PGA TOUR Charities: Presidents Cup Gift Benefits DeBordieu Tournament in South Carolina

DeBordieu's Celebrity Pro-Am for Cystic Fibrosis tournament is quickly approaching. I understand that the tournament is full. There are other ways to help and support a great cause. See the article below about Bill Haas. He could not make it last year because of his late season success on the PGA Tour.

PGA TOUR Charities: Presidents Cup Gift Benefits DeBordieu Tournament in South Carolina

Presidents Cup Gift Benefits DeBordieu Tournament in South Carolina

Bill Haas and his father Jay Haas with the Presidents Cup trophy
Photo by David Cannon/Getty Images

June 11, 2012

By Alan Blondin, The Sun News

This article originally appeared on MyrtleBeachOnline.com.

When Bill Haas won the Tour Championship and FedEx Cup points title last September, it seemed like a big blow to the 2011 DeBordieu Celebrity Pro-Am for Cystic Fibrosis.

Haas was committed to the tournament, which was played last November. But his late-season success led to his selection by U.S. Presidents Cup Team Captain Fred Couples, and Couples scheduled practices during the dates of the event in Georgetown.

The practices also took Bill’s father, Jay, from the tournament. Jay Haas, a winner of nine PGA Tour and 16 Champions Tour events, was a U.S. Presidents Cup Team assistant captain. So the event was stripped of perhaps its two biggest names.

But Haas’ win in the Tour Championship turned out to be a boon for the tournament. A total of $4.5 million in proceeds from The Presidents Cup was distributed to charitable causes as chosen by the 30 players, captains and assistant captains, and Haas’ gift of $50,000 went to the DeBordieu tournament.

It has given the tournament a boost going into its third playing from Nov. 12-13. Jay Haas has again committed to participate, and Bill Haas is a possibility if he can work out his schedule.

“We were excited to be able to pass that on to the South Carolina Chapter of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation,” DeBordieu head pro Shawn Roper said. “It wasn’t expected. It shows his commitment to the event and that he really wanted to be here.

“It was probably better for the charity that he didn’t come and that transpired.”

Bill Haas’ late aunt, Fran Pruitt, lost a lifelong battle with cystic fibrosis in 2008 at the age of 46.

“I feel so fortunate to have made the President’s Cup team in 2011,” Haas told tournament organizers for a release. “Not only did it provide me with an amazing experience, but it also allowed me to make contributions to charities that are near to my family’s heart. There is not a day that goes by that I don’t think of my Aunt Fran, and couldn’t be more proud to help charities like the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.”

Haas’ recent gift adds to the $85,000 raised by the 2011 event. All proceeds benefit the SC chapter of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, which funds pharmaceutical research to cure and control CF and improve the quality of life for those with the disease.

Former PGA Tour member and current tour rules official Dillard Pruitt has committed to the event, as have eGolf members Sam Lyons of North Myrtle Beach and Galivants Ferry native Michael Maness, and LPGA Futures Tour member Lauren Hunt of Little River.

Tournament sponsor Adams Golf commits to bring at least one of the touring pros that represent the company each year, and hasn’t named a player for 2012. It was Dana Quigley in 2010, and in 2011 Adams produced long drive champion Bobby Wilson and Champions Tour players Tom McKnight and Mike Goodes.

“We expect an exciting roster of professional players this year,” Roper said.

The Monday-Tuesday pro-am costs $1,000 per four-player team and includes banquets, food, beverages and a gift pack. A $2,000 team entry includes higher level gifts primarily from Adams Golf.

A player auction on Nov. 12 will determine each team’s fifth player. A few area club pros join touring pros to fill out the professional field.

Registration begins Friday, and the tournament’s 30 teams sold out well before the event last year. The event has a Texas Scramble format in which the best drive of the fivesome is selected and each player completes the hole with his own ball from there. Handicaps are factored into scoring.

The event is not open to spectators. Information on this year’s event, including sponsorship and playing opportunities, is available at  http://www.debordieuclub.com/Default.aspx?p=DynamicModule&pageid=334619&ssid=232335&vnf=1  or by calling 843-527-6000.