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By John Maginnes
PGATOUR.com Contributor

The modern custodians of the game are saddled with the guise of growing the game while maintaining its traditions and integrity. In the ever-shrinking world we live in, it would be easy to forget that only a few years ago drivers were wooden and balls were balata.

The equipment used by players competing in the early days of the PGA TOUR stop in Greensboro, N.C., would be even less recognizable to the modern TOUR player. However, for Tournament Director Mark Brazil, the Wyndham Championship is a state-of-the-art tournament with a rich and celebrated history that spans nearly 70 years. That history is to be revered while the Wyndham Championship moves into golf's newest era.

The Wyndham Championship has reached out beyond its geographic bounds to court neighboring golf fans and sponsors to participate. (Michael Cohen/WireImage)

Golf has become a big-market sport. Tournaments like the John Deere Classic in the Quad Cities and the Wyndham Championship in Greensboro rely on overwhelming community support for the survival of their events. In markets with populations that barely push 1 million people, these tournaments have unique challenges. Both tournaments have reached out well beyond their local geographic bounds to include and encourage neighboring golf fans and sponsors to participate.

"This is no longer just Greensboro's tournament, this is central North Carolina's tournament, and we want to give the best sports entertainment for the money and still be in a position to give something back," Brazil explains.

As more fans identify with and embrace these tournaments as their own more money is raised for local charities and the profile of the event is elevated. The millions of dollars raised from these annual events remains in the community in the form of charitable contributions.

The fastest and most efficient way to elevate a tournament's profile is with the field. Smaller market tournament directors spend a significant amount of their time trying to make their event special to attract today's stars. Three weeks before the Wyndham Championship, the final event in which players can earn FedExCup points leading into the playoffs, the field is still taking shape.

"Even though we may not have had the best fields on TOUR in recent years, our list of winners is impressive," Brazil says. Davis Love III is the defending champion in Greensboro, where he has now won twice.

While this year's field will certainly boast a handful of high-profile players, there will be more storylines than ever at the Wyndham Championship. There have already been an estimated 50 more media credential request than in any single recent year.

"Every player on TOUR is aware of his position on the points list," Brazil says. Some players will be vying for a spot in the 144-man field of The Barclays the week following the Wyndham Championship. Others will be trying to solidify a spot higher on the points list that will help them make a run deeper into the playoffs.

"What the PGA TOUR has tried to do with the new system has worked," Brazil says. However, Mark is not relying on the new system to do his work for him. He is still actively recruiting the game's best in hopes of attracting them to Piedmont North Carolina.

While Mark is looking forward to the 2007 event, he is already working a year ahead -- trying to enhance not only the players' experience but the sponsors' and fans' as well. In addition to coordinating the logistical aspects, the tournament director is responsible for selling that event to sponsors. They must follow and assess the varying fiscal years of the companies in their communities. Mark views the sales of his event as a competition. The competition for sponsorship dollars is a constant battle for every tournament director, but is emphasized in smaller markets where the pot is smaller.

One thing that attracts potential sponsors to PGA TOUR events is the knowledge that the money raised is fed back into the community, and Greensboro is no exception. "We would love to be able to give the kind of money that Dallas and Phoenix and some of the other events can give," Mark says. Those events routinely donate upwards of $4-5 million dollars annually. Mark's goal this year is to give back more than $1 million.

Mark says that in addition to giving back to the Piedmont Triad section of North Carolina the tournament feels a sense of pride and responsibility to promote the community as a comfortable place to live and a wonderful place to raise a family.

Some PGA TOUR events, like Greensboro, have been in existence for nearly a century, but the role of tournament directors has never been as complex as it is today. From player recruitment to obtaining sponsorships to raising charitable dollars to enhancing the fan experience, the job is all encompassing. However, while tournaments like Greensboro plow forward in an effort to forge newer and even more fertile grounds, they keep a watchful eye on the past.

Three Sundays from now when the Sam Snead Trophy is awarded to the Wyndham Championship winner, he will join a list that includes Byron Nelson and the trophy's namesake, an eight-time champion there. Even before the applause dies down, though, Mark Brazil will be looking ahead to the 2008 Wyndham Championship.