Military and first responders will be presented with complimentary admission* to the third annual Diamond Resorts Invitational™ benefiting Florida Hospital for Children Jan. 12-14, 2018 at Tranquilo Golf Club at Four Seasons Resort Orlando at Walt Disney World® Resort in Florida.
As one of golf’s most unique tournaments, the Invitational features 27 PGA TOUR Champions players, five LPGA stars, and 52 sports and entertainment celebrities competing side-by-side for two separate purses totaling $1.25 million. All three rounds of the event will be nationally televised on Golf Channel.
Diamond Resorts International®, creator of the tournament, will once again provide two complimentary three-day grounds passes for all active and retired military. The same offer is extended to active and retired police, fire and emergency medical technician (EMT) personnel. This offer is only valid with online registration at DRIGolf.com.
All service men and women, and first responders can enter the promo code “SALUTE2018” on DRIGolf.com follow the link to purchase tickets and then enter the above promo code. The ticket voucher (printed at home or reserved for pickup at the event) will need to be exchanged onsite at the will call/ticket station for a wearable bracelet before entering the event. Participants must show photo ID and official military or first responder identification to receive their complimentary admission. Parking is complimentary at Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World® Resort with event ticket.
The tournament will feature the PGA TOUR Champions players, LPGA stars, top-tier athletes and entertainment celebrities in two distinct competitions, utilizing a Modified Stableford scoring format, which awards points as opposed to strokes. The Diamond Resorts Invitational™ is a competition for celebrity golfers in a professional tournament format over three days and 54 holes. Celebrity commitments include Ray Allen, Marcus Allen, Roger Clemens, Justin Verlander, Tom Glavine, Greg Maddux, Brian McCann, Kevin Millar, Mark Mulder, Blair O’Neal, Lee Brice, Alfonso Ribeiro, Jeremy Roenick, Mark Rypien, John Smoltz, Brian Urlacher, Larry the Cable Guy and defending champion Mark Mulder.
PGA TOUR Champions players include John Daly, Mark Calcavecchia, John Cook, Lee Janzen, Larry Mize, Scott Hoch, Jeff Sluman, Billy Mayfair, Joey Sindelar, and defending professional champion Woody Austin.
Five LPGA professionals have committed: Lexi Thompson, Brittany Lincicome, Brittany Lang, Brooke Henderson and Paula Creamer, who is making her inaugural 2018 season appearance.
Retired U.S. Army Cpl. Chad Pfeifer, an Iraq War veteran and amputee, whose golf-centered rehabilitation has turned him into a top-tier tournament player, will join the field of sports and entertainment celebrities. While serving in Iraq in 2007, Pfeifer’s vehicle was hit by a roadside bomb, resulting in the amputation of his left leg above his knee. A three-time winner of the George W. Bush Presidential Center’s Warrior Open and the champion of the 2011 National Amputee Tournament, 34-year-old Pfeifer is a Diamond Resorts International® Ambassador and continues to follow his dream, currently working as a PGA Club Professional in Texas.
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 professional and two celebrities.
Tournament week will begin Thursday, Jan. 11 with the fifth-annual Brian Gay Pro-Am presented by Diamond Resorts International®. Gay, a four-time PGA TOUR winner and longtime Orlando resident, will serve as host of the 18-hole celebrity-amateur competition, which will feature foursomes comprised of three amateurs and one celebrity, LPGA professional or PGA TOUR Champions player. An evening gala and headliner concert at Mystic Dunes Resort and Golf Club, a Diamond Resorts flagship resort in Orlando, will complement the day’s events.
The Champions Gala is a highlight of the event with a gourmet dinner and headliner concerts. Past performers include Huey Lewis and the News, Darius Rucker, Colt Ford and Jake Owen. The accompanying live and silent auctions have raised more than $2.3 million for Florida Hospital for Children in just a few years.
The tournament site, Tranquilo Golf Club at Four Seasons Orlando 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.
*Tickets will be available to the first 1,000 qualified people.
For more information about the tournament, visit DRIGolf.com.
