WANT MORE of the Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions?
BY JOHN PERRY |
(January 17, 2019) – This official Inaugural LPGA event kicks off the beginning of the season for the Women’s Tour for 2019. The CEO and founder of this event, Michael Flaskey, is an active member of the famed Isleworth Golf & Country Club.
The tournament is presented by Insurance Office of America.
NBA Hall Of Famer Ray Allen, (left), MLB Hall Of Famer John Smoltz (right), with Diamond Resorts CEO & Founder Michael Flaskey (middle) on the 18th tee.
DAY TWO:
At Tranquillo Golf Club at Disney, the second day of the tournament found sharpshooters at the top of the leaderboard. Last year’s winner, former tennis great Mardy Fish and baseball Hall of Famer John Smoltz, posted scores of 78, and 77 respectively. New mother (former world number one player Stacy Lewis) returned this year to compete in this inaugural event.
This year’s tournament includes LPGA winners from the previous two seasons. The field also includes 45 celebrity participants and 10 amateurs. The LPGA players compete for a $1.2 million purse, while the celebrities play for a $500,000 purse.
Over the past few years, the tournament has helped raise more than $3.1 million for charity. The University of Florida Health is the primary beneficiary of this year’s event, with it’s redesigned format for LPGA players.
Wounded Warrior Chad Pfeifer stands with LPGA Former No. 1 Lydia Ko after round two on Friday.
One celebrity participant, this week, is Iraqi War Veteran Chad Pfeifer, a three-time-Bush Institute Warrior Open Champion. Pfeifer lost his left leg from above-the-knee when a patrol vehicle he was driving hit a roadside bomb in April 2007. Always a keen athlete, Pfeifer took up golf during his rehabilitation and credits the sport with saving his life. He quickly got down to a single-digit handicap and then scratch.
In 2013, Pfeifer turned professional with the idea that if he succeeded in golf it would help and inspire other Wounded Veterans and give them something to look forward to. Pfeifer, a Diamond Resorts Celebrity Ambassador, participated in previous Diamond Resorts Tournaments, and, is doing a pretty good job of representing his Wounded Warriors brothers and sisters at this year’s event. Lydia Ko played alongside Pfeifer on Friday’s 2nd round.
Lexi Thompson says every American needs to be thankful and supportive of those who serve in the Armed Forces, as their service is vital to everyone’s existence. Well said Lexi. Thompson ranked 5th on the LPGA tour and won her first LPGA title as a 16-year-old at the 2011 Navistar LPGA Classic in Alabama. She made her first major donation to a charity of her choice, which was the Wounded Warriors Project. She donated $20,000 from her winner’s check. She says she’s been a big supporter of military charities ever since.
(L-R ) Sterling Sharp, Actor Jack Wagner’s Caddy and Jack Wagner after round two at the Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions.
Brooke Henderson finished ahead of the pack on Friday, day 2, with a -10 under par total for the LPGA lead heading into round 3 on Saturday. The 21-year-old Henderson currently ranks ninth on the LPGA tour. Trailing Canadian Brooke Henderson for the LPGA purse is world’s number one Ariya Jutanugarn, Lydia Ko, and Eun-Hee Ji, all at -8.
With two more rounds to complete I’m sure it’s gonna shape up for a very exciting finish come Sunday afternoon.
WANT MORE of the Diamond Resorts Tournament of Champions?
John Perry is a freelance writer, poet and active golfer with a passion for calling shots like he sees them—and then, telling it like it is. He resides in Orlando, Florida.
