Celebrities give back while entertaining fans at Regions Tradition Pro-Am – Shelby County Reporter

By ANDREW SIMONSON | Sports editor

HOOVER – It’s a sight that has become familiar at Greystone Golf and Country Club: Nick Saban stands on the first tee and greets the seas of Alabama fans and Children’s of Alabama patients before heading out for a morning on the Founder’s Course on Wednesday, May 8 . .

Even with the hustle and bustle of the college football calendar, Saban has always enjoyed making the trip to Hoover and considers it one of the highlights of his year to play in the Regions Tradition Celebrity Pro-Am.

“This is one of my favorite events that we do every year to meet the players, see a lot of fans, sign a lot of autographs and make a lot of people feel good, I hope,” Saban said.

It was a sentiment shared by many of the celebrities who passed through Greystone as they tried to entertain fans, raise money for local charities and play a round of golf at the same time.

Although some, like Saban, have been participating in the tournament for years, new faces enter the amateur field every year. This year, one of those faces came from Saban himself as Kalen DeBoer, the man who succeeded Saban as Alabama football coach, turned down the Tradition for the first time.

Just before standing next to Saban on the driving range to work on his swing, DeBoer said it was important to him to stay close to the people of Alabama and support the causes that matter to them right now excitement is building for his first season at Alabama. Tuscaloosa.

“I guess just being in the community,” DeBoer said. “There are great causes that are supported by everything. And so just being here, signing autographs and seeing the excitement, it keeps motivating you. I think first and foremost you have to be driven, but seeing everyone here and the excitement for this fall, it’s a lot of fun to be a part of.

The importance of the charitable aspect was not lost on the man who coached on the opposite side of the state from DeBoer, Auburn football coach Hugh Freeze.

While Freeze always looks forward to seeing his friends from the golf world at Greystone, his biggest reason for coming back was to support Children’s of Alabama, the tournament’s primary beneficiary who has grown more than received $21 million.

“The work that Regions does in our lives is really for all the communities in our great state,” Freeze said of his reason for coming to play. “Regions are just very active in everything they do for the children’s hospitals and the charities that they do. It’s a no-brainer for us to be a part of this.”

In addition to football coaches from Alabama and Auburn, the field also included Georgia football coach Kirby Smart, UAB football coach Trent Dilfer and former Alabama stars Greg McElroy and Roman Harper.

In addition, former Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice, U.S. Senator and former Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville, retired MLB pitcher Jake Peavy and “The Rick and Bubba Show” co-host Bubba Bussey took the court alongside pros from the PGA Tour Champions.

Such a star-studded field was enough to wow even an established celebrity like country singer Riley Green, who was grateful to raise money for Children’s alongside some of his childhood idols in Jacksonville.

“Obviously playing for a cause like this, being able to do things with Children’s is pretty special, and it’s like the legends of Alabama here where you grew up, it’s cool to be a part of it,” said Green.

For a day, those celebrities from vastly different spheres of influence had the common goal of trying to hit a golf ball correctly.

While some, like the recently retired Saban, may have had a little more time to play a few rounds, others, like Green, rushed to the driving range in an attempt to find their swing before heading to the tee and practicing a skill showed what they had learned. are not well known for.

“I don’t know that I’ve ever been more nervous on any stage than hitting a golf ball in front of a few thousand people, because for me, I play a little bit, but I can definitely miss the ball at any time. or hitting someone,” Green said.

Green was able to take a step back from his comfort zone on the 14th tee to perform with an unlikely guitar partner: PGA Tour Champions professional John Daly.

For a tournament called Tradition, the pop-up show has quickly become an annual tradition in itself after Green and Daly became friends over their shared love of music.

“John is a music guy,” Green said of his relationship with Daly. “I met John in Nashville at the Old Hickory Country Club. He left his van parked there and we sat and talked about songwriting and we just hit it off. He’s a character, and one of my favorite things about playing with John is that I don’t have to entertain anyone when he’s around. He is the man. He takes care of that for me.”

The concert was one of many entertaining moments for Greystone visitors throughout the day, as pros and amateurs alike tried to put a smile on people’s faces.

Ultimately, that’s what brings big names like Saban to the first tee of the Founder’s Course year after year.

“I try to make people feel good, make them feel better,” Saban said. “Nobody remembers what you say, but they do remember how you make them feel. So hopefully we can still make sure some people feel good.”