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by Beverly Ryan
 The Foundation's 10th Annual Golf Benefit Classic, held Jan. 21-22 at Disney's Eagle Pines Golf Course in Orlando, FL, raised approximately $40,000 to support the Foundation's research grant and scholarship programs. More than 40 corporate, organizational, and individual sponsors, along with 80 player participants and Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) touring professionals joined forces for a weekend of friendly competition and camaraderie on one of Florida's most popular golf courses. The participants enjoyed sunshine and 80-degree temperatures. The golfers used a scramble format, with each foursome playing with an LPGA professional, a feature that separates this tournament from the usual charity golf event.
The first-place gross score winners were Dennis Burrows, Stephanie Davidson, Jim Potter, and Greg Strang, who played with LPGA pro Sue Ginter-Brooker. First-place net score winners were David Goldberg, Lyle Lloyd, and Howard and Evan Goldstein, playing with LPGA pro Angela Buzminski. The closest to the pin winners were Ronnie Laughlin (women) and Chuck Cochran (men). Longest putt winner was Jim Calpin; and most accurate drive winners were Tom Tedeschi (men) and Mindy Feldman (women).
Other LPGA pros who appeared in this year's tournament were Beth Bader, Jean Bartholomew, Audra Burks, Jeanne-Marie Busuttil, Tracy Hanson, Angela Jerman, Leta Lindley, Anna Acker Macosko, Laurie Rinker-Graham, Kim Williams, and Carrie Wood. Many players took advantage of a practice clinic offered by Macosko prior to the start of the tournament.
The weekend began with a party and dinner, which included a silent auction. Macosko, the evening's featured speaker, spoke of the challenges she faces while juggling her roles as mother of a small child with communication disorders and as a touring LPGA professional (see sidebar on page 28). The closing awards luncheon rounded out the weekend.
Students from the National Student Speech Language Hearing Association chapters at Florida State University and the University of Central Florida joined a host of other ASHFoundation volunteers to support the activities of the weekend.
The tournament's success is due, in no small part, to the generosity of corporate, organizational, and individual sponsors and donors who share the ASHFoundation's commitment to advance knowledge and improve practice in serving children and adults with speech, language, and hearing disorders.
Proceeds from the event will:
- empower investigators to explore innovative approaches
- accelerate the pace of high-priority research
- ensure excellence in training future generations of professionals and in encouraging talented teacher-investigators
- build partnerships to increase technology solutions
- invest in the future to enable individuals with communication disorders to reach their full potential
The ASHFoundation extends a huge thank you to all who contributed to the tournament's success.
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