Roger Clemens participates with charity program
Roger Clemens could not have chosen a more appropriately named town to demonstrate his desire to help others and honor our military. After learning about an opportunity with Caddy For A Cure to help support charity through another white-ball game Clemens loves, the seven-time Cy Young Award-winning baseball legend was all in for caddying for PGA TOUR player Ryan Palmer during the Shell Houston Pro-Am round in Humble, Texas. For Caddy For A Cure, it marked the first time that a celebrity has donated his or her time caddying for a TOUR player, all in the name of charity.
The non-profit Caddy For A Cure program lets fans bid in online auctions for the unique professional sports experience of caddying for a PGA TOUR or LPGA Tour player during their official practice or pro-am competition round, with proceeds donated to charity. At the Shell Houston Open, Clemens thought it was the perfect blend to help others and to have fun. Clemens and his wife, Debbie, have long been charity-minded as demonstrated by the non-profit Foundation they established to support educational, charitable, literary, scientific and religious activities for children throughout Texas, with an emphasis on disadvantaged/at-risk children and those with special needs.
Another component to the Caddy for A Cure program is its partnership with the PGA TOUR Birdies for the Brave program, a national military outreach initiative supported by the PGA TOUR. For the Shell Houston Open, Caddy For A Cure proudly recognized and honored U.S. military wounded warrior and Texas native Peter Johns (“PJ”), who walked alongside Clemens during the experience with Palmer. During his nearly 12 years of service in the U.S. Navy, Chief Petty Officer Johns was a nuclear electrician and was twice deployed to the Persian Gulf where in 2006 he was severely injured aboard the USS Nimitz. PJ is currently enrolled in Texas A&M Kingsville.
“Our objective with Caddy For A Cure has always been multi-fold: We wanted to create a way to help spread awareness and support for the genetic disorder, Fanconi anemia, as well as to support and honor our U.S. Military, and then of course, to offer golf fans the best and most unique experiences in professional golf by allowing them to get closer to the game and players,” said veteran PGA TOUR caddy and Caddy For A Cure Founder Russ Holden. “While we’ve had most of the world’s best TOUR players participate with us before, this was the first time we’ve ever had another professional athlete offer to caddy for one of the players. As one of the most accomplished athletes in all of sports and an avid golfer himself, Roger Clemens has a genuine appreciation for the abilities of these PGA TOUR players. He thoroughly enjoyed being inside the ropes seeing the game from their perspective. When Roger learned about the participation of wounded warrior PJ, he could not have been more inspired or enthusiastic. In fact, he brought PJ a Team USA signed jersey and a 2001 World Series game used ball from which he pitched in games 3 and 7 that he personally signed for PJ. It really was one of the most inspiring days in the history of Caddy For A Cure for everyone; PJ, Roger, Ryan and everyone in the playing group.”
Proceeds from the Roger Clemens caddying experience will support the Fanconi Anemia Research Fund; the PGA TOUR Birdies for the Brave initiative; the PGA TOUR Caddy Assistance Fund; the Houston Golf Association as selected by the host site and the Ryan Palmer Foundation (www.ryanpalmerfoundation.org) as designated by Ryan Palmer.
The caddy opportunity for Clemens during the Shell Houston Open is just one of many Caddy For A Cure experiences that will be offered in 2011. Currently, golf fans have the chance to bid on the opportunity to spend a day inside-the-ropes caddying for the reigning #1 and #2 ranked golfers in the world, Martin Kaymer and Lee Westwood. More The caddy opportunity with Martin Kaymer will take place on Wednesday, May 4, 2011, during the pro-am competition round of the Wells Fargo Championship (May 2-8) at the Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, NC. The caddy opportunity with Lee Westwood will take place on Wednesday, June 8, 2011, during the pro-am competition round of the FedEx St. Jude Classic (June 6-12), at TPC Southwind in Memphis, TN, where Westwood is the defending champion. Fans interested in bidding on these unique opportunities can click on the “player auction” links on the Caddy For A Cure website at www.caddyforacure.com or call (954) 341-4600. Please visit program sponsors, Boo Weekley Apparel at www.booweekley.com, Sharpie pens at www.sharpie.com , SpeedGel at www.speedgel.com and VedaloHD Sunglasses at www.vedalohd.com.
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