Bobby Long.

• Author: Brafford, Kevin
• Position: Golf

Six years ago, Bobby Long was described in print as "the most successful businessman in Greensboro that you've never heard of." A few months later, he and his partner made headlines by selling their specialty-insurance brokerage. Business--he's now with Granville Capital--isn't why Long, 52, is in the news. It's his role in the group credited with keeping alive one of the PGA Tour's oldest tournaments: the former Greater Greensboro Open, now the Wyndham Championship.

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"For me, this wasn't so much about saving a tournament. It was more about uniting a region. If you looked at the Triad, which had been textile-and furniture-based, we had lost our swagger. I've always thought of golf as bringing people together. If we can make this...