Celerity golf keeps growing, with the latest being the inaugural ClubCorp Classic PGA Tour Champions/Celebrity Golf Tournament, presented by Choctaw Casinos and Resorts.
The event is set for April 22-24, live on GOLF Channel, at Las Colinas Country Club in Irving, Texas.
The tournament features two tournaments in one, with the PGA Champions competing as normal, and the celebrities going against each other.
There is a $2 million purse for the PGA Champions Tour event, and a $500,000 purse for the celebrities.
Wednesday, former Major League Baseball pitchers Mark Mulder and John Smoltz joined Champions Tour golfer and Las Colinas member Corey Pavin on a conference call with golf media.
In addition to Mulder and Smoltz, regulars from the American Century Championships in Tahoe each year such as Mardy Fish, Jack Wagner, Annika Sorenstam, and Tony Romo to name a few, will also be competing.
It’s always enjoyable to talk golf, as well as baseball with Mulder and Smoltz.
Being the avid Oakland A’s fan that I am, I had a chance to ask the former A’s ace Mulder a question during the call.
My question: “Mark, I know this is probably getting to be like a broken record, but what advice would you give us long-suffering Oakland A’s fans to talk us off the ledge again this year?”
Mulder’s answer was classic and really brings into focus the pain of being an Oakland A’s fan.
Mulder’s answer: “I don’t know what I have for you, man. It’s something I probably never expected to see happen over and over. I was – a few weeks ago, or maybe it was a month ago when I saw the whole stuff about Chapman and OIson and just everything – it was tough to see that. They put something on Twitter saying thank you.
“I almost responded to them jokingly: Do you ever get tired of this? Because I know the fans do. I can’t imagine how hard it has to be for them year in, and year out to see the players they love go away. I actually found out not that long ago that Eric Chavez’s extension is still the largest contract ever signed by an A’s player. And I think that was 2003, 2004 – somewhere around there.
“It’s the way the A’s choose to do it and it’s unfortunate. It’s tough to see and it’s disappointing, especially with all the stadium drama going on.
“I think deep down inside, I’ve said it before, there’s no way a new stadium is going to happen. And if it does, it’s going to happen elsewhere. It’s sad to say that but I just don’t see it happening. I can appreciate and understand the fan’s frustrations.”
It was a response I feel compelled to share with my fellow suffering A’s fans.
Back to the golf.
The tournament figures to be well worth watching as the legends of golf, meet with one of the top celebrity fields of the year.
Golf Channel will have all the coverage!
The tournament will benefit Momentous Institute, a North Texas nonprofit dedicated to building and repairing social and emotional health so that all children can achieve their full potential. The First Tee of Greater Dallas and The First Tee of Fort Worth, youth development organizations that introduce the game of golf and its inherent values to young people, are also tournament beneficiaries.
By Dennis Miller