Disabled veteran war heroes to join celebrities Tony Romo, Emmitt Smith, and others for the ClubCorp Classic PGA TOUR Champions Tournament
(IRVING, TEXAS) – Members of the military and first responders will receive free admission for the inaugural ClubCorp Classic PGA Tour Champions/Celebrity golf tournament, April 22-24 at Las Colinas Country Club. Active duty, reservists, National Guard, veterans and first responders can register to receive two free tickets for each day of the tournament at https://clubcorp.spinzo.com. Participants must show photo ID along with the ticket voucher at tournament gates for admission with 500 available for each of the three days on a first-come-first-served basis.
ClubCorp Classic also announced a pair of military heroes from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan – both with significant ties to the Dallas/Fort Worth region – will compete as celebrities in the tournament. Retired Marine Sgt. Andrew Bachelder, a Fort Worth native and graduate of Lake Worth High School, is a two-time winner of the Bush Institute Warrior Open, the Dallas-based competition for disabled veterans hosted by former President George W. Bush. He will be joined by Retired United States Army Corporal Chad Pfeifer, an Iraqi War Veteran and left leg amputee who is a three-time winner of the Warrior Open.
“At ClubCorp, we consistently look for ways to give back to the men and women of the armed forces and their families. This a special opportunity and we are thrilled to have these two heroes join the competition,” said ClubCorp CEO David Pillsbury. “Our ClubCorp staff and members, the PGA TOUR Champions players and the other celebrity competitors are all honored to have them as part of our tournament week.”
Pfiefer is the #1-ranked disabled golfer in America and fifth-ranked internationally after traveling the world in recent years following his golf-centric rehabilitation regimen. The former three-sport high school athlete found purpose in recovery from the 2007 IED explosion that cost him his left leg and has forged a career as a competitive pro golfer. Pfeifer is among several war veterans portrayed in President George W. Bush's "Portraits of Courage: A Commander in Chief's Tribute to America's Warriors," a book of paintings and stories honoring the sacrifice of America's military veterans whom he grew to know personally. The portrait is currently on display at the Bush Institute in Dallas.
Pfeifer also has two second place finishes in the Warrior Open and his resume includes three U.S. National Amputee Championships, two South Africa Disabled Open titles, two Japan National Disabled Championships and one Australian Amputee Championship.
“Over the years, spectators at our events have reserved their loudest applause for Chad Pfeifer,” offered Mike Flaskey, creator of the ClubCorp Classic and CEO of Mike Flaskey Entertainment, who has sponsored Pfeifer’s golf career. “In their honor, we are offering complimentary admission for veterans, so they’ll have even more crowd support. People are amazed at their skill level. Either one could win the Celebrity Division of the ClubCorp Classic.”
Bachelder, who works as a caddy at Brook Hollow Country Club, has participated in six Warrior Opens and he also competed in the 2019 Texas State Open. A decorated veteran, Bachelder was injured in a mid-air helicopter collision in 2009. Four of the six crewmen on board were killed and Bachelder sustained life-threatening injuries including an open pelvic fracture, a broken right leg and shoulder, five fractured ribs, a broken back and a traumatic brain injury.
Both men have made multiple appearances in the American Century Championship celebrity golf tournament at Lake Tahoe. Bachelder’s wins in the Warrior Open qualified him twice for appearances at Tahoe, where he tied for 13th in 2016 and tied for 11th in 2018. Pfiefer qualified three times, finishing 5th in 2014 (leading after the first round), 9th in 2015, and tying for 6th in 2017.
The ClubCorp Classic competition includes 78 PGA TOUR Champions professionals in 54 holes of stroke play for a purse of $2 million, along with the celebrities playing for a separate, $500,000 purse under a modified Stableford scoring format. The ClubCorp Classic will be televised live all three days on GOLF Channel, the exclusive cable-television partner of PGA TOUR Champions and the tournament will benefit two children’s non-profit organizations: Momentous Institute, and the First Tee Greater Dallas and First Tee Fort Worth.
The celebrity field also includes longtime Dallas Cowboys favorites Tony Romo, Emmitt Smith and DeMarcus Ware, as well as Hall of Famers Pudge Rodriguez of Texas Rangers fame, and Heisman Trophy-winning former NFL star receiver Tim Brown. The lineup of 50 celebrities also features golf superstar Annika Sorenstam, NBA legend Ray Allen and NFL Hall of Fame linebacker Brian Urlacher. Entertainers include Larry the Cable Guy, Alfonso Ribeiro, and Anthony Anderson among 50 stars of sports and entertainment.
Top names and major winners from the PGA TOUR Champions include Vijay Singh, a three-time majors winner including a Masters and two PGA Championships among his 34 Tour wins, as well as four PGA TOUR Champions events; John Daly, with two majors, the PGA Championship and The British Open; Mark Calcavecchia, a British Open win, 13 PGA Tour and four TOUR Champions victories; and Colin Montgomerie, one of the top European players in history with 42 worldwide wins and a record eight European Tour Order of Merit titles, including a streak of seven consecutive.
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