Stars in the sun
LOREN BENOIT/Press Former NFL wide receiver Roy Green hits the golf ball out of a sand trap during The Showcase on Saturday afternoon at The Coeur d’Alene Resort Golf Course.
NHL star Brenden Morrow reacts to winning The Showcase for the second year in a row Saturday afternoon at The Coeur d’Alene Resort Golf Course. The Showcase, a golf exhibition event to raise money for cancer awareness, featured Mark Rypien, Ryan Longwell (ex-NFL), Ray Whitney (NHL), Wayne Gretzky, Roger Clemens, actor Alfonso Ribiero as well as Darius Rucker and many more sports celebrities. LOREN BENOIT/Press
LOREN BENOIT/Press NHL hockey player Tyler Johnson hits a long putt on hole 13 during The Showcase Saturday afternoon at The Coeur d’Alene Resort Golf Course.
LOREN BENOIT/Press Sports celebrities put on hole 13 during The Showcase Saturday afternoon at The Coeur d’Alene Resort Golf Course.
LOREN BENOIT/Press NHL Hall of Famer Wayne Gretzky watches his approach shot to the first hole Saturday afternoon during The Showcase.
LOREN BENOIT/Press Former NHL goaltender Grant Fuhr drives off the first tee during The Showcase on Saturday afternoon at The Coeur d’Alene Resort Golf Course. In his hockey career Fuhr won a total of five Stanley Cups and was a seven-time All-Star.
COEUR d’ALENE — When it comes to golf, sometimes it comes down to whoever is swinging the best stick on that day.
And with Saturday’s fourth annual Showcase golf exhibition at The Coeur d’Alene Resort Golf Course coming down to a three-way tie with one hole to play for the championship — with three former stars of the National Hockey League in the hunt — it was the defending champion that hoisted the trophy once again.
Brenden Morrow, a former NHL left wing who played for Dallas, Pittsburgh, St. Louis and Tampa Bay, won the exhibition with a low gross score of 105, beating Guy Carbonneau by one stroke and former Spokane Chief and San Jose Shark Ray Whitney by two strokes.
“I think I putted it a lot better than I had been,” Morrow said. “I had a great group of guys, with my father-in-law (Guy Carbonneau), who I’m really comfortable with. And Roger Clemens. It’s light-hearted and it’s for a good cause. But we all want to win. It was a good atmosphere, and everything was really sharp.”
Morrow — who retired from the NHL in 2015 — clinched the title on the final hole, with a par on the ninth hole.
“I didn’t really know where I was at with the leaderboard,” Morrow said. “I was keeping tabs on things for a while, but when I thought I wasn’t doing any good, I tried a different approach and tried to stay away from it. We got to our second-to-last hole (No. 15), and I had a really good drive. I was thinking a three was makable. Once Carbo pulled his shot left, I kind of figured I was in the driver’s seat.”
The event, which raises fund for the Community Cancer Fund, has raised around $5.8 million in the first three years. Last year’s event raised around $3.5 million. Competitors ranged from former NFL, NHL, NBA, actors and musicians in the 9-hole event. Final scores were compiled by combining scores from Friday’s 18-hole Celeb-Am and Saturday’s 9-hole event.
Among those was former Portland State quarterback Neil Lomax, who appeared for the third time at the Showcase.
“Jerid (Keefer, executive director and co-founder of the Community Cancer Fund) got ahold of me three years ago to come out and participate in this,” Lomax said. “This is one of the top three or four most beautiful places that God has ever created. I love coming to Coeur d’Alene. I’m a Portland boy, and this reminds me of central Oregon and Lake Tahoe. This place is awesome. What Mark Few (Gonzaga men’s basketball coach) has done and started, if I can just be a small part of that and help raise a little money, I’ll be back every year.”
Celebrating his 27th birthday on Saturday was Tyler Johnson, fresh off his season with the Tampa Bay Lightning.
His Tampa Bay coach, Jon Cooper, played in a group with Janet Gretzky — the day’s low net champion — and her husband Wayne Gretzky. Johnson’s group included former NFL player Roy Green and singer/songwriter Darius Rucker, formerly of Hootie and the Blowfish and now a country singer.
Johnson, a Central Valley High grad and former Coeur d’Alene Laker and Spokane Chief, was asked if he and his coach had any side bets going on Saturday.
“I wish,” Johnson said. “I’m not too much of a golfer, so I don’t think I’d trust myself trying to bet against him in anything. It’s for fun. And it’s good to see him out here as well.”
It was Johnson’s second time playing at the Showcase.
“I think events like this are fun,” Johnson said. “You get to meet a lot of different people. I was born in this community and as much I as I can do to help out in this community, I want to do. Being at events like this, I can’t say enough about it.”
Rucker was pulling double duty on Saturday, as he was scheduled to perform later that night at the Watershed Music Festival at The Gorge in George, Wash., hours after the exhibition.
“It was really cool to play with him,” Johnson said of Rucker. He’s a really awesome guy and hilarious. It was a lot of fun to get to play with him and Roy (Green).”
At his first Showcase was Mark Grace, a former Chicago Cub and Arizona Diamondback first baseman.
“One of my dear friends Kelly Chase (a former NHL player) lives up here, and one of the head honchos,” Grace said. “I’m really glad he invited me. This is a great event. The course is in great shape. It’s fun, it’s different. I played it yesterday, and it makes you play. It’s challenging and has some really tough par 3s. The people around here are really nice; it’s not like normal life for me.”
LOW GROSS — 1, Brenden Morrow, 105. 2, Guy Carbonneau, 106. 3, Ray Whitney, 107. 4, Mark Rypien, 108. 5, Ryan Longwell, 115. 6 (tie), Grant Fuhr, Fred McGriff, Paul Konerko, 116. 9, Barrett Jackman, 118. 10, Darius Rucker, 120.
LOW NET — 1, Janet Gretzky, 96. 2, Roger Clemens, 98. 3, Sheldon Souray, 100. 4, Barrett Jackman, 101. 5 (tie), Kelly Chase, Brenden Morrow, 103. 7, Wayne Gretzky, 104. 8, Paul Konerko, 105. 9 (tie), Guy Carbonneau, Mark Rypien, Alfonso Riberio, 106.