Former President George H.W. Bush will serve the role of chief spectator at the FBR Open golf tournament this week in Scottsdale.
Like plenty of other fans at the tournament, Bush plans to mix work with leisure during his visit to Arizona.
The former president will serve as the keynote speaker for a meeting today among executives of the tournament’s corporate sponsor, Friedman, Billings, Ramsey Group, an investment banking firm based in Arlington, Va.,
said tournament spokesman
Rob Myers.
The speaking engagement is set for the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess resort, Myers said.
“I guess he’s going to stick around and catch some golf,” he added.
Bush, 82, will watch the first round from the FBR tent off the 18th green, said tournament chairman Pat McGinley. A lift has been installed behind the tent in case Bush, who had hip replacement surgery earlier this month, is unable to climb the stairs.
“The FBR uses this tournament to build and maintain relationships, and with President Bush coming, it really encourages a lot of top-level CEOs of companies to come,” McGinley said.
Bush’s arrival has created additional security needs, but McGinley said the public shouldn’t notice any difference at the tournament.
