$70K raised for area charities
PUTTING FOR DOUGH – RB Golf Club pro Dylan Rottner presents Curtis Payson, Logan Waldrip, Garrett Leek and Kolton Baber a $10,000 check after the group posted a 19-under round at the RB Invitational golf tournament Saturday. Submitted Photo
Four area golfers hoisted up a $10,000 check, following shooting a 19-under round at the RB Charities 10 Invitational Saturday.
Curtis Payson, Logan Waldrip, Garrett Leek and Kolton Baber poured in 15 birdies, two eagles and one par during the scramble at RB Golf Club and Resort in Runaway Bay, besting the competition by two strokes.
“I knew there were three or four teams out there that could shoot 18-, 19-, 20- under,” Payson said. “Everything just went our way.”
Payson, a Bridgeport resident and RB Golf Club member, wasn’t exactly sure what he’d do with his share of the $10,000.
“I’m going to have to pay taxes on some of it,” Payson said. “Really don’t even know what I’m going to do with it. I’m probably just going to save it and use it when we need it.”
AIM SMALL, MISS SMALL – Golfers spin back approach shots on the 18th green at the RB Golf Club and Resort Invitational in Runaway Bay Saturday. Messenger Photo by Austin Jackson
The top two teams from 10 charity tournaments in the RB 10 series qualified to compete in the Invitational.
Payson’s team qualified for the tournament after winning the Feeding Wise Kids scramble Oct. 17, one of the last events in the RB Charity 10 series.
“I like the tournament format. It was a good way of doing it,” Payson said. “The people at the club did an excellent job of putting this together.”
In addition to the Feeding Wise Kids tournament, which raised $8,400 for the charity, title sponsor Citi Private Bank donated an additional $1,000 to Feeding Wise Kids after the team’s win Saturday.
“We were so thrilled that the Payson team won the big invitational and helped us raise even more money during this challenging time,” said Liz Hubbard, Co-Founder and Treasurer of Feeding Wise Kids in a press release. “Our community has struggled during the pandemic, and we started feeding more kids than ever, 850 to 950 kids per week during the spring and summer and currently 500 students each week. This was a crucial fundraiser for us to be able to keep doing this work in our community.”
This summer, RB Golf Club and Resort co-owner Danielle Cocanougher came up with the idea for RB Charity 10 tournament series after seeing several fundraisers get canceled due to COVID-19.
Seeing the decrease in donations and increased demand of the services prompted her to do something.
“So many charities had to cancel their fundraisers and cancel their galas, while we’re sitting here with a golf course and a lot of space. We realized, wow, this could be an opportunity to make up for those events they had to cancel,” Cocanougher said. “They took a chance on us, and we took a chance on this whole crazy concept. Everybody has been really happy with the results.”
Following the tournament series, Cocanougher said the series raised more than $70,000 for local non profits. Eight nonprofits were located in Wise County, and the other two were based out of Dallas and Fort Worth.
“All of the local golfers, businesses who sponsored and came out to golf, they’re the ones who made it successful,” she said.