Charity Classic at Sultan’s Run raises money for uninsured and under-insured

On Monday, 12 golf pros paused in the PGA National Series to stop by Sultan’s Run to play in the Charity Classic put on by the Memorial Hospital Foundation.

“When the course opened in 1992, Sultan’s came to us (Memorial Foundation) and asked if we would like to sponsor a golf tournament and bring in pros,” Michael Jones, executive director of the foundation, said. “We began flying the pros into Huntingburg Airport through our sponsors, Masterbrand and Kimball.”

The Foundation holds the event every other year —the Memorial Gala is held the other years— and has become a very successful event. This year the event drew enough sponsors that the course was at its maximum amount of players; 180.

Corporate sponsors donate at different levels and the top donation levels split up a pro between four players. “Usually corporations send employees to the golf tournament,” Jones said, “but I some will send their clients or prospective clients. I know one company saved a relationship with a client after screwing up an order because they sent the client to the tournament.”

The Foundation will raise around $28,000 at this year’s event and it is one of their best fundraisers. The Foundation’s goal is to support the hospital’s mission. They accomplish this through various funds that are available for patients’ needs. This fundraiser will specifically be used to fund an “uninsured and under-insured patients fund”.

“I don’t have a specific fund for that group,” Jones explained. “We have specific funds created to help in specific areas, like we don’t have anything to help a man get an ultrasound, so we have to set up a specific fund for that program. This year we are funding the uninsured and under-insured patients.”

The teams play for various prizes throughout the tournament. A hole-in-one on hole 12 awards the golfer a paid two-year lease of a Ford car from Ruxer Ford Lincoln in Jasper and straightest drive wins a French Lick Resort package on hole one.

“The prizes are great but the time these teams spends with the pros is great,” said Jones. “You have all that time to get tips about your swing, grip, whatever you have questions about.”

The tournament has attracted players like Craig Bowden, Bubba Watson and John McGinnis. The 12 pros this year are; Craig Bowden, Dave Cunningham, Paul Claxton, Ron Whittaker, Travis Hampshire, Kevin Johnson, Omar Uresti, Scott Gutscheski, Bryan DeCorso, Doug Labelle II, and Scott Sterling.

Memorial Hospital Foundation/Sultan’s Run Charity Classic Winners June 25, 2012

LONGEST DRIVE #1

In the fairway: Grant Earley

CLOSEST TO THE PIN #2 Bobby Chin

STRAIGHTEST DRIVE #13 Ken Schnaus

Winning Teams

1st St. Mary’s Health System #3

2nd Olinger Diamond Center

3rd MBCI #1 [hr]

1st Gross Dr. Doug Bies

2nd Gross Messmer Mechanical

3rd Gross Memorial Hospital Medical Staff #1 [hr]

1st Net Seufert Construction

2nd Net French Lick Springs Resort

3rd Net Coca Cola