POWELL, OH (May 21, 2024) – The Southern Ohio PGA, through the charitable PGA REACH Southern Ohio Foundation, is excited to announce the SOPGA REACH Play Yellow Birdie Bash has raised over $930,000 in support of Play Yellow, a program benefiting Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals (CMN Hospitals)

The fourth annual event played on Tuesday, May 21, 2024 added $230,000 to the previously raised $690,000 total. The funds raised specifically benefit CMN Hospitals in Columbus, Dayton & Cincinnati through the PGA REACH Southern Ohio Foundation. 

44 PGA of America Golf Professionals from Cincinnati, Dayton and Columbus gathered to play at Kinsale Golf & Fitness Club in Powell, OH to raise money by making as many birdies as possible throughout 72 holes of golf, playing the Doubles Golf format (two-person scramble). Over the past sixty days, players recruited pledges from donors to contribute dollars for each birdie their team made in the Play Yellow Birdie Bash. More than 1,100 donors made a pledge to one of the 21 teams participating in the fourth annual event.

The Play Yellow Birdie Bash is all about utilizing the game of golf to impact the community. 8-year-old Aiden, a Patient Champion from Columbus’ Nationwide Children’s Hospital, opened the 2024 event by hitting a ceremonial tee shot to begin play. During the opening ceremony, Southern Ohio PGA Executive Director Patrick Salva announced the PGA REACH Southern Ohio Foundation would be launching the Smiling Fore Life program – bringing the game of golf to the Children’s Hospitals and sharing the therapeutic benefits the game can offer kids like Aiden. Brody, Roman, and Sky – Patient Champions from all three local CMN Hospitals – arrived at the course and cheered players on throughout the day while also reading putts on the greens to help teams make birdies and raise more funds. PGA HOPE Southern Ohio Graduates assisted players on the SOPGA HOPE 18th Green where local veterans who have been impacted by the SOPGA REACH Foundation’s flagship military program held the American flagstick while players putted in addition to collecting birdie scores from each group. 

Below are the complete results from the event:

2024 Play Yellow Birdie Bash Team Results

60 – Andy Montgomery, Alex Brickley & Max Helgreen (Kinsale Golf & Fitness Club) 

56 – Ryan Coll & Chase Wilson (Columbus Country Club)  

54 – Chad Gilligan (Losantiville CC) & Doug Wade (Sugar Valley GC) 

51 – Kyle Sanders (Ivy Hills CC) & Drew Muhich (O’Bannon Creek Golf Club) 

48 – Ashley Thomas (Mark MacDonald Golf Academy) & Mike Thomas (Sharon Woods Golf Course) 

46 – Dan Gage (Wedgewood G&CC) & Joey Glander (Brookside Country Club)  

46 – Joe Falardeau & Chris Yoder (Scioto Country Club)

45 – Jeff Grant & Rob Karnes (NCR Country Club) 

44 – Ben Bastel & Justin Justin VanHeukelom (Worthington Hills Country Club) 

43 – Ben Kern, Chris Muse & Nicklaus Porter (Hickory Hills Golf Club)

40 – Tom Bach (Sharon Woods Golf Course) & Anthony Andrews (Blue Ash Golf Course) 

40 – Rob Smyser & Brian Sullivan (Heritage Golf Club)

40 – Krissy Austin & Ryan Jaycocks (the Golf Club of Dublin)

38 – Peter Dornisch & Carter Cheek (Muirfield Village Golf Club) 

37 – Brian Jones & Jon Balyeat (Kenwood Country Club) 

37 – Gip Hoagland & Hannah McCrabb (NCR Country Club) 

36 – Bryce Twente, Jack Yancey (The Golf Depot), & Josh Bartleheim (Community Golf Course) 

36 – Dave MacLaughlin & Andrew Oxender (the GC at Little Turtle) 

35 – Joe Stago, Pat Bernot & Josh Boggs (GOLFTEC – Columbus) 

34 – Chad Ammer &  Ian Prats (Maketewah Country Club) 

27 – Mitchell Enzweiler (Wyoming Golf Club) & Matt Brewer (Cincinnati Country Club)

