BMW Charity Pro-Am raises over $16 million for S.C. charities
For 25 years, the BMW Charity Pro-Am has been in 'full swing,' bringing a fun tournament to the Upstate while raising money for charities across the state.
'Oh, they love it,' Jeff Morris, Executive Director of Folds of Honor for the Palmetto State also said.
'They are calling me as soon as we are finished,' Chrystal Assadzandi, Charity and Volunteer Coordinator for the BMW Charity Pro-Am, said. 'I get a lot of calls saying 'how can we participate? How can we be a part?''
In 2001, the tournament was created to showcase the beauty of the South Carolina Upstate, while bringing locals, celebrities, and professional golfers together. It's aimed to raise money and awareness for South Carolina charities.
One of those charities that has been impacted is Folds of Honor.
'I have had many veterans come up to me and they are so grateful to have the opportunity to come watch a golf tournament, come into the hospitality suite, interact with other veterans,' Morris said. 'It is amazing when you hear them, and they just go in there and they swap stories.'
Morris said since Folds of Honor's involvement with the BMW Charity Pro-Am began in 2018, their group has been awarded around $250,000. The charity offers educational scholarships to the children and spouses of military and first responders.
Funding for Folds of Honor, along with the more than 50 charities involved in this year's tournament, is raised in many ways, including through donations, ticket sales, and volunteer programs.
BMW leaders said hundreds of charities have been impacted through this tournament over the past 25 years, and the money raised for them has not slowed down.
'We have given back in the past 25 years over $16 million to charities right here in the Upstate,' Assadzandi said.
The BMW Charity Pro-Am will run through Sunday, June 8. For the final two days of the tournament, it's being held at the Thornblade Club in Greenville.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Newsweek
4 hours ago
- Newsweek
Bills Star Josh Allen Offers Unforgettable Ryder Cup Gift to Special Olympics Athlete
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. When it comes to unforgettable sports moments, it's not always about the scoreboard. On Thursday, Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen delivered one of the most heartwarming gestures of the NFL preseason by gifting not one but two Ryder Cup tickets to Nathan Forrestel, a Special Olympics athlete and golf influencer with cerebral palsy. KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI - JANUARY 26: Josh Allen #17 of the Buffalo Bills on the sideline during the national anthem prior to the AFC Championship Game against the Kansas City Chiefs at GEHA Field at... KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI - JANUARY 26: Josh Allen #17 of the Buffalo Bills on the sideline during the national anthem prior to the AFC Championship Game against the Kansas City Chiefs at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium on January 26, 2025 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Aaron M. Sprecher/Getty Images) More Getty Images The surprise came on the final day of Bills training camp at St. John Fisher University in Rochester, New York. Forrestel, known to his 45,000 Instagram followers as @natethegolfguy, was standing near the sideline when Allen approached him with a question. "Hey, I've got a question for you. I've got two tickets to the Ryder Cup. They're yours if you want them. Are you up for that?" he asked the superfan. Forrestel's reaction was pure joy. He shouted "Yes! Yes! Yes!" before embracing Allen in a moment that quickly went viral across social media platforms. Josh Allen gifted this fan Nate, a golfer with cerebral palsy, two tickets to the upcoming Ryder Cup. Incredibly wholesome. — Fore Play (@ForePlayPod) August 7, 2025 The 2025 Ryder Cup, set to take place in late September at Bethpage Black Golf Course, is one of the most anticipated events in golf. Tickets have been nearly impossible to come by, with the international showdown in less than 50 days now. But Allen, who had access through the Bills organization, saw an opportunity to share the experience with someone who truly loves the game. "I know the Bills have had them for a