Ben Hogan Classic provides tee-riffic time for Fort Hood Soldiers

FORT HOOD, Texas - More than 200 active-duty Soldiers gathered for the Ben Hogan Classic golf tournament at the Courses of Clear Creek March 31 here.

The Ben Hogan Foundation was established in 2006 in honor of the legendary golfer of the same name; to ensure that his values of resilience, courage, determination and perseverance are recognized and rewarded. The organization does this by hosting golf tournaments and providing scholarships.

Lisa Scott, board chair and treasurer for the Ben Hogan Foundation, as well as the late golfer's great niece, said Hogan was very patriotic, having served in World War II, and she knew he would have been all for the Ben Hogan Classic.

"He always took the time for the military and I know he would be behind this," she shared. "It's an honor to come back every year and I really appreciate the support for this event on base. Command has said a lot of time when Soldiers are coming in they won't ask questions about the base, they'll ask, 'When is this tournament?'"

The Ben Hogan Classic has grown to be one of the most popular events hosted on Fort Hood. This year, all of the more than 200 slots were filled within 45 minutes on registration day.

Despite the strong winds, all of the golfers had huge smiles on their faces and were excited for the day ahead.

"This is the 11th annual tournament which is impressive," said Lt. Gen. Sean Bernabe, III Armored Corps and Fort Hood commanding general, to the crowd gathered at the courses. "What started as a bright idea and a phone call has somehow blossomed into what we have today which is absolutely amazing. This is my first chance to actually see it in person."

Bernabe went on to thank the Ben Hogan Foundation for their continued support and presented a special gift to Judd Pritchard, chief executive officer of the Ben Hogan Foundation.

"This foundation is just inspiring," Bernabe expressed to Pritchard. "The energy you put into taking care of people that you may not even know, your generosity and your selflessness just inspires us to do a little bit more. On behalf of the great Soldiers and family members here, let me just say thank you for everything that you have done and that you're doing right now to help support our Soldiers and our families."

Gifts were also presented to the Ryan Foundation and the Rainwater Foundation for their support of the tournament and Bernabe thanked the volunteers before wishing the golfers good luck.

Pritchard spoke next saying how honored the Ben Hogan Foundation was to be at Fort Hood putting on the golf classic that they have also grown to love.

"This is the day that we get to say thank you guys for serving us all year long," he said. "Just know that we appreciate you all year long."

Once the golfers were on the course, they realized there was more fun to be had than just golfing. Some of the holes had stations where volunteers had fun activities including cornhole, as well as items for golfers to take home. At one hole, a canvas was set up for golfers to hit a paint-covered golf ball at, creating a unique piece of art.

Lt. Col. Jeremy Prince, 89th Military Police Brigade commander, was one of the lucky golfers and he was loving every minute of the tournament.

"What a great event that the Ben Hogan Foundation came in and took care of America's greatest asset which is our American Soldier - the men and women that put their lives on the line in defense of this country," he said.

"Thank you for this event," Prince continued. "We've done it for 11 years and hopefully for 11 more years. It's an amazing event."

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