The 2023 Penny Hardaway Memphis District Golf Classic – the official golf tournament of the Southern Heritage Classic Cultural Celebration – is set for Saturday (Sept. 9th).
This is the fourth year for the charity event, which last year drew over 100 hundred players to the greens to play with University of Memphis Men’s Basketball Head Coach Anfernee “Penny” Hardaway.
The Penny Hardaway Memphis District Golf Classic is sponsored by the Memphis District Laymen, an auxiliary of the Memphis District Association, which is part of the National Baptist Convention USA, Inc. The Memphis District Association is comprised of over 60 churches that assist and strengthen the community through outreach ministry.
“As the golf tournament grows, so do our community efforts,” said Charles L. Ewing Sr., the Memphis District Laymen president and president/CEO of Ewing Moving & Storage, Inc.”
Proceeds from the golf tournament are used to support three key efforts:
* A free one-week summer golf clinic at the Links at Whitehaven golf course for over 50 youth.
* The Deacon R.B. Cole Scholarship, totaling $10,000, which assists deserving college students in accomplishing their goal of higher education.
* The Jump Academy summer camp, which provides a free six to eight-week summer sports and enrichment camp for ages 8-17 that includes golf, volleyball, basketball, track and field, football, and cheerleading. Students also learn skills such as etiquette, how to tie a necktie, baking and music, with fun field trips mixed in.
“This was our first year hosting the Jump Academy, and it was a great success,” said Ewing. “Parents were able to leave their children in a safe and nurturing environment at no cost to them. Those children left with more knowledge than they came with and greater self-esteem.”
Participants in the Penny Hardaway Memphis District Golf Classic will receive several perks, including admittance to the Early Bird Registration and Reception set for the National Civil Rights Museum on Thursday (Sept. 7). The 2023 Deacon R.B. Cole Scholarship recipients will be announced during the reception.
During Saturday’s awards luncheon, participants also will receive a Nike golf shirt and a swag bag with several gifts. During the hole-in-one competitions, players will compete to win one of two new cars. There also will be a raffle, with prizes such as golf clubs and flat-screen TVs.
Tee time is 8 a.m. at Tunica National. Cigna Healthcare company is the title sponsor for the fourth year.
Although registration for the golf tournament is at capacity, hole sponsorships are still available for purchase.
Among the sponsors are Gossett Motor Cars, Nike, TVA, Valero, Principle Toyota, FedEx, Renasant Bank, MLGW, Memphis Tourism, Regional One Health, All World Management, Veasley Paving Services, Inc., City of Memphis, Memphis Rebounders, New York Life, the National Civil Rights Museum, and the Memphis District Association (MDA).
(For more information, visit memphisdistrictgolfclassic.org or call 901-265-4886.)