Delta Gamma event features PGA TOUR players at golf course

In the midst of a busy golf season, 12 professionals will take a break from their usual competition Friday at the Spikes for Speakers Golf Classic, benefitting the Delta Gamma Lectureship in Values and Ethics.

Four-time PGA TOUR champion Mark Wilson and his wife Amy, president of the PGA TOUR Wives Association, will be hosting the pro-am event with Delta Gamma at the IU Golf Course.

“Mark and I wanted to help create experiences through an endowment for all on campus with speakers and receptions in hopes of bringing opportunities,” said Amy Wilson, a Kelley School of Business graduate and Delta Gamma alumna. “We thought, let’s have an outing with our friends on the tour.”

Delta Gamma chapters at 16 other universities have brought speakers such as former President Gerald Ford, Maya Angelou, Michael J. Fox and Colin Powell through the lectureship series.

Junior Tracy Sarli, the director of the lectureship for Delta Gamma at IU, said she hopes the event will help achieve their goal to bring a visionary to campus.

“Our ultimate goal is to benefit the community,” Sarli said. “It is such an honor that PGA TOUR golfers are taking the time to participate in the event and care about our cause.”
The professional golfers will be paired with foursomes that provided donations to the lectureship. These PGA TOUR players include two-time winner Jason Bohn, 2002 Buick Classic champion Chris Smith and 2009 Kodak Challenge champion Kevin Streelman.

“PGA TOUR players are on the road for 33 or more weeks a year, so time is precious,” Wilson said. “You have to select what you give, and we are so happy our friends are helping make this an exciting University event.”

Following the event, five of the PGA TOUR players will sign autographs and meet with fans at Upland Brewing Company from 6–7 p.m., followed by a performance by Clayton Anderson.

As for the pro-am tournament, Wilson said she is excited to see if the professional-paired teams or the alumni of IU men’s and women’s golf teams will win.
“There’s going to be some stiff competition,” Wilson said. “It will be interesting to see who prevails.”

Tickets for the Spikes for Speakers Upland After Party can be pre-ordered for $10 and can be purchased at the restaurant, the Buskirk-Chumley Theater or online.