CHICAGO _ The plan to transform Jackson Park and South Shore into a tournament-ready golf mecca is incredibly complicated, requiring tens of millions in fund-raising, cooperation from the City of Chicago, properly addressing lakefront erosion, gaining a buy-in from the community and approval from the Western Golf Association, PGA Tour and their business partners.
The plan also relies on Tiger Woods, who was selected as lead designer despite his limited portfolio in course design.
And now?
Can organizers count on Woods to be the face of the project?
Can anyone count on Woods to do anything productive following his DUI arrest after what he called an "unexpected reaction to prescribed medications"?
Mark Rolfing, the NBC analyst and DeKalb native who is spearheading the project, told the Tribune on Tuesday: "We can't roll out a Tiger Woods design without Tiger being a big part of it. He has to be engaged in it. We'll have to see whether he is willing and able to do that."
Rolfing, while observing play at the NCAA Division I Golf Championships at Rich Harvest Farms, likened Woods' situation to his own: Rolfing is going strong after being diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer of the salivary gland in the summer of 2015.
"I am viewing this as a wakeup call for Tiger," Rolfing said. "It's almost like having a second chance after Stage 4 cancer.
"Tiger's legacy as a player has been determined. He will never play at that level again. Whether or not he's competitive again is almost irrelevant to that legacy.
"What is totally unwritten at this point is what his legacy will be off the course. He has to try to figure out what will fulfill him, what will make him happy. I'm hoping that an initiative like Jackson could do something like that. What else would there be? He has some hobbies, he dives some, but he's not really a fisherman. I hope he really takes advantage of this situation."
What motivated Woods to take on the yet-to-be-named Jackson Park/South Shore project was a chance to do something meaningful for kids, according to Rolfing and others involved.
After touring the South Side courses in August, Woods asked: "Where are the kids?"
The Jackson Park/South Shore plan could provide a prime opportunity for Chicago-area kids to learn the game on a top-notch course and an accompanying short course and/or earn wages, make connections and vie for college scholarships as caddies.
The First Tee of Greater Chicago and Western Golf Association, which helps to fund the Evans Scholars Foundation, are key partners in the project.
Rolfing said of Woods: "It will be important for him to help sell what this will be. We really need him to change this perception that this will be an 'elite' golf course. It couldn't be further from an elite golf course. And people are only going to listen to me to a certain amount."
Rolfing said that the plan is to roll out a course design the week after the U.S. Open, in late June.
"I'm hoping that that plan doesn't change," he said.
