The second annual 2018 Cooper Communities NWA Charity Classic professional golf tournament concluded on Saturday, June 9, at the Bella Vista Highlands golf course. With the continued involvement of repeat sponsors, including Title Sponsor Cooper Communities Inc., the city of Bella Vista and Visit Bentonville, the added benefit of new sponsors for 2018, including presenting sponsors Raymond James Financial and Mercy Medical, a very successful silent auction and additional players for the Pro-Am tournament, the net proceeds for the event increased in 2018 compared to 2017.
In 2017, Josh Creel won the inaugural Cooper Communities NWA Charity Classic, and his win earned him $20,000 from the APT Stars of Tomorrow Tour prize fund. Fast forward to 2018 and a new champion was crowned -- Brandon McIver of Billings, Mont. Brandon earned $25,000 for his first win as a professional and moved him to second on the 2018 APT Tour Official Money List.
"This win validates all the work I've put into my game and lets me know things are going in the right direction," Brandon said of his win. In his awards ceremony speech, Brandon thanked the sponsors and the hundreds of volunteers.
APT Stars of Tomorrow Tour president Gary DeSerrano elaborated on the tournament support, "Each year we have several events that go above and beyond to make the pros feel special. The 2018 Cooper Communities NWA Charity Classic has one of the largest first prizes on tour and certainly has the best volunteers."
More than 250 volunteers helped the pros navigate the challenging Bella Vista Highlands golf course.
The Bella Vista Property Owners Association was compensated for the use of the golf course and profited from serving the various events associated with the tournament. The APT Stars of Tomorrow Tour was paid a fee for registration of the professional players and conducting the four-day professional tournament. Prize money for the professionals was mostly provided by the APT Tour via their national sponsors, players' registration fees and other sources of revenue. Also, the Sunrise Rotary Club was paid for their food service at the tournament, and all the net proceeds go to local charities.
The week-long tournament brought in revenue of more than $90,000. After expenses, net proceeds increased over 50 percent from last year's tournament, with more than $35,000 available for grants and reserves for charities, and for "seed" money for a future event. Proceeds were distributed by the Bella Vista Foundation in grants to fund projects within the Bella Vista community for a total amount of $21,000 presented to these local charities: Boys & Girls Club of Benton County, Bella Vista Animal Shelter and Bella Vista Courtesy Van. Funds will be reserved for a future grant to The First Tee of NWA for an anticipated local project. In addition to these grants, the Foundation has already paid the charities more than $2,300 for silent auction items each charity provided directly.
Both the Bella Vista Property-Owners Association (Tournament host) and the Bella Vista Foundation (Tournament charity partner) sincerely appreciate the support of the community during the nine months of planning, preparation and execution of this event.
Community on 07/04/2018