Golfers hit the links for charity

Golfers are a generous group, playing in various charity tournaments throughout the year.

Central Virginia is no stranger to the events that help fight dreaded diseases and support various other causes as well. It’s all in good fun, but the money is extremely important to the number of organizations that conduct the tournaments.

Two of the area’s biggest tournaments are hoping to make a big impact on their charities during these tough economic times. Bill Howard’s 11th Annual Alzheimer’s Association golf tournament was held this past week, and Mac McDonald’s annual event that benefits the UVa Children’s Hospital will be held on Monday.

Putting on these large gatherings is no easy task.

“I think any tournament, no matter what you decide to do or how to run it, depends on strong corporate support,” said McDonald, who has a host of corporate sponsors for his event, as does Howard.

McDonald’s group began planning in February, Howard and the Alzheimers folks had their first meeting in November. In fact, Howard said they’ve already set next year’s date, May 6, at Birdwood.

“After you’ve done it 11 years it’s a little bit easier,” Howard said. “The first couple of years we had to retrain people because of staff turnover in the association. Now, we had a tremendous staff that performs a lot of the tasks to help our event become a success. You don’t just jump out there and have a golf tournament.”

McDonald agreed.

“This year with [LPGA player] Morgan Pressel, we wanted to bring something a bit different to the area, but still, it is all about the charity,” he said. “Over the years we have raised more than $750,000 for the UVa Children’s Hospital. This year we earmarked our funds for pediatric oncology research.”

Both McDonald and Howard have created another event that coincides with their tournament in order to get more folks involved, particularly spouses, who may not play golf.

McDonald is holding a fundraising party. Howard had a gala with a silent auction. During McDonald’s party, he will auction off the right to caddy for Pressel in Monday’s nine-hole exhibition match (read below for details), and is hoping to bring in $5,000 for the privilege.

Howard used to have the gala immediately following the tournament but decided last year to switch to the next night so that golfers had an opportunity to refresh and to bring out their better halves for some arm-twisting at the silent auction that features an array of items up for bid during the evening at the Omni Hotel.

Howard’s annual goal has been $80,000 and rose to $100,000 for this year’s event, although the results aren’t available quite yet.

“The economy hit us pretty hard this year,” Howard said. “Normally, we have 28 teams in our afternoon session and about 20 for the morning session. This year we had 28 total.”

Over the years, Howard’s event has brought more than half a million dollars into the Alzheimer’s Association.

Both McDonald and Howard are extremely grateful to the volunteers, the paid staff personnel of both organizations, to the golf courses and staffs at Keswick and Birdwood, along with all the sponsors that are helping these charities make a difference in our community.

Pressel’s exhibition Monday

LPGA star Morgan Pressel, fresh off her appearance in Williamsburg, will be in Charlottesville on Monday morning for a special nine-hole exhibition match to kick off the Mac McDonald Everyday Shop and Cafe Children’s Golf Classic at Keswick Club and Estate.

Pressel will warm up on the practice tee at 8:15 Monday morning at Keswick with playing partners Bob Rotella, Steve Czaban of Fox Morning Sports and Paul Manning of PBM Products. The exhibition begins at 9 a.m. on the course’s back nine.

The Children’s Classic begins at 1 p.m., with Pressel on the course greeting golfers throughout the day.

Spectators are welcome for the exhibition, but need to purchase a ticket (only $10), with proceeds going to the Children’s Hospital.

Dogwood make-up

The Pepsi Dogwood Pro-Am golf tournament has been rescheduled for Tuesday, May 19 at 11 a.m. at Meadowcreek Golf Course.

The original outing was rained out last week.

Players can call the pro shop at 977-0615 for further details.

The shag bag

If you’re wondering about the future of golf in the Charlottesville area, just look at what some of the local juniors are doing. Glenmore’s Elizabeth Brightwell and Daniel Walker performed well in a strong AJGA field at the Cliffs in North Carolina recently, while Farmington’s Fitz Woodrow and Glenmore’s Michael Comer played well at the Plantations Tournament at Stoney Creek. ... Two upcoming charity tournaments you should put on your calendar: Help Henley Middle School Go Green, June 11 at Old Trail, 9 a.m. shotgun start, $400 per team ($100 per individual), with proceeds going to put solar panels on the roof of the school, contact Jeff Toms at ; and Benefit for Mason Thomas, July 18 at Meadowcreek, 8 a.m. shotgun start, captain’s choice, various prices for teams, all benefiting Mason Thomas, diagnosed in 2005 with a rare form of neuroblastoma. The kid is fighting as hard as he can, but needs your help. Contact Amy Bishop at 882-4627.