while; obviously, it's in New York this year," Allen told reporters after practice, as quoted by the Democrat and Chronicle. "Obviously it's in New York this year, so why not have the only New York (NFL) team send some of our Bills Mafia fans over there?" Forrestel, 25, was born with cerebral palsy and has used golf as a way to inspire others and bring humor to his life. His Instagram bio reads, "I'm Nate I am a golfer with cerebral palsy! I create golf and comedy content! I want to inspire people and make people laugh!!!" Allen had previously signed Forrestel's jersey earlier in camp, and the two shared a lighthearted exchange about their golf games. The pro has also swung clubs in tournaments like the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, gifted custom clubs to teammates, and even visited Augusta National. Though he won't attend the Ryder Cup himself due to the Bills' schedule, Forrestel will be there cheering on Team USA. More Golf: Collin Morikawa Makes Yet Another Caddie Change Ahead of FedEx Cup Playoffs
USA Today
5 hours ago
- USA Today
Longest drivers in PGA Tour history include John Daly, Rory McIlroy, Bubba Watson
They've been keeping stats on average driving distances since 1980 and the list of names probably doesn't have too many surprises. Rory McIlroy is on there. John Daly of course. Soon there will be a new name added, with youngster Aldrich Potgieter bombing it all over the PGA Tour this season. In 2003, the mark of 321.4 yards was achieved by Hank Kuehne and was the standard-bearer for almost two decades. During the 2019-20 season, Bryson DeChambeau broke Kuehne's 17-year-old mark. One year later, DeChambeau broke his own mark. Go back to 1997 and you'll see that John Daly was the first to surpass the average distance of 300 yards. In all, Daly led the Tour in driving distance 11 times. In case you were wondering, neither Tiger Woods nor Phil Mickelson ever led the Tour in driving distance. Who are the longest drivers on the PGA Tour? This is the list of the longest drivers starting in 1980 through the 2024 regular season. The first officially recognized long-drive champ, Dan Pohl led the PGA Tour in 1980 (274.3 yards) and then again in 1981 (280.1). He did not win on Tour either season. In 1980, his best finish was a solo second at the Bing Crosby National Pro-Am. His best finish in 1981 was a solo third at the PGA Championship at Atlanta Athletic Club. Bill Calfee led the PGA Tour in driving in 1982 (275.3). Calfee entered 26 events that season but got DQ'd from one of them and missed the cut in 15 others. He went from February to mid-July without making a weekend. The closest he came to winning was a T-7 in the Texas Open. John McComish led the PGA Tour in driving twice: 1983 (277.4) and 1987 (283.9). He only played five seasons on Tour. His best finish in his rookie season of 1983 was a T-22 in the USF&G Classic. In 1987, his best finish was a T-9 in the Deposit Guaranty Golf Classic. Bill Glasson led the Tour in driving in 1984 (276.5). Glasson made only six cuts in 19 events that season. His best finish was T-13 at the Buick Open. He pocketed just $17,845 that season. Andy Bean led the Tour in driving distance in 1985 (278.2). Bean had a really good season, posting eight top-10s and making 23 of 27 cuts. His best finish was a T-3 at the PGA Championship at Cherry Hills Country Club in Denver. Davis Love III led the Tour in driving distance twice: 1986 (285.7) and 1994 (283.8). Love made 22 cuts in 1986 and posted a T-3 at the Canadian Open in his first full season on Tour. In 1994, he finished solo second in the United Airlines Hawaiian Open. He did not find the winner's circle either season he was the long-drive leader. Steve Thomas led the Tour in driving distance in 1988 (284.6). Thomas played 29 events but missed 20 cuts and posted just one top-10, a T-8 in the Deposit Guaranty Golf Classic. He earned $22,669 in 1988. Ed Humenik led the Tour in driving distance in 1989 (280.9). In his first full season on Tour, Humenik played in 30 events but missed 19 cuts and posted only three top-25 finishes. His best showing was T-14 in the Anheuser-Busch Golf Classic. His season ended with 11 consecutive missed cuts. Tom Purtzer was the first driving-distance leader on the PGA Tour in the 1990s (279.6). Purtzer had three top-10s