Charity Classic Opens With Top Pros

It's another world-class tee time with some of the finest golfers in the world trading pitches and putts in Barrington for the next two days.

But this event will not be your grandfathers’ golf tournament. There are a variety of other attractions to draw fans, including a hovercraft golf cart and a “golfzilla.”

The 15th CVS Caremark Charity Classic opens today, June 24, with the first round starting at 10:30 am at Rhode Island Country Club.

The first round follows a players' clinic at 9 am at the 18th green on Nayatt Road overlooking Narragansett Bay. The second round tees off at 9 am on Tuesday. 

“We’re anticipating a large crowd on a course that looks as good as I’ve seen it,” said Greg Costello, the tournament director last week. “Ticket sales have already surpassed last year.”

As the PGA challenge-series tournament has for the past 14 years, it is bringing 20 professionals from the PGA, LPGA and Champions tours. The field includes co-hosts and founders Brad Faxon of Barrington and Billy Andrade of Bristol, a host of PGA-tour winners, and fan-favorites Fuzzy Zoeller – for the first time -- and Nick Price – a three-time winner of the tournament.

Here are the pairings and tee times for the first round:

10:30 a.m.  Michael Thompson – Fuzzy Zoeller

                   Lexi Thompson – Peter Jacobsen

10:40 a.m.  Pepsi MAX Shootout Team #1 

10:50 a.m.  Juli Inkster – Russell Henley

                   Annika Sorenstam – Billy Horschel 

11:00 a.m.   Pepsi MAX Shootout Team #2

11:10 a.m.   Bo Van Pelt – Steve Stricker

                    Jeff Sluman – Brad Faxon

11:20 a.m.   Morgan Pressel – Jay Haas

                    Bill Haas – Billy Andrade

11:30 a.m.    Nick Price – Louis Oosthuizen

                    Rickie Fowler – Bubba Watson

A team’s score is calculated by the best ball of the two players on each team on each hole. If teams tie after 36 holes, they will meet in a playoff on the 18th hole.

The tournament also features a charitable "closest to the pin" contest, which pairs each of the 20 professionals on the roster with one of the tournament’s charity partners.  Each day of the two-day tournament, the golfer whose tee shot lands closest to the pin on the 17th hole wins $25,000 for the charity for which they are playing.

There is also a Three Hole Challenge tourney at the final three holes this morning that gets underway at the same time as the charity classic. It offers kids of all abilities a chance to experience golf like the pros “inside the ropes” on holes 16-18, said Costello.

Not far away will be the second day of a free kids and family golf clinic with professionals from the New England PGA (NEPGA). They will be providing one-on-one golf tips for attendees at the practice range, usong “birdie balls” and NEPGA equipment. All clinic members will get a chance to hit balls in the mouth or hands of NEPGA’s inflatable “golfzilla.”

The opening ceremony will be emceed by golf and football announcer Dan Hicks and will feature long-drive champion and trick shot artist Jamie Sadlowski and the 20 pros waiting to compete for a $1.5 million purse.

Over the charity classic's first 14 years, hundreds of organizations have benefited from $16 million raised by the tourney.  It expects to boost that number be at least another million dollars this year.

Here is the Monday and Tuesday schedule:

Monday, June 18:
Players Clinic, 18th green: 9 am
First round tee times: 10:30 am
First round concludes: 2:30 pm (approximately)

Tuesday, June 19
Final round tee times: 9 am
Awards ceremony immediately following: Approximately 2 pm

All public parking is at the nearby Seekonk Speedway in Massachusetts off of Route 6 at $5 per car. A shuttle service will run from 5:15 am to 5 pm today and tomorrow with the final shuttle of the day leaving about one hour after play ends.

Click here for the CVS Caremark Charity Classic website.