The Adam Hadwin Charity Classic Continues To Grow
- Details
- Category: Inside Golf
- Published: 2017-09-04
(Photo/AdamHadwin.com)
(Mark Williams/PGA TOUR Charities) — The annual Adam Hadwin Charity Classic began almost 10 years ago but the reason for starting the fundraising tournament occurred well before that.
“It didn’t really start out as my charity event, it was an event my dad wanted to host,” Hadwin said. “My brother has Crohn’s and we were introduced to C.H.I.L.D. at a young age when Kyle was diagnosed. That’s sort of how it came about.”
Kyle Hadwin was diagnosed at the age of 8, one of the youngest to contract the disease in Canada at that time. He’s 26 now and continues to successfully manage Crohn’s.
Hadwin’s dad was in the golf business at Morgan Creek Golf Club and wanted to do something to help the organization that was helping Kyle. He started a golf tournament from scratch — before Adam turned pro — and the event has evolved over time.
Five years ago, the Hadwins got more serious about the tournament and started bringing sponsors on board. The original Golf for C.H.I.L.D. charity event morphed into the Adam Hadwin Charity Classic and continues to grow every year.
“The same guys come back and love it and have a lot of fun with it,” Hadwin said.
This year’s fundraiser will be played at Morgan Creek Golf Course in Surrey, B.C., Canada on Friday, Sept. 8.
Children with Intestinal and Liver Disorders Foundation (C.H.I.L.D.) has been the beneficiary of the tournament since it began, and it’s raised over $650,000 towards helping kids in the fight for a cure. This year’s tournament will continue to support C.H.I.L.D. as a major beneficiary, but has also partnered with the B.C. Children's Hospital Foundation and Abbotsford Hospice Society/Holmberg House, charities that have positively impacted Hadwin and his family over the years, as well as countless others in the community.
“We haven't wanted to grow too big, too quickly and kind of let it get out of control,” Hadwin said. “Dave Holmberg was a great Abbotsford leader, politician, and he helped us out a lot. Including the additional beneficiaries is our little way of recognizing all the good he has done for our community.”
Holmberg, who died earlier this year after a five-year battle with cancer, was a successful businessman, entrepreneur and philanthropist. He and his wife Leona were dedicated to the community, and there is barely a cause or charity that hasn’t been touched by his generosity. In fact, he and his family contributed more than $1.3 million to the construction of Holmberg House hospice, which opened last year.
When Hadwin played in his first U.S. Open friends and family pledged ‘Birdies for C.H.I.L.D.” to raise additional funds for the organization.
“Of course, it’s the U.S. Open and you wouldn't think you would make that many birdies, but it happened to be the one at Congressional where Rory (McIlroy) won at 16 under,” Hadwin noted. “There was a bunch of birdies made so we raised a bit of money.”
Hadwin is unsure how this event will look in the future. He says it may be the springboard to developing a personal foundation for him and his wife, Jessica, but he’s cognizant of the hard work a lot of different people put into the tournament and what it means to the community.
“I kind of just lend my name and my presence and do a clinic and make sure everyone has a good time,” he said. “Everybody else is putting it together. When you get to present checks at the end of the night and see how grateful people are, that's sort of when it hits home that you've done something special.”
Another special thing Hadwin plans to do this year is provide an exceptional item for the auction that takes place during the event.
“I've got pin flags from each major this year and I've gotten the winners to sign them,” he said. “We're going to frame them and do one big auction prize. I think that would be a pretty cool prize.”
To learn more about the Adam Hadwin Charity Classic, please visit adamhadwin.com.