WALK WITH THE LEGENDS
Faldo and Singh will be among the first-timers at this year’s event
He won on the international pro golf circuit 40 times (including three Masters), is helping design 50 golf courses on six continents, is a witty and sometimes acerbic television golf commentator and, oh yes, was knighted by the Queen.
The second golfer, known as The Big Fijian, is third on the all-time money list earning $70 million (behind only Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson), winning 53 times, and still, at the age of 54, remaining competitive on the PGA Tour.
This summer, Sir Nick Faldo and Vijay Singh will be bringing their star power to Calgary as first-time competitors at the Shaw Charity Classic, Aug. 30 to Sept. 3.
The 60-year-old Briton Faldo will play one of his few 2017 PGA Champions Tour events, returning to a province where he has pursued another love in the past — fishing.
The six-foot-two-inch, Fiji-born Singh has played sparingly on the Champions Tour since turning 50 — while continuing to compete against increasingly young winners on the PGA Tour — but this April won his first event on the seniors’ circuit.
They will join the field of 78 international golfing legends, aged 50 and up, vying for a total purse of $2.35 million and the fifth title at the three-round, 54-hole classic, held at the Canyon Meadows Golf and Country Club. The tournament, besides offering stellar golf, aims to hit (another) record by raising $6.2 million for youthbased charities.
“How do you beat last year where we raised more than $5.2 million for 124 charities — you raise $6.2 million for 156 charities and I am confident we will get there,” says Sean Van Kesteren, executive director for Shaw Charity Classic.
He says despite Calgary’s economic downturn, corporate dollar support for the event has increased every year.
In the event’s first four years, $13.8 million was raised for charity, and in 2014 and 2015, it won the prestigious President’s Award as the top event on the PGA’s Champion’s Tour.
This year, title sponsor Shaw Communications — which has extended its support to Shaw Charity Classic until at least 2020 — has committed $1 million to be shared by Resolve (working to end homelessness) and the Alberta Children’s Hospital Foundation.
In addition, nine other organizations — Alberta Adolescent Recovery Centre, Boys and Girls Clubs of Calgary, Calgary Police Foundation, Junior Achievement Southern Alberta, Kids Cancer Care, Kids Help Phone, KidSport Calgary, the Alex Community Food Program and the PREP program — will be official charities of the tournament.
Additional funds for a total of 156 charities (including official partners) will be raised through several initiatives, including Alta Link’s Birdies For Kids program, where individuals and corporations make donations directly to a children’s charity of their choice — donations then matched through a tiered percentage program.
In addition, this year, the Canadian Energy Executive Association has joined as a tournament sponsor, and will leverage its annual events — including the Oilmen’s Golf Tournament and Executive Ball — to raise funds for Shaw Charity Classic charities.
And 1,200 volunteers — a roster long filled — will help with logistics of an event that starts with Women’s Day presented by law firm Blakes, on Aug. 28, followed by a junior clinic presented by MEG Energy on Tuesday (Aug. 29), and the RBC Pro-Am (where amateur teams each play with a tour pro) on Aug. 30 and 31.
It is Pro-Am days, says Van Kesteren, that are probably best for fans to talk to the golf legends, get their autographs and take pictures.
Competition play begins Friday, Sept. 1 and runs through Sunday, Sept. 3.
This year, says Van Kesteren, Saturday will also be Kid’s Day, and will feature golf trick shot master Peter Johncke, kids’ races, a scavenger hunt, petting zoo and free snocones along with other exhibits.
“It is about getting kids to the golf course, which might inspire them to play, and to also understand what the event is trying to do, which is to raise money to help other kids.”
The only annual Champions Tour event in Canada has drawn as many as 40,000 fans — among the largest crowds on the tour — and is testament, says Van Kesteren, to Calgary’s reputation as a “strong, strong golfing town.”