DALLAS — Texas A&M University alumni are finalizing plans for the 10th
annual Texas A&M Invitational golf tournament on Sept. 10.
Founded in 1998, the tournament supports research, education and scholarships
in the turfgrass program of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at
Texas A&M.
Proceeds will be added to the Texas Turfgrass Research, Education and
Extension Endowment, known as TREEE, which has a balance of nearly $800,000,
said Dr. Milt Engelke, a turgrass researcher with the Texas Agricultural
Experiment Station in Dallas.
“The Texas A&M Invitational is the only sustainable revenue generator
that we have to grow the endowment,” Engelke said.
The event, to take place at the Brookhaven Country Club in Dallas, will be
hosted by Gene Stallings, a Texas A&M graduate and a former college and NFL
football coach.
The tournament will be played under a celebrity scramble format with a
shotgun start at noon, organizing committee members said. Five-player teams will
include a well-known Texan or Texas A&M graduate.
In addition to registration fees, players can contribute to the endowment by
paying to have their golf balls moved closer to holes, said Kat Belew, an event
coordinator. Sponsors can contribute between $250 and $20,000 to play in the
tournament.
The fund-raiser supports a worthy cause, Engelke said. The turfgrass program
was formed to develop environmentally friendly grasses that require less water
and pesticides. The program benefits homeowners, golfers, soccer players and
others who participate in activities on a field.
“Turfgrass is one of the few agricultural commodities that directly affects
all of the people all of the time,” Engelke said. “Grass in general is what
holds this planet together.”