and 10 top-25s but no victories in 1990. In 1991, John Daly started his reign as the Tour's long-drive leader. In 1997, he became the first to break the 300-yard average barrier. He did it four more times, including his final season as the top driver in 2002, when his season-long driving average was 306.8. Daly was the first to post a Tour victory during one of his seasons atop the driving-distance category, and he did it three times: the 1991 PGA Championship, the 1992 B.C. Open and the 1995 British Open. Hank Kuehne won back-to-back driving-distance titles. He averaged more than 320 yards per pop in 2003 (321.4), the first player on this list to break the barrier. His 2004 season average was seven yards less (314.4) but still almost two full yards farther than the next-longest player. In 2003, his best finish was a T-2 at the Shell Houston Open (although he did win an unofficial event, the Franklin Templeton Shootout). In 2004, he missed 15 cuts in the 30 events he entered. His best finish was a solo fifth in the Nissan Open. Scott Hend held the top position for one season in 2005. His 318.9-yard average was almost two yards farther than Tiger Woods' average that year. Hend posted a T-6 finish at the Bank of America Colonial but missed 19 cuts in the 28 events he entered. Bubba Watson had the first of his big-driving years in 2006 and topped the distance list three years in a row before a four-year gap. In 2006, Watson had a T-3 in the Chrysler Classic of Tucson, his best event of the season. In 2007, he finished T-2 in the Shell Houston Open. In 2008, he had a T-2 in the Buick Open. In 2012, he won the first of his two Masters titles. In 2014, he won the Northern Trust in February and two months later took home another green jacket. Watson is the only golfer to lead the Tour in driving distance and win more than one event in the same season. Robert Garrigus led this category twice: 2009 (312.0) and 2010 (315.5). Garrigus didn't win in 2009 but finished his 2010 season with a win at the Children's Miracle Network Classic in November. Five years after winning his first PGA Tour title, J.B. Holmes found himself atop the driving-distance category in 2011 (318.4). He did it again five years later in 2016 (314.5). In 2011, his best finish was T-5, which he did twice. In 2016, Holmes was solo third at the British Open and T-4 at the Masters. Luke List spent one year on top of this list: 2013 (306.3). That year he made nine of 24 cuts with a season-best finish of T-16 at the Wells Fargo Championship. Dustin Johnson made his lone appearance atop this list in 2015 when he averaged 317.7 yards. He won the WGC-Cadillac Championship and posted two T-2 finishes, including at the U.S. Open. Bryson DeChambeau broke the 17-year-old PGA Tour driving distance mark during the 2019-20 season when he averaged 322.1 yards per drive. He did so one year after he tied for 34th in distance at 302.5 yards. DeChambeau won the Rocket Mortgage Classic during the 2019-20 the 2020-21 season, he reached a new mark of 323.7, almost 4 ½ yards farther than Rory McIlroy, who was No. 2 at 319.3. DeChambeau won twice during the Tour's 2020-21 "super" season, at the September U.S. Open and then in April at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. Rory McIlroy spent back-to-back seasons atop the long-drive category in 2017 (317.2) and 2018 (319.7), with the latter season coming oh-so-close to that 320-yard average. In 2023, McIlroy earned his third driving title (326.3) and while doing so, became the first to surpass the 326-yard mark. Cameron Champ was the longest driver (320.7 yard average) in 2024 but he also made just six cuts in 19 starts. He missed seven cuts in a row at one point during the season. His best finish in 2024 was a T-12 at the 3M Open. PGA Tour driving distance leaders, 1980-2024 Here is the complete list of the top drivers each year based on PGA Tour's average yards per drive since the stat was kept in 1980. Source: How the PGA Tour obtains driving data: "The average number of yards per measured drive. These drives are measured on two holes per round. Care is taken to select two holes which face in opposite directions to counteract the effect of wind. Drives are measured to the point at which they come to rest regardless of whether they are in the fairway or not."
