"America's Guest" - The Tom Weibel Story
NEWSWIRE - JULY 2010
by Steve Verduzco
The Kalamazoo Country Club Invitational lost one of its most revered and well-liked contestants this past year. Tom Weibel of Grand Rapids played in the KCC Invitational for nearly 30 years. This past January, Tom passed away after a battle with kidney cancer. He’s survived by his two boys, Tom Jr., age 30, Patrick, 27, daughter Lily, 23 and Tom Jr.’s wife, Jaime. The three siblings currently live within miles of each other in Chicago.
‘Weibs’ attended Western Michigan University for undergraduate school and earned his law degree from the University of Notre Dame. He and KCC Head Pro Dick Stewart became close friends during their college days. When Dick became Pro at the KCC in 1978, he encouraged Tom to play in our club’s annual signature event. Tom played with his Sunnybrook Golf Club (Grandville) buddy Rick Gilman first in 1980 and continued the partnership all the way through to 2007. Tom Jr. says, “The Kalamazoo Invitational was always a big date on our calendar. Dad would polish his game up in the weeks heading into the tournament. It was something we all looked forward to. Even when we were away in school or working, that was the week we would plan to come home and visit.”
The combination of Weibel and Gilman made a strong team, capable of beating anyone in match play. John Todd was a KCC Invitational stalwart and a good friend of Tom’s. He said, “I can tell you that Tom was a great partner and one of the best long iron players that I can remember. When you drew ‘Weibs’ and Gilman for your match, you knew you were in for a grind.” Dick spoke to Tom’s tenacity on the golf course: “Weibs was a grinder. As the late Jimmy V famously advocated, Tom ‘never gave up.’ I saw him make more spectacular pars than anyone I know.” To that end, one of Tom Jr.’s favorite memories of watching his Dad play in the Invitational occurred just a few years ago. He got to see a match between his Dad and Rick against the team of reigning U.S. Public Links Champion Jack Newman and KCC’s +1 handicapper Mark Lincoln. Tom says, “In their later years, the college players would take a look at my Dad and Rick on the first tee and just chuckle. But that day, Dad made a few birdies and several par saves to win the match. That was a pretty cool thing to see. I was so proud of them.”
While Tom was a good player, what really defined him and his time at the Invitational was that he enjoyed all the event’s fun activities. John Todd says, “My guess is that Tom must have played in more Invitationals than anyone with the exception of Bert Cooper. He was the Invite’s greatest out of town supporter. His support showed up not only as a player for so many years but also as friend to so many KCC members. Tom participated in all the events of the tournament. The thing that really set him apart from many KCC Invitational players was the fact that you could count on seeing Tom on Sunday afternoon following the last match of the tournament.”
Dick spoke to Tom’s love of people: “Weibs would befriend anyone within eyesight and talk of all the great matches he was in or the ones he saw during his time. He and another great friend of mine, Michael Kernicki (Head Pro at The Canterbury Country Club in Cleveland), and I have played most of the great clubs in the country together. Since Tom tagged along with us, he, of course, played all those places for free. In doing so, he earned his nickname – ‘America’s Guest,’ or simply, AG.”
Tom Jr. said the love his Dad had for others was returned 10-fold during his illness: “As a young adult, I quickly realized how many people he would talk to and greet. It was apparent when he was sick just how many people’s lives he touched. The support our family received from others was unbelievable. Dad was everybody’s best friend. He was always ‘America’s Guest.’ When we were kids at the KCC, he was like a celebrity to us.”
While golf was an important part of Tom’s life, it’s clear that his children were his passion. Tom Jr. says, “I think I can speak for my brother and sister on this. It was present in our lives that Dad was the authority figure growing up. But as we got older, we all became great friends. He was always the first guy we’d call when we had something great happen or when we needed help.”
Tom, Jr. and Jaime were married this past October. It was a blessing that his Dad battled his illness long enough to make it to that date. His Dad was able to support Tom Jr. as his Best Man at his wedding – something the family will forever cherish. Tom and Jaime received some great news recently. Jaime is pregnant with the couple’s first child, due in February.
‘Weibs’ will be sorely missed at the KCC Invitational. Though both of Tom’s sons have played in the Invitational in recent years, we don’t have a Weibel in the field here in 2010. We know, however, that Tom’s spirit will be alive and with us this week – ‘America’s Guest’ has the best seat to watch the event. Hopefully, we’ll get his boys back in the tournament soon and the birth of a new Weibel in February will ensure that we’ll have a ‘Weibs’ in our field for many years to come.