Alexander passes away in nursing home

Published Apr. 28, 2010 6:43 p.m. ET

foxsports

Alex Alexander, the man who convinced the PGA in 1971 that a small town on New York's Southern Tier could meet the demands of a regular stop on tour, has died. He was 88.

Jon Karedes, tournament director for the Dick's Sporting Goods Open on the Champions Tour, says Alexander died Wednesday of natural causes in a nursing home while recuperating from a respiratory problem.

Alexander was the longtime executive director of Broome County Community Charities. He was the driving force behind the B.C. Open, which was staged without a title sponsor for 36 years at En-Joie Golf Club in nearby Endicott before its run ended in 2006.