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 concen ...

featuring

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professionals A professional is a member of a profession or any person who works in a specified professional activity. The term also describes the standards of education and training that prepare members of the profession with the particular knowledge and ski ...

sponsors Sponsor or sponsorship may refer to a person or organization with some role (especially one of responsibility) regarding another person or organisation: *Sponsor (commercial), supporter of an event, activity, or person *Sponsor (legislative), a per ...

and

amateur An amateur () is generally considered a person who pursues an avocation independent from their source of income. Amateurs and their pursuits are also described as popular, informal, autodidacticism, self-taught, user-generated, do it yourself, DI ...

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 The Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) is an American organization for female golfers. The organization is headquartered at LPGA International in Daytona Beach, Florida, and is best known for running the LPGA Tour, a series of weekly ...

) event in the

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. 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 an American comedian, actor, entertainer and producer with a career that spanned nearly 80 years and achievements in vaudeville, network radio, television, and USO Tours. He appeared ...

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 eyeb ...

and the star of TV's

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. Other pros who made appearances include

Gary Player Gary James Player (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 tour and nine ...

Chi-Chi Rodríguez Juan Antonio "Chi-Chi" Rodríguez (October 23, 1935 – August 8, 2024) was a Puerto Rican professional golfer. The winner of eight PGA Tour events, he was the first Puerto Rican to be inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame. Early life Rodr� ...

Jim Thorpe James Francis Thorpe (; May 22 or 28, 1887March 28, 1953) was an American athlete who won Olympic gold medals and played professional American football, football, baseball, and basketball. A citizen of the Sac and Fox Nation, Thorpe was ...

Lee Trevino Lee Buck Trevino (born December 1, 1939) is an American retired professional golfer who is regarded as one of the greatest players in golf history. He was inducted to the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1981. Trevino won six major championships and ...

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 LPGA Tour, 1977 and won 48 LPGA Tour events, including three women's major golf championships, major championships. ...

. 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 tournaments in Illinois Sports in Rockford, Illinois