Four Celebs Back-Out Of BMW Tourney

Regulars Catherine Bell and the Gretzkys out due to schedule conflicts

By: BMW Charity Pro-Am | WSPA-TV
Published: May 05, 2009

GREENVILLE, S.C. (May 5, 2009) – Actress Catherine Bell, actor Dave Coulier and both Wayne and Janet Gretzky have withdrawn from the 2009 BMW Charity Pro-Am golf tournament.

“It is unfortunate that they won’t be joining us, but we understand,” said Darin MacDonald, tournament director. “They participate out of the goodness of their hearts, and when their schedules change, we understand that their work takes precedence. They are always welcome here.”
The celebrities now scheduled to compete in this year’s BMW Charity Pro-Am golf tournament are Steve Azar, Lucas Black, Javier Colon, Jason Dohring, David James Elliott, Oliver Hudson, Greg Kinnear, Jennifer Mills, Terry O’Quinn, Michael Pena, Dennis Quaid, George Rogers, Joe Don Rooney, Stefanie Schaeffer, Sterling Sharpe, Kevin Sorbo, Kordell Stewart, Dabo Swinney, Paula Trickey, Gary Valentine and Ben Wright.
The 2009 BMW Charity Pro-Am golf tournament will be played May 14-17 at Bright’s Creek Golf Club (Mill Spring, N.C.), The Carolina Country Club (Spartanburg, S.C.) and Thornblade Club (Greer, S.C.) golf courses. All four rounds will be televised live by the Golf Channel®.

The BMW Charity Pro-Am is the only tournament on the PGA TOUR’s Nationwide Tour where amateurs and celebrities are grouped with Nationwide Tour professionals in a four-day better-ball competition over three courses. Amateurs, celebrities and pros rotate between three courses on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, with the 14 lowest scoring pro-amateur/pro-celebrity teams advancing to play Sunday’s final round at Thornblade Club. Celebrities play once at each course on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. The professional winner of the overall 72-hole event will take home $126,000 from the total purse of $700,000, which is one of the largest purses on the Nationwide Tour. Amateurs and celebrities will compete for individual prizes and cash donations to the charity of their choice out of the 78 tournament beneficiaries selected by South Carolina Charities, Inc.

The first eight tournaments have raised $6.7 million for 125+ area charities.
For more information on the BMW Charity Pro-Am golf tournament, sponsorship opportunities and amateur playing spots, call (864) 297-1660 or visit the tournament’s website at www.bmwcharitygolf.com.