This afternoon’s final round of the National Mining Association Pete Dye Classic will be entertainment for most who view it on the Golf Channel.

For Arch Coal Inc., “it’s a rallying point,” said Steven Leer, Arch’s chairman and chief executive officer. The St. Louis-based company, which has about 1,300 employees in West Virginia, brought about eight of its workers to Harrison County for this year’s tournament. Arch also brought in about a dozen customers from all over the nation.

“They get to see the state and we get to spend some time with them,” Leer said. “We can talk about issues facing the industry and hear about some of the needs of our customers. All in a delightful venue.”

Leer said the company’s guests this year are from West Virginia, Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Missouri. “Almost everybody we invited accepted and came,” he said

Pete Dye “is the only course in the nation that I’m aware of where there’s a professional tournament on reclaimed coal lands,” Leer said. “I think it showcases what can be done with reclamation and showcases West Virginia.”

He said it’s a tangible statement about what the coal mining industry, in conjunction with the PGA Nationwide Tour, can do.

Arch Coal has firsthand experience in turning a former mine site into a golf course. A surface mine owned by Arch’s Mingo Logan Coal Co. subsidiary was transformed into the Twisted Gun Golf Course several years ago. That project, which is near Gilbert, was paid for with contributions from Arch, Premium Energy Corp. and Pocahontas Land Corp.

Arch has been a lead sponsor each of the NMA Pete Dye Classic’s four years. Other lead sponsors include the National Mining Association, Consol Energy, Foundation Coal, the International Coal Group, Norfolk Southern, Peabody Energy and Northrop Grumman.

A lead sponsorship costs about $200,000 a year. Leer thinks it’s a good investment. He likes it that half of the money goes toward tournament expenses and prizes and the other half goes to local charities.

Charities supported by the golf tournament are:

#  The Clarksburg League for Services Inc., which aids underprivileged children and families.
# Genesis Youth Crisis Center Inc., which helps victims of neglect and abuse.
# The Make-A-Wish Foundation of Northern West Virginia, which grants wishes to children with life-threatening medical conditions.
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# Medbrook Children’s Charities, which promotes improvements in the lives of underprivileged children.
# The Pediatric Cancer Care & Research Fund, which makes resources available to children who are diagnosed with cancer.
# The United Health Foundation-Camp Catch Your Breath, an annual camp at Jackson’s Mill for children with asthma.
# The West Virginia Golf Foundation, a Charleston-based charity that aims to generate growth in the game of golf.

Leer played in the E.L. Robinson Governor’s Cup Pro-Am event at the Pete Dye course on Wednesday. He said he was looking forward to watching the final round of the 72-hole tournament on TV today and being able to say, “Hey, I played that hole — although I was off the green, down over that slope ...”

To contact George Hohmann, e-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or call 348-4836.