PGA Pros to Play Fundraising Tournament in Texas

PGA Tour pros Viktor Hovland, Scottie Scheffler and Harry Higgs are set to take part in a 54 hole charity tournament in June. The 72 player tournament will also feature former Dallas Cowboys quarterback, Tony Romo, and former Brooklyn Nets point guard, Deron Williams, as well as a handful of All-American NCAA athletes.

The Maridoe Samaritan Fund Invitational is set to take place a few weeks before the pencilled-in restart date for PGA Tour events, which is June 11th. The event will take place at the Maridoe Golf Club in Carrollton, Texas, with the proceeds going to the club’s caddies who have been out of work since the coronavirus pandemic swept across the world.

All of the players’ entry fees of $250 will go directly towards the cause, but top professional finishers will still get a cash payout from a purse of $27,000. It has been suggested, however, that those who get a share of the purse will also donate their cash prizes to the caddies.

Details of the tournament

The tournament will run from Tuesday - Thursday on a 54 hole course and will comply with strict social distancing rules. The tournament will be completely closed to the media and public, meaning no fans will be permitted and no televised coverage will be available for the event. Fans will be able to keep up with the tournament via live scoring on Golfstat. Brently Romine, associate editor for Golf Channel told one fan on Twitter that post round video reels are expected to be made available after each round.

The Maridoe Golf Club has several high profile members, including dozens of PGA Tour pros. Among them is former world number one Jordan Spieth. When the tournament was officially announced on April 26th, it was widely reported that Spieth would be taking part. However, following a PGA Tour Players Advisory Council meeting on April 27th, it has been confirmed that Spieth has been kept from doing so. Despite not officially taking part in the tournament, Spieth will still be in attendance and rumour has it he may play as an unofficial marker in one of the groups.

Inclusive of the big name participants, all payers in the tournament are members of The Maridoe Golf Club. The competition is to be separated into three flights by handicap, including an “elite flight”, which is where the $27,000 purse will be up for grabs.

The genesis of the event 

The idea for the tournament was born out of a conversation between club owner, Albert Huddleston, and several Maridoe members, including Jordan Spieth. They were discussing the fact they’d never gone this long without playing a tournament when the idea of a charity competition was casually suggested. Fast forward 2 weeks, and everything for the 72 player tournament is in place with tee times already announced on Twitter.

The Maridoe Samaritan Fund Invitational is not the only lockdown era Golf event in the works, as details for a televised charity competition between Tiger Woods & Peyton Manning and Phil Mickelson & Tom Brady are expected to be announced in the coming days!