Rock Like a Champion

Better Than Ezra plays for the crowds at the 2010 Constellation Energy Senior Players Championship at TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm.
PGA TOUR Staff

October 10, 2010

By PGA TOUR Staff

POTOMAC, Md.—Champions Tour fans rocked out for the military at this year's Constellation Energy Senior Players Championship. As part of the PGA TOUR's support for Birdies for the Brave, the tournament held a Military Appreciation Day on Saturday, Oct. 9,  at the newly renovated TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm. The main event was a concert by New Orleans rock band Better Than Ezra, which was presented by USO-Metro and was free to tournament spectators.

The concert was preceded by an appreciation ceremony on the 18th-fairway stage, featuring the presentation of colors and national anthem by Technical SGT Paige Martin, lead vocalist for the Airmen of Note, along with a performance by the United States Air Force Honor Guard Drill Team. In all it does, the Drill Team personifies the integrity, discipline, teamwork and professionalism of every Airman and every Air Force mission. Throughout the Air Force Honor Guard's 60-year history, the Drill Team has performed in all 50 states and many other countries. Its 12-man performance thrilled not only the crowd but the band, as well.

To cap off the celebration of our military, Better Than Ezra treated the crowd to a 45-minute set. The ban played their smash hits “Desperately Wanting,” “Good,” “Extra Ordinary,” and “Juicy.” Longtime supporters of the military through hospital visits and overseas tours, the band also took time to hang out with some Wounded Warriors and active-uty servicemen and women while on site.

Other Birdies for the Brave military outreach activities during tournament week included Champions Tour player visits to Walter Reed Army Medical Center; a breakfast honoring military leadership, featuring Navy Cross recipient Jeremiah Workman, author of the book, Shadow of the Sword; the opportunity for uniformed military members to serve as tournament tee announcers; and complimentary food and beverages all week for military members and their families in the Patriots' Outpost military hospitality chalet presented by Booz Allen Hamilton.

Birdies for the Brave was originally created five years ago by Phil Mickelson and his wife, Amy, to support military members wounded in combat. Since then, the TOUR has lent its support by joining with TOUR players, corporate partners, tournament fans and TPC club members to raise more than $5.2 million for military homefront groups through charity golf events hosted at TPC clubs nationwide. Other military outreach initiatives conducted by the TOUR include the Adopt-A-Wounded Warrior program, in which wounded warriors and their families are awarded an honorary TPC club membership to aid in the rehabilitation process and show appreciation for their service to our country; golf clinics hosted by TOUR players at military hospitals and bases; Operation Shower, held in collaboration with the March of Dimes, for expectant mothers whose spouses are deployed or injured; and complimentary admission for military members and their dependents during many TOUR tournaments.

For more information on Birdies for the Brave and how you can get involved in your community please visit www.birdiesforthebrave.com.