The Veteran Golfers Association (VGA) will host its National Championship tournament in San Francisco, Calif., Nov. 4-7 at The Olympic Club, a spectacular course and host site to five previous U.S. Open Championships. The 2018 season-ending event will showcase the determination and accomplishments of players and their families, as wounded veterans and Purple Heart recipients will make up nearly half the field, and competitors range from enlisted personnel to two-star generals, spanning the Korean War through Post 9/11 veterans.
The field features 90 regional winners competing for a coveted Red Jacket, which is ceremoniously awarded to VGA Champions in four divisions of competition: Veteran, Female Veterans, Combat Wounded, and Family members. For the players, the opportunity to travel for the VGA Championship is an honor in and of itself, as the season encompassed over 250 tournaments for more than 4,000 VGA members nationwide, hosted by military, public, and private courses alike.
“The Olympic Club has a history of staging great competition,” said Olympic Club Director of Golf Will Hutter. “Our members are truly honored to host the VGA Championship, and we’ve been looking forward to welcoming these heroes for quite some time.”
“The VGA’s mission is to enhance the lives of veterans and their family members through the camaraderie and sportsmanship of golf,” said VGA President Joshua Peyton, a retired Army Captain and Army Ranger. “Our goal is to treat all of the players who qualified for this year’s championship like PGA Tour professionals for a few days in honor of their service, sacrifice and patriotism.”
Since being founded in 2014, the VGA has hosted over 1,200 golf tournaments and more than 80,000 rounds of golf nationwide for Veterans and their family members. Earlier this year, the VGA opened its headquarters in the Village of Pinehurst, NC, which serves as the national hub for more than 4,000 VGA members in 44 states across the country. The organization taps the sport of golf as an alternative therapeutic activity, offering veterans and their families with a productive way to deal with the challenges of combat-related injuries and stress that impact their everyday lives.
Membership is open to all U.S. veterans – wounded, non-wounded, disabled, active duty and retired – as well as to their family members, including parents, siblings and dependents who are at least 18 years old. More information is available at www.vgagolf.org.