The Immokalee Foundation’s annual Charity Classic Pro-Am features nearly two dozen professional golfers – including LPGA Hall of Famer Annika Sorenstam and LPGA Major Champion and 2016 Olympian Lexi Thompson – who will join foursomes of philanthropic amateur players from Southwest Florida at The Old Collier Golf Club in Naples Monday, Nov. 13, 2017.
Chairing the scramble-style competition for the seventh year is Kevin Johnson of Morgan Stanley Private Wealth Management. Johnson’s co-chairs for the 2017 tournament are Sunny Sapiente of Bay Colony Golf Club and Patrick Trittler of Marsh Private Client Services.
Each amateur foursome will be paired with a different professional player for the first and second nine holes during an exclusive pairings party at Old Collier Sunday, Nov. 12.
The 11th annual tournament is attracting stellar talent. “This year’s tournament features a great field of professionals who are lending their support to help the children of Immokalee,” Johnson said, adding that this year’s golfers are some of the biggest names on the PGA and LPGA tours.
“We’re thrilled that Annika and Lexi are joining us this year,” said Sapiente. “They are both phenomenal golfers.”
Sorenstam, a 72-time LPGA champion and Hall of Famer, has earned 10 major titles, winning her first major at the age of 24 at the 1995 U.S. Women’s Open. She has secured 89 worldwide victories and holds a record number of eight Rolex Player of the Year Awards and six Vare Trophies for the lowest scoring average in a season.
Thompson has 10 LPGA victories including one major, and she is the No. 1-ranked LPGA player in the world, with 51 top-10 finishes. The 2012 Rookie of the Year also won the 2014 Kraft Nabisco Championship, 2017 Kingsmill Championship and 2017 Indy Women in Tech Championship, and tied for third in Round 3 of the Women’s Individual competition at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
The roster of who’s who on the links also includes PGA Tour pros Briny Baird, Dominic Bozzelli, Mark Calcavecchia, Alex Cejka, Russ Cochran, Tom Gillis, Dudley Hart, Will MacKenzie, George McNeill, Greg Owen, Charlie Rymer and Will Wilcox; and LPGA Tour pros Marina Alex, Brittany Altomare, Laura Diaz, Jodi Ewart Shadoff, Jaye Marie Green, Kim Kaufman, Alison Lee, Paige Mackenzie, Brooke Pancake, Alena Sharp and Kris Tamulis.
The Charity Classic Pro-Am begins at 7:30 a.m. with registration, breakfast and a shotgun start at 9 a.m. Lunch and an awards presentation follow the tournament. Entry fees begin at $5,000. The Old Collier Golf Club is located at 790 Main House Dr. in Naples.
Corporate sponsors of this year’s events are Florida Community Bank, Presenting sponsor; Huntington Private Client Group, Success Circle sponsor; BMO Private Wealth Bank and IBERIABANK, Pathway Circle sponsors; and eBella magazine, Media sponsor.
The Immokalee Foundation provides a range of education programs that focus on building pathways to success through college and post-secondary preparation and support, mentoring and tutoring, opportunities for broadening experiences, and life skills development leading to economic independence. To learn more about The Immokalee Foundation, volunteering as a career panel speaker or host, becoming a mentor, making a donation, including the foundation in your estate plans, or for additional information, call 239-430-9122 or visit www.immokaleefoundation.org.
