Begay’s tournament generates $100K in charitable proceeds
Field of nearly 200 players takes part
SANTA ANA PUEBLO — A grand slam, after all, should always represent a big hit.
Last week’s Notah Begay III event certainly was the case.
The inaugural New Mexico Grande Slam Charity Golf Tournament drew a field of nearly 200 players, numerous big-money sponsors, a former NBA All-Star, good food and golf, and plenty of smiles.
It also raised more than $100,000 for Begay’s NB3Fit, part of the NB3 Foundation.
“Surpassing $100,000 in charitable proceeds in year one? That’s a wonderful start,” Begay told the Journal. “Anytime you can reach six digits for a one-day tournament, it not only means you have good corporate support, but that people believe in what you stand for.”
The golf tournament, in which former University of Arizona and San Antonio Spurs star Sean Elliott played, was Friday at Santa Ana Golf Club. Begay was host of a pre-tournament dinner at his North Valley home the night before.
All profits go to the NB3Fit program, which address issues facing the health of youth in Indian Country.
“It’s about programming athletics in these communities,” said Clint Begay, Notah’s brother and director of NB3Fit. “We have a golf program, a soccer program and now we’re trying to get into cross-country. We’re trying to get kids active and teach about them leadership, health and nutrition. “We’re above where we thought we’d be when we started, we will do it again next year and we hope to make it an annual event. It means a lot to my broth- er, and he is very handson with everything we do.”
Notah Begay started the NB3 Foundation a decade ago to battle childhood obesity and Type 2 diabetes in Native American communities.
Begay raised money with auctions Thursday and Friday. He had autographed items from sports stars such as Elliott, Tiger Woods and Tony Romo, and also received $10,000 for a exquisite quilt made by his stepmother, Claire Begay. He said REDW CPAs, Amerind Risk Management and Santa Ana Golf Club were the major sponsors.
Begay said Woods, his college roommate and close friend since playing at Stanford in the mid 1990s, “believes with all his heart in everything we are doing. We are definitely going to have him here one of these years, it’s just a matter of him getting healthy with all his back issues and making our schedules work. He is a big supporter of our foundation.”
Begay, an Albuquerque native who is a former prep state golf champion at Albuquerque Academy, a fourtime winner of the Men’s City Amateur and a four-time winner on the PGA Tour, lived in Texas for most of the past decade before moving back to the Duke City last year.
“This is my home and I love this place with all my heart; the people, the landscape, the culture, the food,” said Begay, who is an analyst on Golf Channel. “I see opportunity were others see failure.
“The younger generations in this state need to take some ownership in taking over and making changes and being accountable. We need to lead them in that direction as business leaders, as politicians, as advocates and as people who influence these generations.”