Free Admission Monday, Tuesday at PGA Tour Tampa Bay Championship

Tournament week for the Tampa Bay Championship presented by EverBank begins on Monday with two major events.

Chi Chi Rodriguez Academy Pro-Am

A total of 20 professionals including John Daly will participate in the Chi Chi Rodriguez Academy Pro-Am with a shotgun start beginning at 12:30 p.m. on the Copperhead Course at Innisbrook Resort.  

The expected pros for the Chi Chi Rodriguez Academy Pro-Am include Scott Gardiner, Shawn Stefani, Steve Bowditch, Brad Fritsch, Graham DeLaet, Harris English, John Daly, Lee Williams, Luke Guthrie, Patrick Cantlay, Ross Fisher, Wes Short Jr., David Lingmerth, Luke List, Jason Kokrak, Kevin Sutherland, Alistair Presnell, Ben Kohles, Chez Reavie, Daniel Summerhays.

The tournament has an expanded relationship this year with the First Tee program at the Chi Chi Academy, serving the Clearwater area.  Monday’s pro-am will benefit this group and two PGA Tour players will visit the academy on Wednesday afternoon.  In addition, students at the Chi Chi Rodriguez Academy will serve as standard bearers on Wednesday and Thursday and a 50/50 raffle will be conducted Thursday – Sunday among Tampa Bay Championship patrons that will benefit the First Tee at Chi Chi Academy programs.

Although every team does not have a celebrity this year, former MLB slugger Fred McGriff and Dexter Jackson, the Super Bowl XXXVII MVP, are expected to play.

Executive Women's Day

Another event on Monday is Executive Women’s Day presented by Astellas.  More than 100 women will participate in an all-day series of activities.

The day begins with a breakfast panel discussion, followed by a behind-the-scenes tour of the Tampa Bay Championship to get an up close and personal view of various aspects of the tournament, including the media center, the network television compound, Shot Link operations and Corporate Hospitality locations. 

The lunch program will feature Molly Fletcher as the keynote speaker.  An entrepreneur, author and speaker, Flecther is the author of two books, Your Dream Job Game Plan and The Business of Being the Best and is the founder of The Betterment Institute, an e-learning portal. A trailblazer throughout her career, she has been featured on CNN, ESPN, Sports Illustrated, the Wall Street Journal and USA Today, and regularly contributes to FOX News.

Following lunch, the program shifts to the “Wine Down – Network Up” portion of the day where the local, regional and national businesswomen will enjoy a unique networking opportunity.

Admission to the Copperhead Course is free on Monday and Tuesday and $10 for Wednesday’s Pro-Am. Kids 15 and under are admitted free with a paying adult.  Active and retired military with a valid common access card are admitted free. 

Thanks to Rick Odioso for submitting this information.

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