The U.S. leg of the Gary Player Invitational Series of charity golf tournaments held on April 10-11, 2011 at Champions Retreat Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia was a quiet success raising over $100,000 for at risk children in the USA.
This year’s event brought together an intimate group of friends and corporate partners for a day of golf with the Black Knight. The 4-ball competition was tough, but in the end the Callaway team of David Quinn, Richard Taylor, Luke Cox and Mike Echols took home top honors with a score of -12. The most exciting moment of the day came at the 150 yard, par 3, 4th hole where Gary Player recorded his 27th hole-in-one.
“It was fantastic! I honestly can’t believe that it was my 27th,” said Gary Player. “The more important thing was that with support from our friends at SAP, Rolex, Land Rover, ClubCar and Callaway we raised some money for underprivileged children’s education. Children are the key to our future and the funds we raised will really help some children receive the education that they need and deserve,” he added.
The Gary Player Invitational Series is an annual series of charity golf tournaments held in the USA, Europe, China and South Africa. Proceeds from the events and gala auctions provide funding for underprivileged children across the globe. Since its establishment, The Player Foundation has raised over $35 million dollars to the support of children’s charities, the betterment of impoverished communities and the expansion of educational opportunities throughout the world.
About The Player Foundation
The Player Foundation was established in 1983. What began as an effort to provide education, nutrition, medical care and athletic activities, for a small community of disadvantaged children living on the outskirts of Johannesburg, South Africa has now blossomed into an organization that circles the globe bringing aid to underprivileged children and impoverished communities.
The Foundation is funded primarily by four Gary Player Invitational events presented through Black Knight International. Pairing celebrities and professional golfers from the PGA and Champions Tours with businessmen and international sports figures, the annual tournaments are staged in the United States, China, Europe and South Africa. The proceeds of these tournaments and other special events provide funding for an ever- expanding number of institutions around the world, including the Blair Atholl Schools in South Africa, the Pleasant City Elementary School in Palm Beach, the Masizame in Plettenberg Bay, South Africa, and AIDS infected children in Baoshan, a drug-infested city located on the China-Burma border. Since its establishment, The Player Foundation has donated over $35 million dollars to the support of children’s charities, the betterment of impoverished communities and the expansion of educational opportunities throughout the world.
Gary Player, acknowledged as a world class humanitarian, believes that the strength of our future depends upon the abilities of our children. “I have found that the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of others does not thrust itself upon us,” Player says, “But we do not need to look hard for it either. When you spot the chance to give back to the world, act on it. You will have made life better, for others, and for yourself.”
The Gary Player Foundation is a non-profit 501 C (3) organization managed by Black Knight International in Palm Beach, Florida.
For further information on The Player Foundation, Gary Player, Gary Player Design, Player Real Estate or Black Knight International, visit www.garyplayer.com or contact Debbie Longenecker at debbie@garyplayer.com telephone +1-561-624-0300.
Contact:
Guy DeSilva
Media Director, Black Knight International
+1 561 624 0300 x642
guy@garyplayer.com