Veterans got some time with some of golf's top pros as part of a series of clinics held by CVS Caremark Charity Classic.
Some of the world's top pro golfers recently turned out for a series of golf clinics for veterans, hosted by the CVS Caremark Charity Classic. Annika Sorenstam, Billy Horschel and Juli Inkster were among those that participated in the 2013 Charity Classic and now treat the country's finest to a few pointers on the pitch.
The CVS Caremark Charity Classic is RI's larest charitable sporting event since 1999, raising more than $17 million for charities for children, families, and people in transition. “The CVS Caremark Charity Classic is proud to support the men and women who protect and serve our country through this series of golf clinics,” said Eileen Howard Boone, Tournament Chairwoman.
The series' first golf clinic featured Sorenstam at her ANNIKA Academy in Reunion, Florida followed by two events with Inkster at St. Andrews Country Club in Boca Raton, Florida. Additionally, Horschel treated veterans to a clinic at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida.
To hold the series of clinics, the CVS Caremark Charity Classic teamed up with several veterans organizations including Golf For All, the Wounded Warrior Project, K9’s for Warriors, Military Warriors Support Foundation, Operation Homefront and the Navy SEAL Foundation. “This event is a natural extension of our company’s longstanding commitment to veterans and our annual tournament’s charitable mission. We know that our colleagues, the participating veterans and the pro golfers will truly enjoy this unique event which combines golf and camaraderie,” said Boone.
Related Slideshow: 13 Biggest Sports Stories in RI in 2013
The agreement between the Big East and the Catholic 7 -- Providence, DePaul, Georgetown, Marquette, Seton Hall, St. John's and Villanova -- allowed those schools to keep the Big East name and the right to play their basketball post-season tournament at Madison Square Garden in New York. They also added three new teams -- Butler, Xavier, and Creighton -- making for a 10-team league.
The remaining (original) Big East schools; such as Connecticut, Louisville, Cincinnati, and others, now play in the renamed American Athletic Conference.
Much of New England scratched their heads when the Patriots signed Tim Tebow in June. Despite questions over the Heisman Trophy winning quarterback's viability as a starter in the NFL, the signing of Tebow was big news in Foxboro ahead of training camp.
Tebow's tenure in New England didn't last very long, as the former Florida Gator failed to make the Patriots' final cut.
Erik, Alex, and Tomas Murphy; three Rhode Island brothers, made big basketball news in 2013.
First, Erik, the eldest brother, was drafted by the Chicago Bulls with the 49th pick of the 2013 NBA Draft out of Florida.
Next, GoLocal broke the news that Alex Murphy had officially transferred from Duke, following his brother's path, and headed to Gainesville to play under Billy Donovan at Florida.
Then, GoLocal's Jack Andrade reported that the youngest Murphy, Tomas, a 6'8" freshman at Prout, had already been offered D1 scholarships by Maryland, Boston College, Florida, URI, PC, and Bryant.
Andrade stayed undefeated and won his first world title defeating Vanes Martirosyan at the American Bank Center in Corpus Christi, TX by split decision to claim the vacant WBO junior middleweight title.
The official call was a split decision for Andrade, a former US Olympian, who won on scores of 117-110, 114-113, and 112-115.
Skinner, the former head coach at URI and Boston College, was the National Coach of the Year in 2001. He has a record of 385-291 in 22 seasons as a head coach.
Elliot, one of New England's best known AAU coaches has been a major player in the development of top college bound basketball talent for ten years in New England.
In April, GoLocal's John Rooke broke the news that Providence College freshman, Ricky Ledo would leave the Friars for the NBA Draft without ever playing a single NCAA game.
Then the Red Sox, down by five runs to Detroit in Game 2 of the ALCS, staged an unlikely comeback -- featuring a David Ortiz grand slam -- to win the game and making the series even at 1-1. The Red Sox went on to win the World Series.
Read GoLocal's list of the Ten Greatest Days in New England Sports history here.
The Ed Cooley era at PC has been impressive thus far, but not only for his on-court accomplishments.
Cooley has also proven to be quite an effective recruiter, and in 2013, built one of the nation's best classes.
This year, Cooley brought in three Top-100 recruits; Jalen Lindsey, a 6’7 small forward from Franklin, TN; Ben Bentil, a 6'8" forward from Delaware; and the 7'1" center Pashcal Chukwu, widely considered to be among best defensive big men in the nation.
The Patriots knew that they would potentially need to deal with character issues when they drafted Aaron Hernandez in 2010.
In 2013, those issues came to the forefront in a large way when their star tight end was arrested and charged with the murder of Odin Lloyd in June. Hernandez is currently awaiting trial from the Bristol County House of Corrections.
The biggest sports story in New England of 2013 transcended athletics, touching the lives of our local communities and much of the world.
On Monday, April 15 -- Patriots Day in the Bay State -- an otherwise normal celebratory day in Boston turned tragic just before 3:00 PM. Just feet away from the finish line for the Boston Marathon, two explosions from homemade bombs went off, killing three spectators, and injuring more than two hundred.
The tragedy gripped the entire nation; sparking emotions ranging from fear to outrage. But from the wreckage emerged evidence of New England's resilience. From the impassioned speech at Fenway by David Ortiz, and Rene Rancourt's touching rendition of the National Anthem at the TD Garden, to the outpouring of support through the One Fund Boston, and the individual heroes like Carlos Arredondo and Joe Andruzzi (along with many, many others); New Englanders and Americans responded in an enormous way.
Read more of GoLocal's Coverage of the bombings here.