You can't see it now among the overgrown cart paths and weed-choked lagoons but a championship golf course will soon rise in City Park. In two years or so, local duffers won't have to trek to English Turn or the TPC of Louisiana on the West Bank to enjoy championship-caliber golf. For the first time in decades, the East Bank could play host to a PGA Tour event.

Thursday was an important day for New Orleans golf.

City Park's long-awaited, oft-delayed $24.5 million golf complex finally broke ground and will one day be a boon for the local golf community. A new clubhouse, driving range and practice facility will be constructed on the footprint of old East and West courses, along with some upgrades for the North Course.

But the centerpiece—and future economic engine—will be the 7,300-yard Rees Jones-designed tract, which city and state officials broke ground on after nine years of planning and fund-raising.

Rees Jones Inc. are the guys that designed Congressional, Medinah, Pinehurst and Baltusrol Park. Their City Park design is expected to mirror two of their finest municipal projects, Torrey Pines in La Jolla, Calif., and Bethpage Park in Farmingdale, N.Y.

"I think it's going to be a remarkable development," said Darrah Schaefer of the Fore!Kids Foundation. "It has everybody's attention."

Zurich Classic officials, rest assured, are among those paying attention.

TPC Louisiana in Avondale is contracted to hold the Zurich through 2019. But after that, all bets are off. And City Park is expected to be the leader in the clubhouse to play host to the event in 2020 and beyond.

"We're always looking for the most competitive opportunity for the PGA Tour investment," Schaefer said. "We're very happy with our contract through 2019 with Zurich at TPC. Who knows what the future holds?"

Schaefer has to be diplomatic here. The Fore!Kids Foundation has enjoyed a long, productive relationship with TPC Louisiana and has to work with them for five more years. And truth be told, TPC Louisiana has been a wonderful host for the PGA Tour event since it left English Turn in 2005. Divorce is a delicate subject.

But everyone knows the PGA isn't helping to design a Rees Jones course in New Orleans just to host USGA club pro championships. Just like Stan Kroenke isn't building an 80,000-seat football stadium in Inglewood, Calif., to lure away the Holiday Bowl.

What really matters is how Zurich officials feel about the project. They're the ones who have to write the $13 million check each year. If they want the tournament at City Park, everyone else will follow.

"I think it's going to be a remarkable development," Schaefer said. "I think it has everybody's attention. The PGA Tour has a lot of intellectual capital invested in this thing. It's wonderful to have them involved. You're creating an opportunity for professional golf at the project."

It's a win-win for everyone involved, a rare example of a efficient, effective public-private partnership.

New Orleans sports fans could use some good news. What with the sordid Benson saga, the disappointing seasons of the Saints and Pelicans and lost bids for the Super Bowl, men's Final Four and College Football Playoff national championship game, the city hasn't had much to cheer about lately.

And a new home for championship level golf—and potentially the Zurich Classic—certainly qualifies for more than a golf clap.

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