Avalon Country Club in Lenoir City hosted the 22nd annual Phillip Fulmer Golf Classic on Friday.
The event, presented by Waste Connections, started in 1979 as the D.D. Lewis Classic and changed to the current name in 1999. The tournament welcomes more than 100 golfers annually in support of the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Tennessee Valley.
“The Boys & Girls Clubs … they work with young people, so having been a coach it was kind of a natural thing, and I enjoyed giving back to the community,” Phillip Fulmer said. “We were making $30,000 with the tournament; now we make about $180,000. And over $2 million in those 22 years have been given back to the Boys & Girls Club.”
Fulmer takes photos with every participating team alongside other notable University of Tennessee football alumni. This year, Benson Scott and Phil Stuart were the two former players announced in advance to be joining Fulmer, though others were also present.
Stuart, an offensive lineman for UT from 1985-88, said he was there because he loved supporting the Boys & Girls Club and could not turn down a call from his former coach.
“I was raised in the Boys Club in Johnson City, Tenn., and it taught me how to become a young man and it prepared me for my future,” he said. “Once I graduated I got involved with the Boys Club in Anderson County, I coached football over there for probably 10 or 11 years. And now that I’m a grandparent, I’m able to watch my granddaughter participate in the Girls Club over in Oak Ridge.”
Scott played quarterback and holder for UT from 1995-99, winning the national championship with the Volunteers in 1998. Like Stuart, he said he could not turn down Fulmer’s call when asked for his support. While he does not have that same personal experience with the Boys & Girls Club, he does have a long-standing connection with the tournament.
“D.D. Lewis started this tournament in the late ‘70s, early ‘80s and I remember my dad even being a part of the tournament in the D.D. Lewis days,” he said. “And so we’ve always supported this tournament, loved being a part of it, played in it, you know, year in, year out, and my dad’s always been a part of it, so the tournament’s really our biggest connection.”
An online auction during the week leading up to the event also raised money and featured items such as a football training package with UT quarterback Hendon Hooker and wide receiver Cedric Tillman, a whiskey collection of three rare bourbons and the Lexi National Champions Charity Golf event at Pebble Beach for two people. All funds went to benefit the 21 clubs in Knox, Anderson, Blount, Loudon and Claiborne counties, which serve over 6,700 children ages 5-17.
Pat Ryan, former UT and NFL player and current Vol Radio Network color analyst, was one of the unannounced former players at the tournament.
“It’s just the cause more than anything,” Ryan said. “I think the Boys & Girls Club is something that the community all can get behind because everybody feels for the youth. The youth, as corny as it sounds, is your future. So everything they do for the youth, for the community, everybody is willing to pitch in and find out. And everybody likes to play golf, and my word you’re going to have the perfect day for it.
“It’s just good times,” he added. “The money’s been raised, now it’s just an opportunity for everybody to get together and have a good time.”
Fulmer said the tournament is made special by the work put in by volunteers. After 22 years, he said he believes everyone from volunteers to Boys & Girls Club staffers to his committee have found the right formula for a successful day.
“Everybody works really hard at it to make it an enjoyable experience,” Fulmer said. “And I would guess that two-thirds of the guys every year have played in it the year before. There’s just a core group of people that have been very supportive.”
To learn more about the clubs or to make a donation, visit online at bgctnv.org.
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