Brothers Big Sisters Program.

Bobcat Company

Since 1984, Bobcat Company has been the corporate sponsor for the North Dakota State Open at the Fargo Country Club, and has contributed more than $710,000 to the many worthwhile programs of The Village Family Service Center. As North Dakota’s largest manufacturer, Bobcat is the world leader in the engineering, manufacturing, and marketing of compact equipment, with more than 3,300 employees worldwide.

This year, Bobcat Company celebrates 50 years of “unleashing” customers — commemorating the first skid-steer loader, which revolutionized the way people work and turned customers, dealers, and employees loose on a new world of opportunity.As an equipment manufacturer, Bobcat works behind the scenes in the golf industry. Many of its products, especially the all-wheel steer loader and the Toolcat™ utility work machine and the new Bobcat compact tractors, are used by golf superintendents to help maintain some of the world’s most prestigious courses.

Bobcat Company, headquartered in West Fargo, N.D., is part of Doosan Infracore International (DII), a U.S.-based subsidiary of Doosan Infracore, a global manufacturer of construction equipment.

Press Release

(WEST FARGO, N.D. — August 2008) More than 40 years after its first tee off, the Bobcat North Dakota State Open is still going strong. Golf fans turned out Aug. 22 – 24 to watch top professional and amateur golfers compete in the 44th annual Bobcat North Dakota State Open at the Fargo Country Club.

The golf tournament brings together some of the most talented professional and amateur golfers from the upper Midwest for three days of competition and fundraising. This year 198 golfers participated in the event.

Milford, Iowa, native Brady Schnell won the Bobcat North Dakota State Open by one stroke over Ian Hessels. Schnell won the title with a three-day tournament total of 202. On the last day of the tournament, Schnell shot a 9-under-par 63, the lowest score recorded at the Fargo Country Club since the course was lengthened last year. In the final round, Hessels needed back-to-back birdies to force a playoff with Schnell. After a birdie on the 17th hole, Hessels’ birdie shot on the 18th lipped out of the hole to give Schnell the victory. The North Dakota State Open win was Schnell’s fourth on the Dakotas Tour this year. Schnell won $10,000 and Bobcat will pay his $5,000 entry fee to the PGA Tour Qualifying School.

“Golfers at the North Dakota State Open learn what it’s like to play on the PGA tour,” said Mark Johnson, tournament director and director of golf at the Fargo Country Club. “We try to create an experience similar to the PGA tour, but on a much smaller scale, so the golfers can get a feel of what the next step will be like.”

In addition to the Dakotas Tour tournament, the North Dakota State Open also featured an amateur competition. The winner of the amateur tournament was Nathan Anderson. Mike Podolak came in second.

“Bobcat is excited to host the North Dakota State Open for the 24th year,” said Rich Goldsbury, president of Bobcat Americas. “Our company is proud to be a part of this community and to sponsor such a worthwhile event. Thank you to the competitors for providing an exciting weekend of golf.”

Several other events were held in conjunction with the tournament. They included a Big Brothers Big Sisters golf clinic, a skill competition for tournament players and a Friday night barbecue. Though The Village has been the main charity of the golf event for more than 20 years, scholarships were also awarded to local high school students by the North Dakota Open Charitable Foundation and the Fargo Country Club.

BENEFITING THE VILLAGE FAMILY SERVICE CENTER
Fargo Country Club * Fargo, North Dakota
August 22, 23, and 24, 2008
www.bobcatndopen.com

ND Open

Bobcat North Dakota State Open

History