Company hopes to raise thousands in donations for Birdies for Charity organization from 192 amateur and professional golfers playing in kickoff event for 2016 Mississippi Gulf Resort Classic
Ridgeland, Miss. (March 25, 2016) – Two could turn out to be a very lucky number for Mississippi-based charities who stand to receive thousands of dollars in financial assistance for their non-profit operations from the “Green For Greens” Challenge contest during the C Spire Pro-Am on March 31 at Fallen Oak in Biloxi.
Nearly 200 amateur and professional golfers will try to reach the famous, Live Oak-studded 18th green on their second shot off the tee on the par 4, 460-yard finishing hole. Those that are successful with their approach shot will receive $100 each. The second shots of six specially designated players, including three amateurs and three professionals, will count for $1,000 each if they reach the green.
The six players include the head football coaches at Ole Miss (Hugh Freeze), South Alabama (Joey Jones) and Mississippi State (Dan Mullen) as well as three former Mississippi Gulf Resort Classic champions: Michael Allen – 2013; Jeff Maggert – 2014 and 2015 winner David Frost.
C Spire, now in its third year as presenting sponsor of the 3-day, 54-hole PGA TOUR Champions tournament, has designed a special 10 foot by 5 foot “Green For Greens” leaderboard that will be placed near the 18th hole and updated throughout the day as golfers finish their rounds so that fans and supporters of Birdies for Charity can track the amount of money raised for non-profit organizations.
“We’re excited about helping raise funds for non-profits who are making a difference in people’s lives in cities, towns and communities across our great state,” said Jim Richmond, vice president of Corporate Communications for C Spire, a Mississippi-based diversified telecommunications and technology services company. “With celebrities and some of the best golfers in the world playing in this event, we know it will be fun and meaningful for everyone involved.”
For the past two years, C Spire has worked with the PGA Tour and MGRC tournament officials to stage a unique golf stunt shot to kick off tournament week. In 2014, defending champion Michael Allen became the first golfer ever to hit a floating “green” in the Gulf of Mexico when he made a 150-yard shot from the three-story-high pool deck of a luxury resort hotel in downtown Biloxi. Last year, Jeff Maggert battled a gusting 20 mph cross wind to guide a golf ball over a beach front highway and onto a specially designed green 145 yards away inside a waterfront entertainment center.
This year, C Spire decided to focus its efforts on helping community-based, non-profit organizations throughout the state. “As a customer-inspired company, we support music, sports and other entertainment and recreational pursuits that are passion points for our customers,” Richmond said. “We’re committed to Mississippi and helping residents and businesses grow and prosper.”
The tournament, which is set for April 1-3, has generated over $90 million in direct economic impact on the Mississippi Gulf Coast since its inception in 2010 and last year surpassed the $1 million mark in total funds raised for charities. The tourney will be televised on the Golf Channel, exposing the region and its attractions to a live national and international audience.
For more information or tickets to the Mississippi Gulf Resort Classic, go to www.2016mgrc.com or call the tournament office at 228.896.6365. Children 16 and under accompanied by an adult receive free admission. For more information about C Spire’s presenting sponsorship of the 2016 MGRC, go to www.cspire.com/mgrc.
About C Spire
C Spire is a diversified telecommunications and technology services company that provides world-class, customer-inspired wireless communications, 1 Gbps broadband consumer Internet access as well as a full suite of IP Voice, enterprise grade dedicated Internet access, cloud and commercial data services for businesses. For more information, go to www.cspire.com.
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