There's an army of volunteers behind the Walmart Northwest Arkansas Championship Presented by P and G and this year that army is larger than ever before, according to LPGA staff. There are about 700 volunteers signed up.
"We’ve never had this many volunteers and we just really appreciate the outpouring from the community," said James Taylor, a volunteer himself. "It’s turned into such a great event, it’s grown and it’s continuing to grow."
James Taylor has been a volunteer since the LPGA since started eight years ago. He's been the General Chairman for last three years. However, in the past he's been a walking score keeper and a caddy master.
"There’s events out here for everyone from the smallest kids all the way up to the most avid golfers," Taylor said.
The volunteers start before 5 a.m. They go around the golf course placing baskets with golf balls and they go back and forth from what they call the "compound" to pick up drinks and ice. However, they do so much more from driving shuttles to keeping score during the tournament.
Taylor said that most of the people at the tournament don't get paid, which means most of the money they raise, along with donations from corporate sponsors, goes back to the community. He said roughly half a million goes to charity.
"There's a very small core group of folks that are paid staff and everyone else is a volunteer," Taylor said. "Everyone you see around the course this week that have on a purple shirt, they are volunters, or orange and green shirts, they are also volunteers."
"So with over 700 volunteers, it's what makes it possible," he said.