Announcing the

61st Pro Amateur Golf Championship and Celebration

Hosted by the Founders’ Board of Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago

Monday
August 30, 2021

Onwentsia Club
300 Green Bay Rd,
Lake Forest, IL 60045

The Founders’ Board is hosting the 61st annual Pro Amateur Golf Championship on August 30, 2021. The Pro Am is the most successful annual fundraising event in the Hospital’s history, with cumulative proceeds totaling more than $20 million.
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On August 30, amateur foursomes will be paired with golf professionals from 50 prestigious private country clubs across the country for the exciting Golf Championship. Groups of five golfers (four amateurs and one professional) will tee off at Onwentsia Club in either a morning or an afternoon round and will have the opportunity to participate in either the Best Ball or Scramble format. Groups who participate in the Best Ball format will compete for the coveted June Seaman Trophy, named in honor of Mrs. June Seaman, the chair of the first event in 1961. Prizes are also awarded to the second-, third- and fourth-place finishing teams in Best Ball — Net category, and the top-finishing groups in the Scramble and Best Ball — Gross formats.

This year’s golf event will carry on despite the COVID-19 pandemic. Please know that your support means more now than ever and we are excited to continue the Pro Am tradition and have a great time together on the green! Thank you for being a steadfast champion of Lurie Children’s Hospital.

Player Safety Guidelines

Any players with any symptoms of covid-19 should not play.In addition, any players from a household with someone with symptoms of covid-19 should not play.

Players and employees should maintain social distance (of at least 6 feet) on practice areas, tees, greens and throughout the round.

Players should wear a mask at registration and all off-course locations of Onwentsia Club. Players should handle their own golf balls.

Players should leave the flag in place while putting.

Players should bring hand sanitizer with them and use during your round and at the end.

Players should bring their own supply of balls, tees, ball markers and any other equipment needed to play golf.

No handshakes at the beginning of the round or at the 18th hole.

For more information, please contact Concy Richards at corichards@luriechildrens.org.

Virtual Paddle Raise

In Lieu of the Dinner on the Bluff event, we will host a Virtual Paddle Raise from June 27-29. Paddle raise presented by J.P.Morgan.

Gather together (safely, of course!) or stay in and make the Pro Am’s signature cocktail, the Swing and a Spritz!

Spending the evening in with your family? Download the Pro Am’s paddle and showcase your or your kids’ artistic skills—this year’s paddle can be colored however you choose! Once your artist has created something just right, raise your paddle up high and post the art on Instagram using #60thProAm.

If you’ve invited a few close friends for a gathering at home, share a selfie of your party and post your photo on Instagram using #60thProAm.

And while you’re joining in all the fun, don’t forget to participate in this year’s Virtual Paddle Raise!

We did it! With your help, we surpassed our need goal of $250,000 and our reach goal of $350,000 and raised $414,018 for the children cared for at Lurie Children's. Thank you!

It’s your last chance to raise your paddle for Lurie Children’s! Make sure to give today.

Virtually join one of our beloved golfers teeing off with one of our favorite pros as they get ready to enjoy the course at the Onwentsia Club, and raise your paddle for Lurie Children’s!

Tune in to watch Mark Rolfing, former pro and current golf commentator, moderate a very special virtual roundtable with David Abeles, CEO, TaylorMade, Bob Ford, Head Professional, Seminole Golf Club, and JJ Weaver, Augusta National Co-Head Professional.

An exciting message from the Onwentsia Club’s Golf Pro, Nick Papadakes, about what to expect at this year’s Pro Am. As you anxiously await the golf course in September, make sure to raise your paddle!

Join Stuart Larkins as he demonstrates his mixology skills by making the 60th Pro Am’s Signature Drink, the Swing and a Spritz, and raise your paddle for Lurie Children’s!

The Lurie Children’s Pro Amateur Golf Championship Virtual Paddle Raise kicks off with a very important message!

Ingredients

2 oz. Cucumber, peeled and sliced
2 oz. Vodka (your favorite kind)
1/2 oz. St. Germaine Elderflower Liquer (optional)
1/2 oz. Simple Syrup
1/2 oz. Lemon Juice
Club Soda
Ice
Mint and cucumber slices for garnish

Directions

Muddle cucumber and mint
Add the cucumber mix to shaker, along with the simple syrup, St. Germaine, lemon juice, and vodka, and then shake.
Add your favorite club soda and garnish.

Sponsorship

If you are interested in sponsoring this year’s Pro Am, please contact Concy Richards at corichards@luriechildrens.org.

History

The Pro Am has a notable history dating back to 1960 when Sissy Wheeler first presented the idea of a pro-amateur golf fundraiser to her fellow members of the hospital’s Founders’ Board (called the Woman’s Board at the time). Little did Mrs. Wheeler know that her idea would inspire the support and involvement of thousands and create a tradition of giving that continues to thrive today, more than half a century later.

In planning the inaugural Pro Am, members of the Founders’ Board wisely enlisted their friend John Ames, past president of the U.S. Golf Association, to help recruit professional golfers to take part. Originally the tournament was held on the Monday following the Western Open to attract PGA tour professionals to stay and compete for the $10,000 purse, a relatively large sum at the time. The tournament model was so well-conceived, it remains largely unchanged today.

The first Pro Am was held on Monday, July 31, 1961, at Onwentsia Club in Lake Forest, Illinois. It raised $65,000 for the hospital’s “Free Care Fund,” designated for families who could not afford to pay for their children’s lifesaving treatments.

In its early years, the Pro Am attracted a number of golf legends, including Arnold Palmer, Chi Chi Rodriquez, Jack Nicklaus, Homero Blancas, Gene Sarazen, Julius Boros and Lee Trevino, in addition to entertainer Bob Hope. Today, golf professionals from top-rated, prestigious country clubs across the country are invited to play with the amateurs.

In 1970, the Pro Am added its first corporate sponsor: Marcor, Inc., the parent company of Montgomery Ward. Northern Trust was another early partner. In 1984, United Airlines joined as a sponsor and has supported the Pro Am every year since. United is the co-presenting sponsor of the 60th annual event and festivities, along with The Boeing Company. Corporate support has allowed the Pro Am to achieve record-breaking success for the hospital. Today, the event raises nearly $2 million annually.

To celebrate the Pro Am’s sponsors, golfers, and donors, in years past we have held the annual Dinner on the Bluff, which serves as the official tee-off event for the Pro Amateur Golf Championship. This elegant dinner is held at Shoreacres, the perfect setting to celebrate the Pro Am’s decades of friendship and philanthropy and to honor the important life-saving work taking place at Lurie Children’s.

The Pro Am is the most successful annual fundraising event of the Founders’ Board, as well as in the hospital’s history. Cumulative proceeds total more than $20 million, which has enabled Lurie Children’s to enhance patient care and to recruit renowned leaders in pediatric medicine and science.

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Impact

All proceeds from this year’s event will support the Founders’ Board’s newest funding commitment: a two-year $5 million gift to support the Patrick M. Magoon Institute for Healthy Communities. The funds raised align directly with the Magoon Institute’’s highest priorities: helping children thrive in the communities where they live, love, learn and play.

Supporters

Thank you to the following corporations, organizations and individuals for helping to Celebrate the Tradition in support of the 2020 Lurie Children’s Pro Amateur Golf Championship.