Free golf again: VyStar will sponsor free admission for military, National Guard, at Furyk & Friends
The PGA Tour Champions Furyk & Friends tournament Oct. 7-9 at the Timuquana Country Club will once again provide complimentary tickets for military active duty, reservists, retirees, veterans, members of the National Guard and their dependents, with VyStar as the tournament's presenting military ticket sponsor.
The tickets also give access to the VyStar Patriots Outpost, which provides free food & beverage and views of the competition, in the heart of the golf course. Ticket offers are available online at furykandfriends.com.
Editorial: Tabitha Furyk's passion for charities is at the forefront of the new PGA tournament
The association with VyStar was formally announced on Wednesday at the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp game, with tournament host Jim Furyk throwing out the first pitch.
“We are proud to call Jacksonville our home and to raise our kids in a city where the military play such a vital role in the community,” said Furyk, a 17-time PGA Tour winner, in a statement. “The sacrifices that military and their families make so that we can enjoy our freedom is something we take very seriously. We are so thankful to VyStar Credit Union for all of the work they do to help members of the armed forces and their families.”
All proceeds from the Constellation Furyk & Friends benefit Northeast Florida charities through the Jim & Tabitha Furyk Foundation. More than $1.17 million was raised last year, part of a $6 million commitment over five years.
Alaska adventure
Therese Quinn of Jacksonville and Tama Caldabaugh of Ponte Vedra Beach both had promising starts last week in the U.S. Senior Women's Amateur, at the Anchorage Golf Club, the first USGA national championship ever held in Alaska.
Both had short stays after that and for Quinn, it was especially painful.
Quinn and Caldabaugh qualified for the 64-player match-play field in 36 holes of stroke play, Quinn tying for 26th at 13-over 157 (78-79) and Caldabaugh tying for 48th at 16-over 160 (76-84). Both rounds were played in rainy weather with temperatures in the 50s, after glorious weather for practice rounds.
However, Quinn developed health issues before the match play and had to withdraw. Caldabaugh lost her first-round match 3 and 2 to Brenda Keuhn of Ashville, N.C.
"I was so deflated," Quinn said. "The course was wonderfully laid out, in the middle of all that pristine beauty. The people there really put a lot of effort into making it USGA quality. The greens were terrific and everything they did was first class."
Quinn said the volunteers and local golf course staff pulled out all the stops to make it a memorable experience for the players. She said the highlight of the week was a boat tour to an area with glaciers, where they saw whales and sea lions.
"It was amazing," she said. "This was the biggest golf tournament they've ever had in Alaska and it was a very positive week, despite how it ended for me."
South rallies in Junior Cup
Three First Coast junior golfers combined for four points in doubles for the North team in the 16th annual Florida Junior Cup but the South rallied in singles to win for the first time since 2018, 16.5-15.5, at the Sara Bay Country Club in Sarasota.
It was the closest finish in the match-play event.
Chase Carroll of Jacksonville and Brody Stevenson of St. Augustine beat Hans Risvaer and Jake Manelas 2 and 1 and Henry Robards of Jacksonville combined with Boyi Zhang to win 1-up over William Jun and Tristen Wieland in fourballs.
Carroll and Arenui Faana topped Parker Severs and Sofia Cherif Essakali 4 and 3 and Stevenson and Zhang topped Wieland and Ibby Carrington 5 and 5 in foursomes.
However, all three fell in singles as the South rallied from a five-point deficit.
Tournament to benefit Griffin Center
The Women's Care Peace at Home Pro-Am will be Oct. 23-24 at the Plantation at Ponte Vedra Beach, with the proceeds going to the Betty Griffin Center.
Among the sponsors are the Jaguars Foundation, PGA Tour player Billy Horschel and his wife Brittany, Maserati Jacksonville, Ansbacher Law, VyStar, Beaches Dermatology, Lazzara Orthodontic and Postillion Wealth Management, LLC.
There will be a dinner, live auction and pairings party on Oct. 23. The golf begins on Oct. 24 at 10:15 a.m., with a reception from 3-5 p.m. The field is limited to the first 80 players, who will compete with 20 professionals.
For information, visit bettygriffincenter.org.
Contact Garry Smits at gsmits@gannett.com
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: PGA Tour Champions Furyk & Friends will again provide free admission for military
