NORTON, MA — 2018 Ryder Cup Captain Jim Furyk will be the guest speaker and honored with the 21st Francis Ouimet Award for Lifelong Contributions to Golf at the Francis Ouimet Scholarship Fund’s 67th Annual Banquet. The Banquet, which has become the largest annual golf dinner in America, is scheduled for Tuesday, March 27 at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center. The Connolly Group – Morgan Stanley will again be the Presenting Sponsor.
“Jim Furyk continues the tradition of tremendous Ouimet honorees. He has been one of the top players on the PGA TOUR for the past 24 years, has played on nine Ryder Cup teams including here in Boston in 1999, and is greatly respected for his charitable work. We are all looking forward to him leading the US Team in Paris,” said Jim Blue, Ouimet Fund President.
Mr. Blue went on to describe the great history of the banquet and its awardees that have included the late Arnold Palmer, Former President George H.W. Bush, Peter Jacobsen, Jack and Barbara Nicklaus, Greg Norman, Gary Player, Tom Watson, Annika Sorenstam and Nick Price. Ticket and sponsorship information will be announced shortly on the Ouimet Fund’s website www.ouimet.org
Mr. Furyk has a superlative and consistent record, including having won 17 TOUR events including the 2003 U.S. Open, and the 2010 TOUR and Fed Ex Cup Playoffs. He has finished in the top ten money winners list nine times. In 2016 he shot the only 58 in PGA TOUR history at the Travelers Championship.
The 47-year-old Ponte Vedra, Florida resident is one of the game’s most recognizable stars, known for his distinctive swing and strolling the fairways with caddie Mike “Fluff” Cowan, a Maine native.
Furyk grew up in Western Pennsylvania where his father was a golf professional. Mike Furyk has been Jim’s only teacher. He and his wife are very active with their Jim and Tabitha Furyk Foundation which was created to help families and children in need and supports numerous projects in Northern Florida. In 2016 he was honored by the PGA TOUR with its prestigious Payne Stewart Award for his charitable efforts.
The Francis Ouimet Scholarship Fund was founded in 1949 and since then has awarded nearly $34 Million in need-based college tuition assistance to young people who served at least two years as caddies or in pro shop and course superintendent operations in Massachusetts. In the current school year, The Fund awarded 491 scholarships to students who worked at 140 courses and are attending 155 colleges. A total of 5,700 students have received Ouimet Scholarships and many have gone on to outstanding positions of leadership in business and professional careers. The Fund is a 501 (c) (3) organization.
