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Rory and Amy donate $170,000 to Target United Through Reading program
By Gerry Dulac, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Rory Sabbatini said he didn't think he was doing anything wrong.
When he withdrew before the final round of the Target World Challenge in December, he did so because he was bothered by shin splints, an injury he said he didn't want to aggravate by continuing to play a hilly course several weeks before the start of the PGA Tour season in Hawaii.
Sabbatini also said there were other "personal issues" affecting his ability to concentrate on the golf course, specifically, the health of his wife, Amy, who had sought medical advice because of a rapid heartbeat; and the death of the father of his best friend and business associate.
"It was getting to the point where I didn't want to press it because I knew I was coming to Kapalua to start the season and I knew I had to give my body a rest," said Sabbatini, a four-time PGA Tour winner and the 10th-ranked player in the world. "My head wasn't on the golf course. So I thought the best place to be wasn't on the golf course."
Sabbatini said he probably wouldn't have withdrawn if the tournament was an official PGA Tour event. Because it was an unofficial event, he said he didn't think it was a big deal. He also didn't expect to receive money when he withdrew.
But it became a big deal because Tiger Woods is the host of the tournament, which benefits the Tiger Woods Foundation. And Sabbatini has been involved in a public spat with the world's No. 1 player that began when Sabbatini said Woods "looked as beatable as ever" at The Players Championship in May.
Several PGA Tour players criticized Sabbatini for withdrawing. But, in his first public comment since his withdrawal, he said he is surprised by the criticism he has received and the maelstrom his decision has created.
Sabbatini has been in Hawaii since he withdrew from the tournament. He finished 17th in the season-opening Mercedes-Benz Championship and second to K.J. Choi in the Sony Open. He will play in this week's Buick Invitational in San Diego.
"I never looked at it as being about the Tiger thing," Sabbatini said in an interview with the Post-Gazette. "I was hurt and not prepared to play. It happens every day on the PGA Tour. It had absolutely nothing to do with him whatsoever. That never entered my mind. Suddenly, the media starts making that seem likes it's part of some feud between Woods and I.
"I found it very interesting from certain PGA Tour members to comment on my withdrawal from the tournament when certain members have had a history of numerous withdrawals because of injuries and other situations."
Sabbatini was in last place, 28 shots from the lead, when he withdrew before the final round of the tournament. But Sabbatini still received a last-place check for $170,000.
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Amy Sabbatini (left) and Rory (right) have donated or helped raise nearly a million dollars to help servicemen and women and their families.
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He said he felt bad for Target, the title sponsor, so he has decided to donate the money to Target's United Through Reading program in which disconnected military families are reconnected through tapings of bedtime stories by parents serving in war-zone areas.
Such donations to support the military are nothing new for Sabbatini, a South African native who lives in Dallas. He has helped raised more than $750,000 for the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund -- a program that supports wounded U.S. soldiers. Last month, after finishing 10th in the Australian PGA championship, Sabbatini donated his earnings of $40,000 to Australia's Legacy Fund, which cares for spouses and children of deceased veterans in Australia, including families of U.S. soldiers. Gavan White, a Legacy spokesman, said it was one of the largest individual donations made in the 80-year history of the fund.
"I felt bad for Target because I thought I wasn't getting paid and they paid me anyway," Sabbatini said. "I wasn't expecting it, so we're going to put it to a good cause and use it to support their reading program."
Rory’s Auction Donation Nets Big Bucks for Charity
Fantasy prize for Pampling’s event means $60,000 for Cystic Fibrosis Foundation
Rory Sabbatini has a new caddy – actually four of them … sort of.
C. Stacy Smith, Bill McCann, Greg Galbraith, and Greg Potter were the winning bidders for an amazing prize package donated by Sabo to the First Choice Emergency Room Rod Pampling Golf Classic at the TPC Craig Ranch in McKinney, Texas. The foursome’s winning bid for Rory’s donation was $60,000 – helping friend Rod’s event to raise an impressive $200,000 -- an increase of $80,000 from the previous year’s Classic total -- for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.
Rory’s prize donation included:
- Four week-long passes to The Masters – including caddying for a Tour player during the Wednesday practice round and Par-3 contest.
- Four week-long passes to the 2008 US Open at Torrey Pines, including caddying for a Tour player during the Monday practice round.
- Four week-long passes to The Open Championship at Royal Birkdale.
- Four week-long passes to the 2008 PGA Championship at Oakland Hills.
Nearly 140 amateur golfers joined PGA pros Pampling, Sabbatini and John Senden.
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Amy Sabbatini helped present a quarter-million-dollar check to the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund.
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A Cool Quarter Million for Fallen Heroes
SAN DIEGO, California -- Underscoring the PGA TOUR's giving back mission, PGA TOUR Golf Course Properties President David Pillsbury joined TOUR members Rory Sabbatini, Frank Lickliter, and Phil Mickelson in presenting donations totaling $250,000 to each of three military charities during a special military luncheon held in conjunction with the Buick Invitational at Torrey Pines. More than 500 active servicemen and women from all five branches of the U.S. Armed Forces attended the luncheon, which was hosted by chairperson and retired U.S. Navy Admiral Corky Lenox.
In 2006 alone, the TOUR raised $750,000 as a result of charity golf tournaments and other fundraising activities conducted at its TPC Network of 23 premier golf clubs as part of America Supports You -- a nationwide program launched by the U.S. Department of Defense that recognizes citizens' support for military men and women and communicates that support to members of our Armed Forces at home and abroad. The fundraising activities by the TPCs, done in conjunction with PGA TOUR Charities, will equally benefit the following organizations:
- Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund -- a non-profit organization supported by TOUR member Rory Sabbatini that provides financial support for the families of military personnel lost in performance of their duty
- Homes For Our Troops -- a non-profit organization supported by TOUR member Phil Mickelson that adapts or builds new homes with accessibility for servicemen and women returning to America with serious injuries and disabilities.
- Wounded Warrior Project -- a non-profit group supported by Frank Lickliter that provides unique, direct programs and services to meet the needs of servicemen and women severely injured in the line of duty.
"We applaud our players and TPC members, guests and employees for embracing this important initiative in support of the brave men and women of the U.S. military who put their lives on the line for us every day," Pillsbury said. "We feel privileged to have the opportunity to give back to those who sacrifice so much on our behalf."
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