Pro Players Classic Seeks to Provide Scholarships to Veterans, Cure Autism and Stresses Community Involvement
Scottsdale, AZ. (October 14, 2010) – The tee off for the 13th annual Pro Players Classic (PPC), one of Arizona’s most popular annual celebrity golf tournaments, starts Dec. 4th, 2010, at the Terravita Golf and Country Club in Scottsdale. The PPC offers the opportunity to meet and golf with legendary professional athletes and celebrities from Hollywood, NFL, NHL, professional golf and major league baseball. More than 130 golfers and 30+ former professional athletes and celebrities will participate in the charitable fund-raising event benefiting Phoenix-based Southwest Autism Research & Resource Center (SARRC), Thunderbird Global School of International Management, Boys and Girls Club of Greater Scottsdale – Lehi Branch Pima Maricopa Reservation, the new Desert Foothills YMCA, Athletes International Ministries, Shape UP US and many others.
Former professional athletes confirmed for the tournament include Hall of Famer Ted Hendricks, Five Time Super Bowl Winner Marv Flemming, All Pro’s Art Still and Christian Okoye and several local celebrities such as Dan Manucci and Mark Walczak.
The PPC golf tournament was originally developed to raise educational scholarship funds for underprivileged Indigenous and Native American youth. Over the years, it has grown to encompass many charitable organizations, including the Desert Foothills YMCA and the Firefighter’s Association of Greater Phoenix, as well as many Native American organizations, including the Boys & Girls Club’s Lehi Branch in Scottsdale, Arizona, The Kayenta Boys Basketball program on the Navajo Reservation and the United Nations of Indian Tribal Youth (“UNITY”). Dave Smoot, a former professional basketball player, and Lynn Larson, member of the Super Bowl V Champion Baltimore Colts, are co-founders of the tournament.
The PPC is proud to announce Southwest Autism Research & Resource Center (SARRC) as a second year beneficiary. “After visiting the organization and seeing the great work the SARRC team is doing to provide quality services and support to children and families affected by autism, searching for answers to solve the mysteries surrounding the disorder, I felt adding SARRC as a beneficiary was important,” said Dave Smoot.
In addition to its yearly charitable donations, the PPC annually presents the Ira Hayes
“Honorable Warrior” Award to individuals and organizations that deserve special recognition for extraordinary service to their community and country. The award is named for Ira Hayes, a Pima Native American and a native of Sacaton, Arizona, who fought as a U.S. marine in World War II and helped raise the American flag during the battle for Iwo Jima. Although Hayes never sought personal publicity or recognition, he and four other marines were immortalized in photographer Joe Rosenthal’s Pulitzer Prize-winning iconic photograph, Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima.
This year’s winner is currently under consideration.
The event is open to the public and begins at 6:30 p.m. Friday night December 3rd at Harold’s Corral in Cave Creek. The evening will include live and silent auctions, great food including prime rib dinner, and dancing into the early morning to Mogollon.
The tournament will be held on the prestigious 18-hole golf course at the beautiful Terravita Golf and Country Club, ranked as Arizona’s top private country club by a leading Arizona Golf Magazine for over seven (7) straight years. Terravita will be open to the public on Saturday, December 4th at 7:30 a. m. for registration, with a shotgun start at 9:30 a. m. The tournament will be held in a scramble format that will give all teams a chance to win.
The golf outing will be followed by a delicious steak dinner and awards presentation at the site of the Tournament and furnished by OUTBACK, who is also furnishing hot chicken sandwiches during the tournament. “We thank in advance all the generous sponsors and participating teams who make this cause possible,” said Smoot.
For more information about registration, participating as a sponsor, donations for the auction or any other general questions, please contact Melissa Patafio, mpatafio@natawa.com, or by visiting the Pro Players Classic Web site at www.proplayersclassic.com.
