On Monday, May 23rd , Jacksonville Jaguars players, coaches and staff, along with Jaguars sponsors, participated in the 11th Annual Jaguars Golf Tournament at Deerwood Golf & Country Club. The tournament turned out to be a huge success and a lot of fun. Many Jaguars players turned out for the event including wide receiver Ernest Wilford, center Brad Meester, linebacker Daryl Smith and Jacksonville's very own cornerback Rashean Mathis. The event was an opportunity for Jaguars sponsors to mingle and chat with Jaguars coaches and players.
Each foursome was paired with a "celebrity" golfer which was either a coach or player. Jaguars head coach Jack Del Rio played in the tournament along with offensive coordinator Carl Smith, defensive coordinator Mike Smith, special teams coordinator Pete Rodriguez, and several position coaches. It was a chance for the coaches and players to get outside the walls of ALLTEL Stadium for the day and play on one of the finest courses in the Jacksonville area. Jaguars tight end Todd Yoder said, "The tournament was lots of fun. It was good to get out for the day and compete against all of these other golfers."
The tournament began with registration and lunch for all of the golfers before they hit the course. After completing their round of 18 holes, the golfers were treated to dinner and an awards ceremony. The awards ceremony rewarded those golfers who had the longest drive, straightest drive, longest putt, and closest to the pin. There was a car placed at every par 3 on the course by Jaguars sponsor Coggin Automotive Group. If there were any holes-in-one on a Par 3, the winner would receive that model car showcased at that hole. Unfortunately there were no holes-in-one on this day but there were many other nice prizes given: Wilson NFL leather golf bags, a roundtrip Delta airlines ticket, two-night stay at the Hyatt Downtown Jacksonville, Outback Steakhouse and Carrabbas gift certificates and many others.
Trophies were handed out to the first place, second place and third place winners of the tournament. Jaguars tight end Todd Yoder, Jaguars.com Senior Editor Vic Ketchman, Steven Coon from Bubba Burger and Geoff Goetz from Shoe Carnival took home first place trophies. The trophies' beautiful look even impressed the first place winners. After receiving his trophy Ketchman said, "This is a major award. I definitely have a place for this in my office." Players, coaches, staff and sponsors are already preparing themselves and practicing for next year's 12th Annual Jaguars Golf Tournament.
