Regions Tradition Donates to Alabama charities

January 5, 2012

By Ian Thompson, The Birmingham News

The following article originally appeared in The Birmingham News on January 5, 2012. To view the original article please click here. 

BIRMINGHAM, AL-- The week before Christmas, many dignitaries gathered at Children's Hospital in downtown Birmingham. In a very touching scene, seven young patients sat close to the podium and at the appointed time each turned over a golf ball-shaped card to reveal a number in sequence, which read $767,988.

I was present for this annual occasion to announce the charitable giving of the Regions Tradition, as I have been for many years at various locales, but this time touched me even more than before. For any parent, it couldn't fail to do so.

The lion's share of this money -- officials declined to state the actual amount -- will go to Children's of Alabama, which is among the 10 busiest pediatric hospitals in the country, seeing 600,000 outpatients every year. That's an average of 1,600 children every day.

Also, more than 100 other charities will benefit from the charitable proceeds.

At the charitable announcement, Mike Stevens, president of the Champions Tour, gave Children's a check for $30,000. Mike Thompson, co-chairman of the Regions Tradition, presented Children's with a check on behalf of Shoal Creek.

The Regions Tradition, a major on the Champions Tour returns this year, approximately a month later on the calendar, June 7-10. Players who have turned 50 since last year's championship, and thus would likely be eligible to play this June, include John Huston, who played golf for Central Alabama Community College and briefly for Auburn before turning pro, as well as Steve Pate, Brad Faxon, Kirk Triplett and Andrew Magee.

Bernhard Langer, a leading player on the Champions Tour who missed out last year due to injury will be here, along with defending champ Tom Lehman, Mark Calcavecchia, Nick Price, Fred Couples, Tom Watson and John Cook.

The PGA Tour, the governing body of the Champions Tour, has donated more than $1.7 billion to charity since 1938. Across its three tours -- PGA, Champions and Nationwide -- it has given $118 million in 2011.

And the Senior Tour/Champions Tour event in Birmingham has raised more than $11.7 million since 1992.