Annual PGI golf tournament raises funds for Yukon Learn

More than $25,000 was raised at this year's Peter Gzowski Golf Tournament for Yukon Literacy as golfers of all ages and skill levels came out on Saturday.

More than $25,000 was raised at this year’s Peter Gzowski Golf Tournament for Yukon Literacy as golfers of all ages and skill levels came out on Saturday.

Whitehorse’s Mountainview Gold Course offered the venue for the event, which featured a number of prizes and awards given out throughout the course of the fundraiser.

“It’s not just about golf, it’s obviously about literacy,” said John Spicer, the chair of the PGI organizing committee and a board member of the golf club.

“It was a very successful day, the weather co-operated, and I think the golfers had a great time. Certainly I think everyone enjoyed the day and had a lot of fun.”

Peter Gzowski, who was a broadcaster and journalist, founded the PGI Golf Tournaments for Literacy in 1986. The first tournament was hosted in Briars Golf and Country Club in Jackson’s Point, ON.

The event raised a total of $18,000. Presently there is a PGI in every province and territory, which have raised more than 10 million dollars.

The Yukon’s first PGI literacy tournament started in 1992 when Gzowski first came to the territory to host the event. Gzowski passed away in 2002.

The literacy golf tournament is a fundraiser for Yukon Learn Society. The 2007 event raised more than $25,000, which went towards literary projects for Yukon Learn.

This year, there were approximately 120 golfers and 28 teams in total for the event, which was up slightly from 2007.

Individual golfers paid a $150, while junior golfers paid $65, and a team could register for $600. Some of the individual signups at the event came together to form a team for the fundraiser.

Most of the teams at the tournament were comprised of four players, but a few were made up of two or three.

Teams were competing for prizes, most of which were donated by local businesses in the community. Among the prizes included books, golf paraphernalia and watches.

The format used was called a scramble, which is when the players on a team share their shots throughout the entire round.

Players at the fundraiser could also purchase Gzowski’s (Mulligan’s), which for the exceptions of a few holes, offer a player a re-shot if he or she chooses. Each re-shot cost a player one Gzowski.

Gzowski’s were sold at the fundraiser for $5 each or a golfer could have purchased three for $10.

Other events included a putting contest, which was $20 per team. The event featured each team member taking one putt at a designated hole.

Each putt was measured from the distance away from the hole and after everyone on the team had putted, the overall total was tallied up.

The group with the lowest total won the event.

Some of the other team prizes included the most honest category, which went to the group who finished in last place.

The Canada Post Literacy Quiz prize was awarded to the team who finished with the highest score on the skill testing question quiz.

Other team prizes included the four top finishing squads at the event. The top group was M&A Yukon Inc., who were awarded with the PGI team trophy.

This year’s literacy tournament also featured special guest Jonathan Torrens from the Trailer Park Boys and Aaron “Godson” Hernandez.

Both Torrens and Hernandez helped give out prizes as well as with the live auction.

The most meaningful award went to Emil Beaudoin, who won the 2008 Cooperators Learner Achievement Award. Beaudoin has been involved with Yukon Learn for 25 years and expressed his gratitude to the organization in his speech.

“I would like to thank the Yukon Learn Society for the many years of programs and services in the Yukon communities and for Yukon Learn being a good charitable association,” he said.

Beaudoin said he hopes to become a pastor or a Christian councillor and is currently taking courses to realize his dream.

Don Austin participated in the literacy golf tournament for the first time this year. Austin was on Team United Association Plumbers and Pipefitters.

He said his only goal was to just to get out and have fun, while helping to raise money for a good cause.

Austin, who has been involved with the sport for 25 years, said golf events make for great fundraisers.

“It’s always a good way to raise money because whether you are an avid golfer or you just golf once or twice a year type thing, it’s always a good time for everybody,” he said.

“I was surprised by the amount of people that showed up for this, but it’s a worthwhile cause, so Yukoners seem to show up in numbers for those kinds of things.”