USA Today
a day ago
- USA Today
Lynch: Rory McIlroy skipping a playoff event is the canary in Brian Rolapp's coal mine
Notwithstanding the widespread commentary mocking bunched panties at Casa Malnati, it wasn't 'very concerning' — nor surprising, or even particularly impactful — that Rory McIlroy skipped the first FedEx Cup playoff tournament this week. It was arguably even advisable since Memphis in August sees heat indexes that the Northern Irish seldom experience this side of the crematorium door. But Peter M. (a thoughtful director on the PGA Tour's Policy Board) was really looking beyond McIlroy to the prospect of copycats, high-performing stars opting to miss important events because the Tour has yet again made the tenderfoot error of hoping its members act in the interest of the organization rather than themselves. McIlroy had said he wouldn't be competing in the FedEx St. Jude Championship, so his absence is hardly cause for pearl-clutching. The surprise is that he's the only eligible player who stayed home. Last year, the world No. 2 tied 68th in a 70-man field at TPC Southwind but dropped only two spots in the FedEx Cup standings. The year prior, he tied for third but didn't improve his rank at all. His chances of winning the Cup were barely impacted, positively or negatively, which doesn't make a compelling case for slogging through a scorching week in Tennessee. The Tour's latest tweak to the playoff system not only doesn't disadvantage stars who stay home, it damned near incentivizes them to do so. At the conclusion of the regular season, the top dozen or so players in the points race are effectively guaranteed spots in the field at the Tour Championship. But as long as the finale in Atlanta employed the much-ridiculed staggered scoring system — in which competitors were spotted strokes on the field based upon their points rank — guys could be helped or hurt by their performances in the two playoff events preceding East Lake. Those starting strokes were eliminated in May and everyone begins the Tour Championship from a level playing field. The implications of that were obvious even before McIlroy sat out. Any of the top stars can now prioritize rest during the playoffs — or even dodge an unappealing venue or draining weather — at no cost to their FedEx Cup campaign, other than the week's paycheck. For FedEx and BMW, who sponsor the first two playoff stops, that's a scenario that requires a lot of faith in players to do the right thing, and that bet hasn't exactly paid off in recent years. The PGA Tour is already in the position of not being able to guarantee its product. The game's biggest stars have filled their pockets with candy: enormous purses, hefty bonuses, equity grants, smaller fields with no cuts, fewer competitors amongst whom the riches must be shared. And what have they given in return? Bugger all. Signature events were mandatory during their first year of existence, but players quickly vetoed that obligation. 'I think it's too hard of a thing to make guys have to play,' said Policy Board director Webb Simpson. 'We're still a sport where you can play when you want to play.' Contracting the talent is the only thing LIV Golf has gotten right, but the PGA Tour is a long way from enjoying the same leverage over its players. And it's difficult to see how that doesn't become a flashpoint between those who think they own the Tour (the players) and those who've actually invested a billion-five into it (Strategic Sports Group). At the Open, Scottie Scheffler said he felt no responsibility to grow the sport by traveling internationally while he has a young family at home. Fair enough. But that's an alarm bell for the Tour's new CEO, Brian Rolapp, and the Whiz Kids of Greater Fenway who hired him. It's tough to realize ambitions for a more global footprint if one of your biggest assets wants to remain at home. Last year's Tour Championship ended September 1. Apart from the Presidents Cup and the exhibition Hero World Challenge, Scheffler didn't compete again until January 30 in Pebble Beach, only the last month of that absence owed to injury. It's suboptimal for the Tour to have a star of McIlroy's stature skip the tournament underwritten by FedEx, but commendable that he's committed to playing later this year in India and Australia (blessed be appearance fees!). Conversely, it's great that Scheffler supports every playoff event, but not ideal that he largely ghosts the sport for a few months afterward. Short term, Rolapp needs to secure the playoffs. He clearly can't do that by contractually obligating his members, so that leaves two options. He can hope for player goodwill and responsibility (the gust of wind you just heard with that sentence was a howl of laughter from Jay Monahan's new cubicle), or he can force them to comply competitively. Seventy guys qualified for the first playoff stop in Memphis. Fifty will survive for next week. Instead of determining those 50 based on FedEx Cup points — which should be discarded after the regular season — let performance under pressure decide who advances. The top 50 finishers on the leaderboard at the FedEx St. Jude should qualify for the BMW Championship, and the 30 best scores move on from the BMW to the Tour Championship. Sitting home ceases to be an option. On paper, it's an easy fix and would guarantee a product for important sponsors and partners. But not much seems to pass muster at the Tour these days unless it caters to the convenience of the top players. Rolapp says he will spend his first few months on the job listening to his constituents. He should spend some of that time telling those same constituents a few home truths, too.
