Professional golfers and celebrities are returning to Disney, as the second annual Diamond Resorts Invitational benefiting Florida Hospital for Children will take place Jan. 13-15 at Tranquilo Golf Club at Four Seasons Resort Orlando at Walt Disney World Resort.
The three-round event will be nationally televised on Golf Channel and will feature Champions Tour professionals competing alongside sports and entertainment celebrities for separate purses totaling $1.25 million.
The tournament will feature up to 30 PGA TOUR Champions players and up to 50 top-tier athletes and celebrities in two distinct competitions. It will be scored similar to the PGA TOUR’s Barracuda Championship using a Modified Stableford scoring format that awards points instead of strokes.
Celebrity such as Marcus Allen, Roger Clemens, Josh Donaldson, Colt Ford, Tom Glavine, Greg Maddux, Brian McCann, Kevin Millar, Mark Mulder, Blair O’Neal, Alfonso Ribeiro, Jeremy Roenick, Mark Rypien, John Smoltz, Brian Urlacher, Justin Verlander, Larry the Cable Guy and defending champion Mardy Fish will be among those participating in the invitational.
“We are excited to offer our players a chance to compete alongside some of the most recognizable names in entertainment and sports in this unique ‘Challenge Season’ event,” said PGA TOUR Champions President Greg McLaughlin. “Proceeds from the tournament’s live and silent auctions will benefit Florida Hospital for Children and leave a lasting charitable impact.”
PGA TOUR Champions players will compete for $750,000 over the 54-hole tournament, while the celebrities will play for a $500,000 purse. Threesomes will include one Champions Tour professional and two celebrities.
This past January, the inaugural Diamond Resorts Invitational featured 70 celebrities in the field with former No. 1-ranked American tennis player Mardy Fish winning the event. Activities for the whole family took place throughout tournament week and the silent and live auctions raised $503,000 in charitable donations for Florida Hospital for Children.
The tournament site, Tranquilo Golf Club at Four Seasons Orlando at Walt Disney World Resort is unique to Central Florida for its varying elevation, abundant wildlife and protected wetlands. Originally built in 1992 and designed by Tom Fazio as Osprey Ridge, Fazio enhanced the Orlando golf course for its October 2014 launch as Tranquilo Golf Club at Four Seasons Orlando. The course is a par 71 and plays to 6,901 yards.
The Diamond Resorts Invitational marks the return of professional golf events to Walt Disney World Resort, as the Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals Classic was last held in 2012.
For more information on the Diamond Resorts Invitational, please visit www.DiamondResortsInvitational.com.