It wasn’t just donors getting in on the fundraising. The Memorial Tournament Power Boost Closest to the Hole Contest provided players with 16 chances to earn an additional $1,250 towards their total dollars raised at the completion of the event. Teams that stuck their shots closest to the hole on each of the four par-3 holes earned the extra dollars each round, totalling to $20,000 donated by the Memorial Tournament. The Memorial Tournament Power Boost results are below:

Round 1

  • Hole #4 – Prats/Ammer (Maketewah CC – Cincinnati)
  • Hole #8 – Muse/Kern (Hickory Hills GC – Columbus)
  • Hole #13 – Sanders/Muhich (Ivy Hills CC and O’Bannon Creek GC – Cincinnati)
  • Hole #17 – Coll/Wilson (Columbus CC – Columbus)

Round 2

  • Hole #4 – Bach/Andrews
  • Hole #8 – Thomas/Thomas (Mark McDonald Golf & Sharon Woods GC – Cincinnati)
  • Hole #13 – Smyser/Sullivan (Heritage Club – Columbus)
  • Hole #17 – Sanders/Muhich (Ivy Hills CC and O’Bannon Creek GC – Cincinnati)

Round 3

  • Hole #4 – Falardeau/Yoder (Scioto CC – Columbus)
  • Hole #8 – Montgomery/Brickley/Helgreen (Kinsale Golf and Fitness – Columbus)
  • Hole #13 – Bastel/Van Heukelom (Worthington Hills CC – Columbus) 
  • Hole #17 – Muse/Kern (Hickory Hills GC – Columbus)

Round 4

  • Hole #4 – Wade/Gilligan (Sugar Valley GC & Losantiville CC – Cincinnati)
  • Hole #8 – Grant/Karnes (NCR CC – Dayton)
  • Hole #13 – Wade/Gilligan (Sugar Valley GC & Losantiville CC – Cincinnati)
  • Hole #17 – Coll/Wilson (Columbus CC – Columbus)

Funds generated from the event will go to the three Children’s Hospitals in the Southern Ohio Section – Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Cincinnati Children’s and Dayton Children’s Hospital – by way of the Children’s Miracle Network as well as PGA REACH Southern Ohio Foundation programs. Contributions to the Children’s Miracle Network will be presented to Play Yellow during a private check presentation on Wednesday at the Memorial Tournament. Funds raised for each hospital will be presented to their respective locations later in June. 

About Play Yellow 

Play Yellow, a program benefiting Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, brings together the golf community to help the 10 million kids treated at CMN Hospitals every year. Through special events like the Birdie Bash, local tournaments, corporate partners, and Play Yellow Sundays on the PGA TOUR, Play Yellow helps change kids’ health and change the future. For more information, visit playyellow.org and follow on Instagram, Twitter, & Facebook.

About Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals

Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals has raised funds for 170 children’s hospitals that support the health of 10 million kids each year across the U.S. and Canada. Donations go to the local hospitals to fund critical life-saving treatments and healthcare services, along with innovative research, cital pediatric medical equipment, child life services that put kids’ and families’ minds at ease during difficult hospital stays and financial assistance for families who could not otherwise afford these health services. When we improve the health of all children and allow them the opportunity to reach their full potential, we also improve our communities for years to come. Together, we can change kids’ health. Together we can change the future. To learn about Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals and your local children’s hospital, visit www.ChildrensMiracleNetworkHospitals.org.

About the Southern Ohio PGA

The Southern Ohio Section, PGA of America is an association of nearly 500 golf professionals whose mission is to promote the interest, participation and enjoyment in the game itself; establish and maintain professional standards of practice, and enhance the well-being of golf professionals. The Southern Ohio Section was founded in 1946. Find out more at www.thesouthernohiopga.com.

About PGA REACH Southern Ohio

Established in 2010, PGA REACH Southern Ohio, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and the philanthropic arm of the Southern Ohio PGA Section, one of the 41 sections in the PGA of America. The Foundation is committed to serving our communities and growing the game of golf through our three pillars – Youth, Military, and Diversity & Inclusion.