Over 200,000 Rounds of Golf Played by VGA Members Since Non-Profit’s Inception
As a salute to the more than 18,000 members of the Veteran Golfers Association (VGA), FOX Sports will televise the 2023 Armed Forces Cup on FS1, June 24 at 12 p.m. EDT.
The Armed Forces Cup tournament features a 36-hole military match play golf tournament at Champions Retreat in Augusta, Ga. The tournament includes five co-ed teams representing the Army, Marines, Navy, Air Force, and Coast Guard where FOX Sports will capture the highlights of the competition.
Champions Retreat, recognized as one of the best golf courses in the world, features three nine-hole courses designed by PGA tour legends, Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, and Gary Player. The private club only hosts two outside events annually: the Augusta National Women’s Amateur (ANWA) and the VGA’s Armed Forces Cup.
“It’s an honor to have FOX Sports televising our Armed Forces Cup at Champions Retreat this year,” said VGA President and CEO Joshua Peyton, a retired Army Captain and Army Ranger. “Every team involved is playing to honor their military branch of service. Although there will only be one winning team, everyone who made it to the 2023 Armed Forces Cup are already champions in my opinion.”
Competitors in the 2023 Armed Forces Cup range from enlisted personnel to “full bird“ colonels, with service spanning the from Vietnam War to post-9/11 campaigns. The final field features fifty players from around the country, with teams comprised of ten players representing each branch of service.
For the players, the opportunity to travel and compete for the Armed Forces Cup is a high honor. The 12-month qualifying season encompassed 1,100 tournaments for over 18,000 VGA members across 49 states. Since being founded in 2014, the VGA has hosted over 10,000 golf tournaments and more than 200,000 rounds of golf nationwide for Veterans and their family members.
“The VGA utilizes golf as an alternative therapeutic activity, offering Veterans and their families an impactful way to connect and compete on the golf course,” said Peyton.
VGA membership is open to all U.S. veterans – wounded, non-wounded, disabled, active duty and retired – as well as to their family members, who are at least 18 years of age. More information is available at www.vgagolf.org.
Interested Veterans and viewers can watch the 2023 Armed Forces Cup on FS1 on June 24th at 12:00pm EDT with a re-broadcast on July 5th at 7:00 pm EDT. The 2023 Armed Forces Cup will then transition over to the Armed Forces Network, where it will get broadcast to thousands of soldiers, sailors, and airmen deployed worldwide.
About The Veteran Golfers Association
The VGA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization committed to promoting the game of golf to veterans and their family members. The organization develops programs that allow members to compete, socialize and remain physically active. For more information, visit www.vgagolf.org.
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About Champions Retreat Golf Club
In 1999, the concept of Champions Retreat was sculpted from 365 acres of skyward Georgia pines, long-standing hardwoods and wetlands. Sprinkle in luxury accommodations to include hardwood flooring, charming fireplaces and welcoming porches and you have a unique golf environment down the road from Augusta National. All twenty-seven holes were designed by golf’s Big 3, Jack Nicklaus, Gary Player, and Arnold Palmer. Never in history had the three of these champions created their own individually designed course at one property, making Champions Retreat a singularly unique experience in the world of golf. For more information visit: www.championsretreat.net.
About FOX Sports
Fox Sports 1 (FS1) is an American pay television channel owned by the Fox Sports Media Group, a unit of Fox Corporation. FS1 airs an array of live sporting events, including Major League Baseball, college sports, soccer matches, and a variety of motorsports events. FS1 also features daily sports news, analysis and discussion programming as well as sports-related reality and documentary programs. The network is based primarily from the Fox Sports division’s headquarters on the Fox Studio Lot in Los Angeles, CA, New York City, and Charlotte. As of June 2023, Fox Sports 1 was available to approximately 72.4 million pay television households. For more information visit: www.foxsports.com.