The Agricultural Business Club thought this year might be the first time in 10 years that it would not be able to hold its annual golf tournament at Coldwater Golf Links, so when the club was notified the club would reopen for their tournament, it knew they had to do something special.

Coldwater Golf Links reopened Friday morning for the Agricultural Business Club’s golf tournament, after closing for the investigation of Celia Barquín Arozamena’s death. Club members brought flowers and did not play the ninth hole in honor of Barquín Arozamena.

Professor Ron Deiter, the club’s adviser, decided the night before the tournament the golfers would skip the ninth hole and give themselves a score of one-under-par — also known as a birdie.

“I thought it would be a good tribute if we skipped hole number nine and asked everybody when they’re driving down the cart path on number nine to pay their respects to Celia in their own way,” Deiter said. “Then when they get up by the number ten green, just give yourself a birdie because that’s probably what she would have gotten.”

Cole Neese, chair of the Agricultural Business Club’s Sponsor Relations Committee, suggested the club leave flowers on the ninth hole tee box as well.

“Being the first to play the the course, we felt like the club should do something to honor Celia as people passed through hole nine, and leaving flowers on the tee box was [something we] could do to express our condolences,” Neese said.

Club members had intended to hold a practice at Coldwater on the Monday before their tournament when they received news that a body had been found at the course.

“We were all in shock, as many of us live within sight, and are members of the course,” Neese said. “As the week went on, more information came out, and we couldn’t believe something like this could happen so close.”

The club briefly considered holding its tournament elsewhere, but the day before the tournament the club received word that it would be able to host its tournament.

The golf tournament serves as a networking event for the club, with over 80 representatives from the agribusiness industry as well as over 80 students competing. Deiter said he was concerned about people’s comfort levels in playing the hole as well as being respectful to Barquín Arozamena’s memory.

“Maybe there’s something symbolic about what we did,” Deiter said. “Obviously Celia didn’t get to finish that hole, so we didn’t either.”