IRVING — The Las Colinas Country Club hosted a golf clinic for more than 60 children from First Tee of Greater Dallas and First Tee Fort Worth on Tuesday afternoon as part of the festivities surrounding the annual Invited Celebrity Classic this week.
The children learned valuable golf skills like driving, chipping, and putting through creative drills run by PGA TOUR Champions golfer Doug Barron and Golf Channel host and former pro golfer Blair O’Neal.
“I love being out here and helping the kids,” O’Neal told the media. “I have two boys of my own, and they love to play golf so it’s fun to see them grow and play the game of golf. I started when I was 11, so a lot of these kids have a head start on me, even. It’s fun. They’re excited about it. They know what they’re doing, so hopefully, we can help you improve their game.”
O’Neal and Barron are just two of several pro golfers and celebrities slated to play in this year’s tournament, expected to bring $3 million to the Dallas area. The tournament has generated hundreds of thousands of dollars in donations for the Momentous Institute, the First Tee Greater Dallas, the First Tee Fort Worth, and the Invited Gateway Program.
The Gateway Program allows youth golfers the opportunity for junior memberships at Invited clubs, and 14-year-old John Tijerina, the junior member at Las Colinas Country Club, has had the chance to grow his game through his involvement and learning from the pros during the Celebrity Classic festivities.
“When I’m with the professionals, you really learn a lot,” Tijerina told the media. “You have a lot of experience and that’s what I love about being here. You get a lot of tips and teach you a lot. I’m very grateful for that. It helps me a lot. I remember last year I was with, I think he tried, he was, he was very fun to work with. It was really fun to be out here with them.”
Others participating in the tournament this weekend include former Dallas Cowboys Tony Romo, Emmitt Smith, and Demarcus Ware, former Texas Rangers Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez, AJ Pierzynski, and Derek Holland, former Dallas Star Marty Turco, and several Major League Baseball legends like Roger Clemens, Joe Carter, Greg Maddux, and Albert Pujols, among others.
Romo is the defending amateur champion and will look to defend his crown during the Pro-AM.
