The third annual Patrick Warburton Celebrity Golf Tournament is returning to the Classic Club on March 1-3, 2013. Presented by HighTower, the tournament benefits St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital®– one of the world’s premier centers for research and treatment of pediatric cancer and other deadly diseases.
Tournament host, actor Patrick Warburton, who currently appears on the CBS show Rules of Engagement and is perhaps best known for playing Puddy on Seinfeld, brings many of his celebrity friends out to the desert to highlight a star-studded weekend raising much-needed funds for kids fighting cancer.
Today, the Tournament announced celebrities scheduled to appear at press time, including actors Danny Masterson, Alan Thicke, Cheech Marin, Peter Gallagher, Robert Hays, Oliver Hudson, Luke Perry, Scott Wolfe, Chris McDonald, Rob Morrow, Michael Pena and Joel Gretsch; athletes Grant Fuhr and Robbie Gould; and news commentator, Brett Baier.
But what makes this Tournament most unique is its Friday Night Jam Session kicking off the tournament weekend, showcasing a dream team of rock legends like Alice Cooper, Don Felder of the Eagles, Robbie Krieger and Dave Brock of The Doors, Danny Seraphine of Chicago, Mike Mills of R.E.M. and Kim Carnes. The house band at the Jam Session is Sixwire, which is currently featured on the popular TV series, Nashville. The Jam Session will begin following the Pairings Party on Friday night, March 1, at the JW Marriott Desert Springs Resort in Palm Desert. Jam Session tickets are being sold separately from the tournament, so attendees do not need to be registered in the golf tournament to attend the Jam Session.
“This tournament is so extraordinary because of the way it incorporates musicians,” said Clarke Rheney, tournament chairman. “It’s an unbelievably good time supporting one of the most honorable causes in the world. No child is turned away at St. Jude, regardless of their ability to pay.”
Golf tournament participants will tee up on Saturday morning at the Classic Club in Palm Desert, and later unwind back at the JW Marriott with a dinner and comedy show by Kevin Pollak (Grumpy Old Men, Casino, The Drew Carey Show), hosted by John O’Hurley. Celebrity guests will walk the Red Carpet at the Saturday Night gala beginning at 5pm. Sixwire will wrap up the evening with live music and dancing.
The tournament concludes with the final round of golf on Sunday, March 3rd. The tournament’s title sponsor is the Palm Desert division of HighTower.
In 2010, Warburton and his wife Cathy visited St. Jude in Memphis, Tenn., to tour the facility and meet some of the patient families. Moved by the patients they met and the impressive strides that have been made on pediatric cancer survival rates by St. Jude’s research, they decided to lead a fundraising effort and announced their plans for this celebrity golf tournament.
“We’re grateful for the outpouring of support and look forward to hosting a fun weekend that benefits the kids of St. Jude,” said Warburton. “The research being done at St. Jude not only saves lives of so many who receive treatment at the hospital, but also children all over the country and future generations who will receive similar diagnoses.”
In just the Tournament’s second year in 2012, the event raised more than $310,000 for St. Jude, and the Warburtons are hoping to raise the bar yet again this year.
Tickets the Friday Night Jam Session can be purchased for $125, and the Saturday Gala tickets are $250. Golf runs $2,000 per person, or $8,000 for a foursome. Each foursome will be paired with a celebrity. For more information or to purchase tickets, go to PatrickWarburtonGolf.com.
About St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is internationally recognized for its pioneering research and treatment of children with cancer and other life-threatening diseases. The hospital’s research has helped push overall survival rates for childhood cancer from less than 20 percent when the institution opened to almost 80 percent today. It is the first and only National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center devoted solely to children, and no family ever pays St. Jude for care. For more information, visit www.stjude.org and follow St. Jude on facebook.com/stjude and twitter.com/stjude.
