“Unified Day on the Course”: United Airlines hosts inside-the-ropes, VIP experience for nine Special Olympics Athletes to play with PGA TOUR pros
“Unified Day on the Course”: United Airlines hosts inside-the-ropes, VIP experience
for nine Special Olympics Athletes to play with PGA TOUR pros
WHAT: United Airlines, the Official Airline of the PGA TOUR, PGA TOUR Champions and Web.com Tour, is flying nine Special Olympic athletes—all of whom are top Special Olympic golfers—to THE NORTHERN TRUST for an inside-the-ropes, VIP experience with three PGA TOUR players: Rafa Cabrera Bello, Charley Hoffman, and J.J. Spaun. At The Ridgewood Country Club, the athletes will be escorted to their personal lockers in the locker room and will then participate in a skills clinic led by New Jersey Golf Foundation professionals. Each athlete will then proceed to the first tee of the tournament course to play three holes with one of the top 125 players on the PGA TOUR. Each athlete will be officially announced on the first tee. Following play, the athletes and their guests will attend a reception in the United Airlines Fairway Club.
BACKGROUND: 2018 marks the 50th anniversary of Special Olympics, the world’s largest sports organization for people with intellectual disabilities, with over 5 million athletes in 172 countries. Through connecting golfers from two of United’s relationships, this event epitomizes the mission of Special Olympics in that it joins people with and without intellectual disabilities on the same team to promote social inclusion on and off the field of play.
Earlier this year, United Airlines announced the expansion of their relationship with Special Olympics globally, celebrating in their shared vision to end discrimination against people with intellectual disabilities by breaking down barriers and promoting inclusion.
WHO: Nine Special Olympics Athletes (click here for detailed bios on each athlete):
- Tyler Lagasse- Special Olympics Massachusetts
- Scott Rohrer- Special Olympics South Carolina
- Peter Condon- Special Olympics Washington
- Brock Aoki- Special Olympics Utah
- Garrett Stortz- Special Olympics Alaska
- Thomas Cleek- Special Olympics Missouri
- Kent Menendez- Special Olympics Southern California
- Kyle Aragon- Special Olympics Southern California
- Douglass Hodges – Special Olympics Northern California
3 PGA TOUR pros:
- Rafa Cabrera Bello
- J.J. Spaun
- Charley Hoffman
WHEN: Wednesday, August 22, 2018 at 2PM
INTERVIEWS: The Special Olympics Athletes will be available for interviews at designated times both before (approximately 3pm-4pm) and after play (roughly 5:15pm-6pm). The PGA TOUR players will be available for interviews during the 5:15pm-6pm time frame. Also available for interview is United Airlines’ Suzi Cabo, Managing Director of Corporate and Community Affairs. Media members are welcome to capture b-roll and action footage while the athletes and TOUR pros are playing.
WHERE: THE NORTHERN TRUST
The Ridgewood Country Club
96 W Midland Ave, Paramus, NJ 07652
MEDIA: Media members interested in covering this experience must apply for credentials at www.pgatourmedia.com(detailed instructions below) and are encouraged to arrive by 2:00 pm to pick up their credentials from the media center.
PARKING: Media members who would like to attend and cover this experience will receive a parking pass for Lot 5 access once their credential request has been approved.
CONTACT: Please contact Robert Einhorn, United Airlines, Robert.Einhorn@United.com or 347-525-5097.
