3 minute read
23rd Annual Golf Tournament
For the past 23 years, Reitz Memorial High School has partnered up with Mater Dei High School to host its annual golf fundraiser. With each consecutive year, the event generates tens of thousands of dollars that directly benefit the students at each school.
The most recent golf outing was held on June 13, 2022, and it was an outstanding success. With a sold-out roster of 120 players, the fundraiser brought in over $60,000. This amount was split between Memorial and Mater Dei.
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Executive Assistant to the President Samantha Myers explains how the event works.
“It is a team scramble at Evansville Country Club,” says Samantha. “The teams are put together by the team sponsors, who are typically local business owners and partners. As players arrive, they will check in and receive a gift. This year the player gift was a 12-pack of Titleist Pro V1 golf balls featuring Memorial and Mater Dei logos.
Before the players hit the course, everyone gathers for lunch, prayer, and a welcome from our ECHS Tradition Golf Committee. Then the fun begins with an 18-hole scramble! The day concludes with camaraderie, more food, and a small awards ceremony where top teams are recognized and receive prizes.
The prizes are the catalyst to the fun competition amongst the teams. On the course, there are many ways Clayton Zirklebach to win with individual hole prizes such as closest to the pin, longest drive, and the infamous hole-in-one challenge. In 23 years of hosting the tournament, no one has been able to ace a hole-inone. The big prizes, however, are reserved for the top four teams with the lowest overall scores. Prizes vary but are all golf related.
In addition to the normal schedule this year, two exciting live auctions took place before the players hit the course. The first auction item was a year’s worth of pizza from Azzip Pizza. The second prize retained the golfing theme with a three-day, two-night stay and play package at a Dormie Network course of their choosing.
This annual fundraiser is a cornerstone event that unites the Evansville Catholic high schools with the local community. While the financial support is important, the relationships that are fostered between the high schools and our local business partners and community members as a result of this event is what ignites the tremendous support of the schools.
