History

Written by Keith Prince

Squire Creek Country Club became the home of The Jim Rivers Senior Invitational in May of 2008. Jim Rivers was instumental in helping the James Davison family with this golf course which openened in 2002. Jim envisioned this tournament being played on this spectacular golf course one day and given the opportunity here we are today.

Jim Rivers started the Bayou DeSiard Country Club Senior Cotton States Invitational Golf Tournament in 1994. Looking back, it is easy to see that this prestigious event was "a natural" for Rivers because of his involvement in top-flight amateur events throughout the nation.

It is also easy to understand why this outstanding event was renamed The Jim Rivers BDCC Senior Cotton States Invitational to honor the memory of Rivers, who died of cancer in 2003.

One of Louisiana's finest senior golfers, himself, Rivers actually served as an unofficial ambassador for Bayou DeSiard Country from 1986-94 as he won friends everywhere he played in senior golf events in all sections of the country.

In the early 1990s, both Bayou DeSiard Country Club leaders and many of Rivers' friends on the senior circuit requested that he bring a top senior event to Monroe. Working alongside his wife Debbie as co-host, Rivers answered that request with the Senior Cotton States Invitational in 1994. This tournament replaced a previous BDCC senior tourney that was flighted by handicap and featured 168 players - and now includes top ranked senior amateurs from every corner of the nation. Upward to 30 states are represented annually at the Jim Rivers Senior Cotton States.

While the Jim Rivers Senior Cotton States has grown in stature among national senior events since 1994, it is actually akin to the original Bayou DeSiard Cotton States, which dates back to 1951 and continues to draw many top amateurs - especially top-flight college golfers - to Monroe each summer.

The Cotton States Invitational was begun and nurtured by the late highly respected Bayou DeSiard Pro Winnie Cole, for whom the tournament is now named, and was first won by former PGA star Don January and later included such participants as Hal Sutton, David Toms, Gil Morgan, Homero Blancos and Jackie Cupit.

Correctly, Rivers thought it was natural to name the new senior event the Senior Cotton States and it flourished under his direction until his death. It continues to hold a significant place among top senior amateur events in the South under the direction of Debbie Rivers.

Jim Rivers was called on often to serve on committees relating to golfing activities within the community of Monroe, on the state level and even nationally as a member of the Golf Digest Committee and the Society of Seniors.

While serving as President of Bayou DeSiard Country Club in 1987, Rivers chaired the reconstruction of the club's golf course - which annually is ranked among Louisiana's finest golf courses.

As a player, Rivers won the Louisiana Senior State Amateur championship in 1985 and 2000. Appropriately, he also won the inaugural Senior Cotton States Invitational in 1994.

He was also senior club champion at Bayou DeSiard 10 times. And he also qualified for the United States Senior Amateur in 1989, 1991, 1992, 1994 and 2000.

Jim Rivers was in the automobile business for 25 years and was president and CEO of several auto related businesses and an oil and gas production company.

Along the way, he raised 5 children and has 5 grandchildren.

Previous Winners

JIM RIVERS
Rivers' dedication and drive will be missed in our area
By Keith Prince
Monday, November 24, 2003
Source: The News-Star

I never knew Jim Rivers was an Eagle Scout - but I am not at all surprised to learn that he was. There are some very special qualities attached to those boys who earn that prestigious award. Perseverance. Compassion. Creativity. Patriotism. And, as part of that task, youngsters learn about the importance of participating within the community. Those qualities often show up time and again when those boys become men - and for sure they did in Jim Rivers.

Today we say goodbye to Rivers, a man who used - and lived by - the values that he learned while becoming an Eagle Scout. Mainly, Rivers used his leadership skills to make things better for our community, a place he dearly loved and served all of his adult life. While Jim's enthusiasm showed up in whatever task he tackled, one of his real passions over the last half of his life was golf. That's where I got to know Jim and to work with him on several projects. I always found him to be bright, organized, innovative and aggressive in seeing that a job was done well and with class.

He didn't mind taking a stand for something he believed in and his business intuition virtually always proved right. But I guess one of the things that intrigued me most about Jim was his sheer love of golf. He was one of the few men I know who was able to elevate his game several notches as he grew older. He said, and I am sure it is true, that he simply had more time for the sport from middle age on. Nobody worked harder. It is impossible to recount the number of times Jim could be found at Bayou DeSiard Country Club's triangle (practice area) working on his wedge game. "That's where we can all improve our scoring the most - from 100 yards in," he said. And he proved it by hitting thousands of wedge shots.

Today I know I should take that as one final lesson from a good friend. He definitely became one of the elite senior players in the state - winning the state senior title twice - and was very competitive on the national senior level. One of his most beloved projects over the past 10 years was the Senior Cotton States, which he and wife Debbie directed to great success. It was very fitting that during this past year the Senior Cotton States earned such a strong national reputation that the tournament was put on the point system for senior "Player of the Year" recognition. Jim knew inclusion on that prestigious list would enhance the field and, sure enough, last May's event drew the best group in its history.

Some of the nation's top senior golfers and their wives have come to Monroe often for a weeklong stay to play in the Senior Cotton States. Really, though, I have always felt most of them came because of Jim and Debbie. The Rivers forged many great relationships around the country through senior golf and their "partners" always came to support them and enjoy their hospitality. In fact, more wives accompanied their husbands here for the Senior Cotton States than to any other tournament on the seniors' schedule. That can be traced directly to the Rivers.

Jim and Debbie have truly been among this community's very best ambassadors for many years through their travels, representing us at events around the country and more recently through the Senior Cotton States. But as many of you already know, Jim Rivers has been active in community affairs for a long, long time. His civic work included the Ouachita Valley Council of Boy Scouts, the Jaycees, the Chamber of Commerce, the YMCA, the Monroe City School Board and the United Way. What it all says is that Jim Rivers really cared about us.

And, that's why this goodbye hurts so much.

Keith Prince is a staff writer for The News-Star.
Contact him at 362-0235 or at P.O. Box 1502, Monroe, La. 71210.