The Rockford Pro-Am Golf Tournament, also known as the Rockford ProAm, was a one-day

tournament A tournament is a competition involving at least three competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses: # One or more competitions held at a single venue and concentr ...

featuring

golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standardized playing area, and coping ...

professionals, sponsors and amateur golf enthusiasts in order to raise funds for special organizations. It was the longest free-standing pro-am (not attached to the PGA or LPGA) event in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. It was normally held in July following the John Deere Classic. More commonly known as just the ''Rockford Pro-Am'', the event celebrated its 42nd anniversary in 2018. There are normally 20-25 professionals are teamed up with teams of four amateurs. Past Rockford Pro-Am attendees include Arnold Palmer, Bob Hope, Kenny Perry, Fred Couples, Paul Azinger, Billy Mayfair, Russ Cochran, John Daly, Hale Irwin, Laura Davies, Jim Dent, Jim Thorpe, Calvin Peete, Dana Quigley, Larry Mize, Ben Crenshaw, Lee Janzen, Matt Kuchar, Zach Johnson, Brittany Lincicome, Ken Duke, David Hearn, Troy Merritt, Ryan Palmer, Kyle Stanley, Scott Piercy, Kevin Streelman, Chesson Hadley, Ted Potter, Jr, Cameron Tringale, Bud Cauley, Wesley Bryan, Patrick Rodgers, Brittany Lang, Stacy Lewis, Gerina and Martin Piller, Luke Guthrie, Scott Langley, DA Points, Emma Talley, Austin Ernst, Mariah Stackhouse.

History

The pro-am was started as a fund raiser for the three Rockford area hospitals in 1977 — Rockford Memorial Hospital, St. Anthony Hospital and SwedishAmerican Hospital and was initially hosted by the Rockford Country Club from 1977 to 1996. This was changed to being a benefit for non-profit organizations, three picked per year by the organizers. Many celebrities and professional golfers have come to the event. For a few years in the early 1980s, comedian and ultimate golf enthusiast

Bob Hope Leslie Townes "Bob" Hope (May 29, 1903 – July 27, 2003) was a British-American comedian, vaudevillian, actor, singer and dancer. With a career that spanned nearly 80 years, Hope appeared in Bob Hope filmography, more than 70 short and ...

would come to entertain at a benefit gala at the then-newly opened MetroCentre then play in the pro-am the next day. Other entertainers who participated included Hope's long-time friend and fellow comedian

George Burns George Burns (born Nathan Birnbaum; January 20, 1896March 9, 1996) was an American comedian, actor, writer, and singer, and one of the few entertainers whose career successfully spanned vaudeville, radio, film and television. His arched eyebr ...

and the star of TV's

Wonder Woman Wonder Woman is a superhero created by the American psychologist and writer William Moulton Marston (pen name: Charles Moulton), and artist Harry G. Peter. Marston's wife, Elizabeth Holloway Marston, Elizabeth, and their life partner, Olive Byr ...

Lynda Carter Lynda Jean Cordova Carter (born July 24, 1951) is an American actress, singer, and beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned Miss World USA 1972 and finished in the top 15 at the Miss World 1972 pageant. Carter is best known as the star of th ...

. Other pros who made appearances include

Gary Player Gary James Player DMS, OIG (born 1 November 1935) is a South African retired professional golfer who is widely considered to be one of the greatest golfers of all time. During his career, Player won nine major championships on the regular tou ...

, Chi-Chi Rodríguez,

Jim Thorpe James Francis Thorpe ( Sac and Fox (Sauk): ''Wa-Tho-Huk'', translated as "Bright Path"; May 22 or 28, 1887March 28, 1953) was an American athlete and Olympic gold medalist. A member of the Sac and Fox Nation, Thorpe was the first Nativ ...

, Lee Trevino and LPGA veteran

Nancy Lopez Nancy Marie Lopez (born January 6, 1957) is an American former professional golfer. She became a member of the LPGA Tour in 1977 and won 48 LPGA Tour events, including three major championships. Amateur career Lopez won the New Mexico Women's ...

. In September 2022, program organizers announced that all future Rockford Pro-Am tournaments would be discontinued, citing the inability to finance the appearance of pro golfers at events and a lack of sponsorships. After 43 years, the Rockford Pro-Am was the longest-running individual event of its kind in the country, traditionally held at Aldeen Golf Club, 1902 Reid Farm Rd. in Rockford. The tournament was last played in 2019, and was canceled due to the 2020 pandemic prior to the official closing announcement in 2022.

References

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External links

Forest Hills Country Club, Rockford, ILRockford Country Club, Rockford, IL13 WREX-Rockford Pro-AmForrest Hills Country Club-Interactive Map courtesy Rockford Register-Star
Pro–am golf tournaments Charity events in the United States Golf in Illinois Sports in Rockford, Illinois