Cincinnati Bengals fans with tickets to the final round of the Kroger Queen City Championship Presented by P&G weren't forced to choose between watching the game or attending the tournament Sunday.
Tournament directors set up a "fan zone'' near the 10th tee, where the Bengals' season opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers was broadcast on an outdoor LED display screen.
James Allen, 48, and his father, Steve, 68, both from Northern Kentucky, came across the fan zone after ordering drinks at the nearby Tito's Vodka stand.
"This is an added bonus,'' the younger Allen said shortly after the Bengals' 1 p.m. kickoff. "I went over to Tito's to get my drink, and now I get to watch the Bengals beat the "expletive" out of the Steelers.''
The football game didn't start out as Allen had hoped.
Quarterback Joe Burrow's first pass was intercepted and returned for a touchdown by the Steelers.
Misty Jump, 44, a longtime Bengals fan who was sitting at one of the picnic tables set up in the fan zone, put her hands over her face after the interception, but remained undaunted.
"It's still early,'' said Jump, who lives in Florence. "They'll be back. I think they can make it all the way back to the Super Bowl.''
Jump is an independent brand ambassador who was doing promotional work for a liquor brand at the golf tournament.
She said her job would have forced her to miss the football game if it wasn't broadcast in the fan zone.
"I wanted to watch the game so bad, so this is amazing,'' Jump said.
Alexander Maier, 25, and his twin brother, Taylor, said they would have found a way to watch the game, regardless of the circumstances.
But as regulars at the Kenwood Country Club, where they and their family are members, the brothers also wanted to show support for the golf tournament.
"The Bengals are playing, so "Who Dey!.'' I was going to watch the game,'' Alexander Maier said. "But it's a once-in-lifetime thing to have an LPGA event come to your home course. It's really kind of cool to be able to watch both of them (Bengals and golf) at the same time.''