Celebs sign on for annual event

The 2LiveBeyond Celebrity Golf Tournament is changing its dates and location for its second occurrence, and has started receiving commitments from athletes.

The tournament is moving from the Grande Dunes Resort Course to the private Members Club this year, and is moving up its dates from mid-June to Memorial Day weekend.

World Series champion and six-time Major League Baseball All-Star Bobby Bonilla and five-time NFL All-Pro wide receiver and South Carolina alumnus Sterling Sharpe headline a short list of early commitments to the May 30tournament, which has playing spots available and will be open to a limited number of spectators.

The tournament is hosted by retired 17-year Major League Baseball outfielder Reggie Sanders and retired nine-year National Football League wide receiver Andre Davis, who both now live in Myrtle Beach, and benefits charities they are affiliated with.

The motto of the 2LiveBeyond initiative is “To live beyond ourselves so others can dream beyond their circumstances.”

The full list of celebrities is scheduled to be announced on May 1.

Other current or former NFL players scheduled to participate include quarterback and Myrtle Beach resident Tyler Thigpen, kicker Olindo Mare, punter Matt Turk, wide receiver David Patten, safety Nick Ferguson, tight end Byron Chamberlain, linebacker Andra Davis and offensive lineman Chester Pitts.

Patten won three Super Bowls with the Patriots and Chamberlain won two with Denver. Turk was a three-time Pro Bowl selection while Chamberlain and Mare were also Pro Bowl selections.

Other former Major League Baseball players who have committed to the event include infielder Marlon Anderson and all-star pitcher Russ Ortiz. Former Major League Soccer (MLS) defender Mike Chabala has committed, and Sanders said NASCAR and the NBA are also likely to be represented in the tournament.

Sanders said he’s working on getting several more baseball players, including Johnny Damon, Bill Buckner and National Baseball Hall of Famers Phil Niekro and Eddie Murray, who played last year.

Organizer Scott Pyle, whose company Pyle Financial Services is a presenting sponsor, said several courses were interested in hosting the tournament and it was narrowed to four. “The Members Club was the right fit in terms of facilities and quality,” Pyle said.

Amateur teams of four will be paired with celebrities for the tournament, which has a 10 a.m. shotgun start. The tournament entry fee is $1,500 per player or $5,000 per four-player team, and half of the teams are already sold.

Participants receive a swag bag, pre-tournament breakfast and post-tournament awards banquet on May 30, as well as a luncheon, concert by Heart tribute band Heart Brigade and gala involving live and silent auctions at the House of Blues on May 29.

Tournament organizers are allowing 750 spectators at the Members Club, as 500 general admission tickets are $25 each and 250 VIP tickets that include food and beverages during the event are $100. All spectators can take part in a meet and greet on the driving range prior to tee off.

Separate tickets for the HOB gala are $150 and include a concert by Heart Brigade Band. Golf participants and others purchasing a gala ticket will have the upstairs of the HOB during the concert, complete with food and open bar. Live and silent auction items include overseas trips, a signed Garth Brooks guitar, and signed memorabilia from celebrities including Joe Montana, Dick Butkus and Tony Romo.

An all-inclusive VIP ticket to the tournament and HOB gala is $250. All tickets and more information are available at www.2livebeyond.com.

On Friday, celebrities will take part in a Grand Strand Miracle League game with special needs children, then attend a lunch at Rioz Brazilian Steakhouse that will include a leadership seminar for the athletes and top sponsors that will focus on giving back. The Miracle League game provided a lasting memory for celebrities last year.

“It’s one thing to be able to talk about helping kids, and quite another thing to actually go out there and do it,” Davis said. “There were a couple guys, when we got back on the bus, were pretty emotional about it. One of the players told me if we would have given them an option to go play a practice round of golf or come here to Miracle League, they would have played golf because kids with disabilities wasn’t his thing. It makes some people uncomfortable. He couldn’t stop thanking us enough for bringing him and letting him be a part of that because I think it was a true perspective change for him to realize a lot of times it’s not about you, it’s about using the platform you have to really be able to give back.”

Sanders said the tournament raised approximately $80,000 last year, with 45 percent going to the Reggie Sanders Foundation, 45 percent to Africa New Life Ministries and 10 percent to the Grand Strand Miracle League. The donation percentages will be the same this year.

“Typically when you do a first event you’re in the red, so we were able to not be in the red, which was a blessing,” Sanders said.

Sanders’ foundation focuses on assisting children with autism and their families in the greater Pee Dee and Grand Strand areas, and works with SOS Healthcare and its Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapists to detect autism and assist families. Sanders has an autistic brother.

Davis said Africa New Life Ministries based in Rwanda is caring for, feeding, clothing and educating more than 6,000 children. Tournament proceeds will help build a health clinic there. He traveled to Rwanda in the past year to see the program at work. “I had an amazing time just seeing the love, the caring and the passion the Africa New Life Ministries staff had for those in need and the children there,” Davis said.

The tournament has been solidified with numerous sponsors this year, and Pyle Financial Services and Digity Media remain the presenting sponsors. Volunteer tournament director Jamie Croland said he has up to 20 volunteer team leaders and is seeking more volunteers.

This story was originally published March 24, 2015 at 7:56 AM.