Exciting Update on Porter Celebrity Pro-Am
THUNDER BAY – PGA TOUR Canada – Organizers of the Staal Foundation Open, presented by Tbaytel have unveiled the line-up for the Porter Celebrity Pro-Am that is scheduled for Monday July 14, 2014. That is the opening day of the week of PGA TOUR Canada event in Thunder Bay.
The lineup includes NHLers and members of the Staal family, the Pyatts, Matt Cullen, Ric Nattress, Carter Hutton and Olympic Curling Champion Brad Jacobs to name a few.
The Porter Celebrity Pro-Am is the first of many events scheduled on and off the course during the week of July 14-20. A full schedule is available online at staalopen.ca.
Tournament Executive Director, Scott Smith, said that from the start the event was more than just a golf tournament. “We put a call out to the community to organize events and participate, making this a full week of celebration. The community really responded and now we have a full roster of activities that will interest everyone. This is quite the feat for our first year.”
One of the highlights on the course is the display of a Formula One racing car brought in by Total Lubricants.
Beyond the variety and number of festive activities, the competition begins officially on Thursday with a roster of 156 players. “We have an exciting roster for the competition,” says Smith. “Our most recent addition of Walter Keating Jr. and Jeff Hunter join two other local golfers who qualified through district events; Evan DeGrazia and Jamie DePiero along with Matt Hill and Alan Mclean to round out the six exemptions allotted to the tournament organizers.
Opening ceremonies are scheduled for Monday, July 14 at 10:00 a.m. at Whitewater and will include local dignitaries and participants from Fort William Historical Park to name a few. Tickets are still available online or by contacting one of the designated charities, the United Way and Thunder Bay Regional Health Science Foundation. Cost of tickets is $10.00 per day or $30.00 for the week-long event. Children ages 14 and under are free. St. Joseph’s Foundation volunteers will be on site managing parking at a cost of $5 per vehicle per day. In return, parking passes carry a $10 voucher for redemption at Kelsey’s, Montana’s and/or Five Forks restaurants.
“We began the organization of this event more than a year ago. Since then we have all learned a lot, dedicated a lot of our own personal time and resources and had the support of our business community and government. I had no doubt that this would all come together as well as it has. Thunder Bay is known for its hosting and hospitality and this event is no different,” said Executive Director, Scott Smith.
List of Porter Celebrity Pro-Am Special Guests
Eric Staal Hockey
Jordan Staal Hockey
Marc Staal Hockey
Jared Staal Hockey
Brad Jacobs Curling
Robert Bortuzzo Hockey
Carter Hutton Hockey
Trevor Letowski Hockey
Tom Pyatt Hockey
Taylor Pyatt Hockey
Matt Cullen Hockey
Brett Bellemore Hockey
Scott Walker Hockey
Rick Nattress Hockey
Stew Gavin Hockey
Jeremy Taggart Music
The Whitewater Golf Club is looking very good, and this week there is a youth clinic on at the course. Dustin Wilson is coaching a group of young budding future pros.
