The moment came just weeks after the PGA Frisco site opened to the public on May 2. Thursday’s festivities opened the new venue to spectators, volunteers and community members as history unfolded on the course.

Meet some of the faces who made it out to PGA Frisco’s first major championship on Thursday as play teed off.

Ashley Miller

As Ashley Miller has volunteered alongside players and caddies this week, she’s made it a point to ask what they think of the course and of the city of Frisco.

“And I think it’s been really interesting from their perspective to see how they’re falling in love with it and just how excited they are,” she said. “I’ve heard a lot of positive things about how convenient things are, how close things are, how they love the course in particular, but the people--they’re very impressed with the people. So I think it’s exciting to see it, but also it’s kind of an emotional thing. Because we all love our city, but to see these celebrities, these players, these athletes that we admire fall in love with it, that’s been a whole new experience.”

She adds that through the experience, she’s had to remind herself that she’s in Frisco.

“It’s wild to be out on that course and look around, and you have to remind yourself, like, this is insane that this is our home,” she said.

Scott Starnes

Frisco resident Scott Starnes moved to Frisco in 1999. It wasn’t until 2018 that news of the PGA’s move to Frisco became public, and it wasn’t until 2023 that the site hosted its first major championship.

“It’s absolutely insane to think about,” Starnes said. “Beautiful property. You don’t even feel like you’re in Frisco, right? You kind of feel like you’re someplace else just with the rolling hills, the trees. I talked to a lot of the pros yesterday, they love it.”

For the first PGA Frisco tournament, Starnes is one of multiple Frisco residents sporting a blue polo as a championship volunteer.

“Just being able to volunteer out here and give back to Frisco, it’s been so good to my family, just feels good,” he said.

Chuck Melton

Volunteering alongside Starnes is Chuck Melton, who also lives in Frisco.

He notes that the campus covers a good amount of property.

“Just from the district all the way to the other side is a 40-minute walk,” he said. “And if you were to walk the whole thing it’s nine miles. So it’s very spread out. It’s beautiful. It’s absolutely beautiful. And (...) it’s a championship course, so it’s challenging. Players love it, so far, all the players I’ve talked to. And we’re just fortunate to have it here in Frisco.”

Ed Robinson

For Ed Robinson, coming to PGA Frisco’s first major championship was a family matter -- his children gifted the experience to him for Father’s day.

“I tell you what, Frisco’s nice,” said Robinson, who traveled from Oklahoma. “And I was anxious to see this golf course.”

The experience also served as a chance to see his son and to see his daughter, who lives in Frisco.

“It’s a great venue, and I have gotten to go to several of these type of things, and this was right up here at the top,” he said. “You guys are doing a good job down here.”

Kevin Hail

Frisco resident Kevin Hail made it a point to speak to developers for surrounding projects when activities at the championship kicked off this week.

“This was the first time that they were seeing the vision that they’d had really come true, come to life,” Hail said. “Because they had to build this and buy this land back when it was just farmland. And it’s kind of like, you know, you’re taking a huge chance on it, right? And so today, you’re going “Wow, this is the anchor project for all these other projects that are kicking off.” So the home builders and everyone, it’s like Christmas morning for them when they walked out here, because they’re finally seeing all of this come to life and seeing crowds out here and thinking about the businesses that are going to be a part of it. It’s really exciting.”

For Hail, who serves as a board member of Frisco’s convention and visitors bureau, PGA Frisco represents a chance to bring programming for a variety of visitors to north Frisco.

“We have The Star down in more like south Frisco, and this is kind of what’s going to anchor all of these entertainment projects up here,” he said.

Beyond the impact to the city, the experience as a Frisco resident isn’t lost on Hail.

“I mean here I am, I’m a Frisco resident, I’m 15 minutes away from the house and I’m watching John Daly hit out of the sand,” he said. “How incredible is that?”

Nikki Marquardt

For Nikki Marquardt, it all felt real when the first spectator walked through the entrance gates.

Marquardt, who serves as corporate hospitality sales and marketing lead with the PGA of America, relocated to the area in December 2021.

“We’ve been planning PGA Frisco, the project itself, all of our major championships, for many years,” she said. “So seeing the first spectator come through the gates yesterday morning was just very fulfilling, and we are looking to build a great legacy to come.”

Jeff Cheney

When did it all feel real for Frisco Mayor Jeff Cheney?

“You know, I think this may be it,” Cheney replied, walking across a bridge on the Fields Ranch East Course after having watched golf legend John Daly tee off.

As Cheney puts it, the number of volunteers present at the championship is notable.

“It’s like the whole city has embraced this as their project, their tournament, and just want to be a part of it and a part of what’s happening,” Cheney said. “Even though this is the first unveiling, you can already tell that this is going to be kind of the essence of what it means living in Frisco. You enjoy the public amenities whether you’re a golfer or not.”

That Thursday, the courses themselves hosted droves of spectators as they followed players throughout the day.

“When we started talking about this, the PGA told us that this was going to be the first kind of made-for-tv and made-for-tournament golf course,” he said, “where it was designed specifically to be able to execute large events, be able to move crowds around, make it easy to follow your favorite golfers, and to set up their equipment, set up the right camera angles.”

“Most golf tournaments you couldn’t do this,” he later added as the crowd continued walking alongside Daly to the site of his next shot. “You’ve got to, like, follow a golfer, then go three holes ahead and wait for them to come through again. But you’re seeing the execution of the design for a course made to host tournaments like this.”

The Thursday moment came after years of work towards making PGA Frisco and its first major championship a reality. The project, which was first publicly announced in 2018, opened to the public in early May, days before the 2023 Kitchenaid Senior PGA Championship.

“All of us have been really reflective over this whole process, because it is kind of an emotional moment when you just think about how hard this project was, you know, how many reasons there were for it to never happen and the fact that everyone kept pushing, knowing that if we were successful, it could be something really really special,” Cheney said.

He points to a hill in the distance across from where play is unfolding.

“You know, from standing up on that hilltop in 2017 and trying to visualize what this could be, and then here we are,” he said. “It’s pretty amazing.”

And, he adds, it’s just the beginning.