Fortunato tourney set for Saturday

Published 12:01 am Wednesday, May 2, 2012

NATCHEZ — In February the Miss-Lou Chapter of the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame awarded six local high school athletes a total of $10,000 in scholarship money.

Money for those scholarships came from the 2011 Joe Fortunato Celebrity Golf Classic. In February 2013, the Miss-Lou chapter plans to award another $10,000 to six more local football players, and Saturday’s Joe Fortunato tournament will serve as the fundraiser for those scholarships.

Miss-Lou chapter president Freddie Sandel said the group has two major events each year — the scholarship banquet and the fundraising tournament.

Email newsletter signup

“We hope to cover our expenses for the scholarship fund,” Sandel said. “That’s our goal every year. This is our only fundraiser, so we have to make our money here.”

This year’s tournament is at Duncan Park Saturday, with tee times scheduled for 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. with shotgun starts.

Sandel said he expects anywhere from 100 to 130 golfers for the four-person scramble, but it’s not just the round of golf that brings people back to the tournament.

“The most fun thing is the camaraderie,” Sandel said. “People get to come and talk to each other. We get a lot of the older sports guys together and talk about the good times.”

The entry fee for golfers is $100, which includes a round of golf, a lunch for players and their spouse and an awards party after the tournament is complete.

Prizes will be awarded to the top three finishers in the championship flight and the top two finishers in each additional flight. Prizes for closest to the hole, longest drive and other door and raffle prizes will be given.

Great River Chevrolet-Cadillac-GMC will sponsor a hole-in-one hole with the prize of a 2012 Chevy Impala on the line, Sandel said.

Sandel said Duncan Park has been a good host for the past half-decade.

“It’s a beautiful little course, and they’ve done a fantastic job getting it ready for our tournament.”

Entry forms may be obtained by calling 601-442-5481, 601-446-6555 or 601-442-9246.

The Miss-Lou chapter will award scholarships to one football player from Adams County Christian School, Cathedral School, Ferriday High School, Natchez High School, Trinity Episcopal Day School and Vidalia High School.