The talent on the golf course for the 50th Players Championship next March will be as stout as usual. But the tournament also wants fans with musical ability to participate in the landmark playing of the PGA Tour’s marquee event.
The Players is soliciting audition videos of fans singing or playing the National Anthem in a contest to determine who will perform their rendition at the opening ceremonies for Military Appreciation Day on March 12 on the 17th hole’s Island Green at the Players Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass.
Musicians will have until Nov. 6 at 5 p.m. to download their video by visiting theplayers.com/anthem. Once the videos have been collected, there will be a judging process to determine the winner, who will be notified by email.
“With this year being the 50th anniversary of The Players, we could not think of a more perfect way to celebrate our championship and its longstanding tradition of honoring the military than inviting our hometown talent to perform the Star-Spangled Banner,” said Lee Smith, Executive Director of The Players, in a statement.
If there are any additional questions about the selection process, email mirandarossum@pgatourhq.com. The Players will be March 14-17. Tickets will go on sale later this fall.
Donation made to Orange Park charity
The Players Championship has donated $10,000 to the Clothes Closet and Food Pantry in Orange Park, which provides free clothes and food to those in need in Clay Country.
The Clothes Closet is 100 percent volunteer-run, with an average age of 74 years old among the volunteers. The charity was undergoing a fundraising campaign for a new refrigerated van to transport perishable food and the donation by The Players enabled them to meet their goal.
Players executive director Smith visited the volunteers and then added another $5,000 to the final total.
CJ takes over in Dallas
The CJ Group, which had sponsored a PGA Tour event in Korea, Las Vegas and South Carolina, is now the new title sponsor for the Byron Nelson Classic at TPC Craig Ranch in McKinney, Texas.
The tournament, which was hosted for years by World Golf Hall of Fame member Byron Nelson and still bears his name, will be May 2-5.
“We are extremely grateful for the CJ Group’s long-term commitment to The CJ Cup Byron Nelson, an event which has enriched the Dallas community and carried on the legacy of Byron Nelson through world-class golf and community impact,” said PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan in a statement. “Alongside our partners at the Salesmanship Club of Dallas, the CJ Group is committed to further elevating the event in one of the premier golf markets in the United States.”
The Salesmanship Club of Dallas has operated the tournament since 1968, with more than $185 million raised for charity. All proceeds from the tournament benefit Momentous Institute, the nonprofit operated by the Salesmanship Club since 1920, which provides mental health services, education and professional training to children and families.
CJ Group sponsored the Tour’s first FedEx Cup event in Korea in 2017 at The Club at Nine Bridges on Jeju Island. The event was played in Las Vegas in 2020 and 2021 and Ridgeland last year. Rory McIlroy is the two-time defending champion winning each of the last two tournaments.
Bridgestone sponsors ‘Pathway’
Bridgestone Americas will become the presenting sponsor of the Bridgestone Collegiate Development Program, a part of the PGA Tour’s Pathway to Progression, which is geared to achieve greater diversity in golf by developing talent from diverse and historically underrepresented groups.
The Bridgestone Collegiate Development Program will focus primarily on competitive and mentorship opportunities for Historically Black College and Universities (HBCU) golfers.
Among the initiatives are the Bridgestone Advocates Professional Golf Tour Collegiate Ranking, the HBCU Coaches Summit presented by Bridgestone, the Bridgestone Player Development Camp and two new collegiate golf tournaments – the Bridgestone HBCU Invitational and the Bridgestone Collegiate Invitational.
Players participating in these events will also receive custom ball fittings and other essential equipment for competition from Bridgestone Golf.
The Bridgestone APGA Collegiate Ranking, now in its third year, creates opportunities for college golfers from underrepresented communities. Each year, the top five Black collegiate players in the ranking earn opportunities through the program, including a full year of membership on the APGA Tour and automatic entry into PGA Tour Q-School presented by Korn Ferry.
PGA TOUR CHAMPIONS
Event: Ascension Charity Classic, Friday-Sunday, Norwood Hills Country Club, St. Louis, Mo.
At stake: $2 million purse ($300,000 to the winner).
Defending champion: Padraig Harrington.
TV: Golf Channel (Friday, 1-4 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday, 5-7 p.m.).
Area players entered: David Duval, Fred Funk.
Notable: Harrington fired a 65 in the final round and beat Y.E. Yang by one shot. … Harrington is playing in this week’s Irish Open.
LPGA TOUR
Event: Kroger Queens City Championship, Thursday-Sunday, Kenwood Country Club, Cincinnati.
At stake: $2 million purse ($300,000 to the winner).
Defending champion: Ally Ewing.
TV: Golf Channel (Thursday-Friday, 4-7 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday, 2-5 p.m.).
Area players entered: Amelia Lewis, Mel Reid.
Notable: Ewing shot 63 in the second round and went on to beat Xinu Lin by one shot. … Eight of the 12 U.S. members in next week’s Solheim Cup are in the field. The Cup will be in Andalucia, Spain.
PGA TOUR CANADA
Event: Fortinet Cup Championship, Thursday-Sunday, Country Hills Golf Club, Calgary, Alberta.
At stake: $225,000 purse ($40,500 to the winner).
Defending champion: Wl Bateman.
TV: None.
Area players entered: Taylor Funk, Travis Trace.
Notable: Trace, a Sandalwood and University of North Florida graduate, finished the regular season 41st on the points list and Funk, a Ponte Vedra High graduate, rose from 62nd to 43rd last week at a tournament in Brainerd, Minn. Funk shot 60 in the final round and tied for sixth. … Trace has made seven of nine cuts on PGA Tour Canada this season, with four top-25s, and Funk has made six of nine, with three top-25s and last week’s top-10. … The top five on the Fortinet Cup points list earn Korn Ferry Tour status next year. The top-25 are exempt from first-stage PGA Tour qualifying.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Players Championship seeking audition videotapes for Military Day