The Wyndham Championship had one of its best tournaments in years, and local charities again benefited from a program run by the title sponsor.
One of the beneficiaries, as determined in voting by fans attending the tournament, was The First Tee of the Triad, which received $100,000 through Wishes by Wyndham, a foundation of Wyndham Worldwide.
Jeff Howard, the First Tee president, said that the donation comes at a good time.
"Every charitable organization is stressed, and this donation will enable us to go a little bit faster with our program," Howard said.
Wyndham donated nearly $400,000 to children's charities during the tournament at Sedgefield Country Club.
"We were so grateful to Wyndham for giving us this opportunity and thankful to all the fans who believed in us enough to vote for us," Howard said.
Fans had the chance to vote this year on their charity of choice at kiosks set up at the tournament.
First Tee plans to use the donation to enhance its popular programs at Winston Lake and Tanglewood Park. It also has a presence in local schools and hopes to spread to more schools.
"We are in 21 Forsyth County elementary schools with our character development, life skills program, and this will allow us to get into Guilford County and get into the schools there," Howard said. "I'm hoping that at least a portion of this incredible donation will be used for that purpose."
Wyndham didn't restrict its giving to children's charities. It also donated $100,000 to the Second Harvest Food Bank of Northwest North Carolina. The money will provide 700,000 meals to local residents.
"Philanthropy has been an important part of the Wyndham Championship, and what makes this event so very special," said Stephen P. Holmes, the chairman and CEO of Wyndham Worldwide. "We are so proud to support so many wonderful organizations through our tournament, and exploring new ways to spread their message to new supporters."
Local charities can expect more of the same from Wyndham in future years — the sponsorship agreement has been extended through 2016.
For the First Tee of the Triad, the program should continue to grow.
"We use the game of golf as a hook or a venue to teach kids life skills through golf, and the course provides a perfect venue," Howard said. "For us, 75 percent of our kids are on full scholarship for our program, and this wonderful donation will enable us to continue making our programs available to every child regardless of their ability to pay for it."
Howard estimates that the program has touched more than 16,000 children in four years.
CGA Golf House at Pine Needles
The Carolinas Golf Association has plans to build a Carolinas Golf House near the Pine Needles Resort in Southern Pines. The house will be headquarters for the CGA and will have a museum displaying the long history of golf in the Carolinas.
Founded in Charleston S.C., in 1909, the CGA had its main office in Seven Lakes since 1991. It then rented a building in Clemmons for a time, and now will again have a permanent home.
"After moving here 20 years ago, Seven Lakes and Moore County have embraced us," said Jack Nance, the executive director of the CGA and a Wake Forest graduate. "Simply, we have run out of space in our current office building.
"Carolinas Golf House, however, is more than a new office building for our staff. It will be a focal point for the game."
The CGA offers membership services to nearly 170,000 golfers at CGA clubs.
Kelly Miller, the president of Pine Needles, said: "We are excited about the CGA keeping its home and headquarters in this area."
For more information, visit www.carolinasgolf.org or www.settingthecourse.org.
Around the green
Ella Rae Matthews of Hickory was named the volunteer of the year for the Greater Hickory Classic at Rock Barn. Matthews, who has been a volunteer all eight years the tournament has been at Rock Barn, pulled double duty in June when she was a walking scorer and helped in transportation.
The SAS Championship, a Champions Tour tournament scheduled Sept. 30 through Oct. 2, will feature seven World Golf Hall of Fame members — Ben Crenshaw, Hale Irwin, Tom Kite, Bernhard Langer, Larry Nelson, Nick Price and Curtis Strange. The tournament will be at Prestonwood Country Club in Cary.
Uly Grisette of Clemmons will try to defend his title in the N.C. Mid-Amateur Championship, scheduled Friday through Sunday at River Run Country Club in Davidson. Grisette won last year's title at Raleigh Country Club and also won in 2008. The mid-am will have 307 golfers, all 30 or older.
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