Nicklaus, Palmer, Miller and Watson wow the crowds in the Champions for Change at the Golf Club of Harbor Shores

Forget the Buick Open.

Michigan golf fans wouldn't miss the PGA Tour if they could experience more fantastic events like the Champions for Change, the charity shootout that served as a grand opening celebration for the Golf Club at Harbor Shores in Benton Harbor.

The 3,600 fans lucky enough to secure tickets witnessed quite possibly the most star-studded foursome ever assembled for a charity event. Jack Nicklaus, the course designer, hosted Arnold Palmer, Tom Watson and Johnny Miller in a scramble skins shootout that delivered both great shot-making and fun-loving banter between the four legendary friends.



They've combined to win 35 major titles and 199 PGA Tour titles in one foursome, folks. Incredible.

I heard one African-American golf fan exclaim: "I can't believe Jack Nicklaus is in Benton Harbor. I walked from my house to see Jack Nicklaus."

Watson, 60, was on form, showcasing the shotmaking that almost won him the 2009 British Open. Playing with Arnold Palmer as his partner, he eagled the 14th hole on his own ball. Even with Nicklaus playfully interupting his routine to remind him that the putt on the 18th green was for the match, Watson stepped up and sank it without a moment's doubt.



Miller, the lead golf analyst for NBC, had his moments, but it was Nicklaus, even at age 70, that looked like he could still compete on the Champions Tour. In the most memorable moment of the day, Miller was all set to hit a lob wedge from the lower tier of the green on the par-5 10th hole when Nicklaus stepped in trying to save his course's green from getting a chunk ripped out of it. Nicklaus promptly holed his improbable putt up and over a severe slope, sending the crowd into a frenzy.

"For it to go in was pure freakin' luck," Nicklaus said afterward. "That was what I got the biggest kick out of today."

The tournament was my first look at the 6,861-yard, par-71 course. It's a beauty. The three dune holes at No. 7-9 are gorgeous and challenging. Boaters watched the action from the holes that touch the Paw Paw River -- No. 3 and 14-15 and No. 18. Nicklaus' chief designer Chris Rule added some unique touches like two greens on the sixth hole, a shorter one without the long carry over the river and one across the water.



And let's not forget that the whole event and course came to be for one purpose: To revitalize the economy in the sister communities of Benton Harbor and St. Joseph. The 530-acre non-profit Harbor Shores project could eventually build out to include a hotel, marina, a town center and shops, a fitness center and nearly 800 different residences. For more, visit harborshoresresort.com.

"What I would like to see in 10 years, I'd like to see the course have success, to create jobs, to create housing and a tax base," Nicklaus said.