The Constellation Furyk and Friends golf tournament presented by Circle K took place at the Timuquana Country Club Sept. 29 to Oct. 5. The tournament is a PGA Tour Champions Event that just celebrated its fifth year at Timuquana. In the past four years, the tournament, which is put on by the Jim and Tabitha Furyk Foundation, has raised $4,708, 175 for Northeast Florida charities.
Jim and Tabitha Furyk look forward to sharing this event with the community every year.
“It’s about bringing our community together and raising awareness for these great causes and raising money while having a great time,” said Jim Furyk. Some of those causes include Operation Shower, Blessings in a Backpack and Wolfson Children’s Hospital among many others.
On Friday, Oct. 3, Baylie Cruce kicked off the tournament for the day with the honorary first tee shot. When she was 16, Cruce underwent spinal fusion surgery at Wolfson to correct a severe case of scoliosis. She is now a sophomore at the University of Alabama and is very thankful for the support she received from Wolfson.
“It means so much to see the community give back because I know how much I was impacted in that hospital and what it meant to me,” said Cruce.
The tournament concluded on Sunday, Oct. 5, with Tommy Gainey shooting 14 under par and claiming his first PGA Tour Champions title in his fifth career start. Gainey also became the youngest winner on the Champions tour this season. He overcame a four-shot deficit entering the final round and matched the largest comeback victory this season.
“When I tee it up, I plan on winning,” said Gainey.
Gainey’s background is a little different than that of most professional golfers, but he has not allowed that to stop him.
“It’s all about hard work paying off. If you have dreams, go for it,” he said.
Gainey had more than a few fans cheering him on, which is something he was very grateful for.
“I’m very lucky that these fans are still pulling for me and supporting me,” he said.
Gainey was also quick to recognize the Furyks for everything that they do.
“They give their time to help other people, and people like that are very hard to find. I’m just glad to call them my friends,” he said.
The Constellation Furyk and Friends tournament will be relocating next year to the Jack Nicklaus golf course at Hammock Beach in Palm Coast. This will allow the foundation to reach even more people in need.
“Now we have the opportunity to bring on new charities that are further south,” said Tabitha Furyk.
The Furyks are excited to take the next step in growing their foundation; however, St. Johns County will always be their home base.
“Northeast Florida is in our hearts; this is where our foundation lives and thrives. This is our home, and this is the community that we are always going to support,” said Jim Furyk.
