Friends of Childrens Hospital

Golf Tournament

The 19th annual Trustmark Children's Hospital Pro-Am golf tournament on November 3rd at Annandale and Reunion golf courses in Madison hosted a record-53 teams for a great day of golf-all to benefit the kids. Players enjoyed a lunch on the course courtesy of McAlister's Deli and Blue Bell treated everyone to ice cream during the awards ceremony.

Trustmark National Bank was again the title sponsor for the tournament and Mercedes-Benz of Jackson and Clay Bell Golf were presenting sponsors. Also sponsoring the event were Bancroft Charitable Foundation, Comcast Cable, Lamar Outdoor Advertising, Entergy, Johnson Controls, H. Russell McCarty Foundation, TEC and The Rogue.

"We are looking to possibly expand the tournament to three courses next year in an effort to make the play smoother. The number of participants has increased and we would like to cut down on the playing time for everyone. We will host the tournament again on November 7th and 8th and look forward to a bigger and better tournament. This event could not happen without the support of the sponsors and the returning teams. We have a strong support base for this tournament and several teams even travel from out- of-state to play. Each year we are also joined by several new teams. This year we hosted over 350 players and play went well on both courses," said Dr. Bob Abney, tournament co-chairman.

Players and sponsors also enjoyed the Mercedes-Benz sponsor party the evening before the tournament. Held at the Annandale clubhouse, guests enjoyed a live auction along with dinner and desserts contributed by Sodexo catering at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. The live auction raised $10,000.

"We estimate the tournament raised $95,000 for Children's Hospital. This is a phenomenal amount for a golf tournament to raise and we know that is largely thanks to our longtime supporters. We would also like to thank the excellent staff and course supervisors at Annandale Golf Club and Reunion Country Club in Madison. The staff helps so much with the tournament planning and the courses are great to play on," said Sidney Allen, tournament co-chairman.