Former pro athletes to golf at Quail Hollow for Boys and Girls Clubs of America

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A group of celebrities are in Charlotte to help raise money for the Boys and Girls Clubs of America.

They gathered for a welcome reception Sunday evening before hitting the course at Quail Hollow Saturday for the inaugural celebrity golf classic.

Retired NBA player Spud Webb helped organize the fundraiser, and called on other former pro basketball players and other athletes to help support the programs.

“All those mentors that showed me how to do the right thing, not be a statistic and go out and do bad things, keep me on the right straight and narrow, that's what we try to do now to give back to those kids so they can be standing where I am today,” Webb said.

Retired NBA player James Worthy, who grew up in Gastonia, said the Boys and Girls Club was the first time he had mentors and friends outside of home.

"All of us went through the Boys and Girls Club, so it's essential that we continue to make this program work,” Worthy said.

Twenty-four teams in the Celebrity Golf Classic will tee off with a shotgun start at Quail Hollow at 8:30 a.m. Monday.

An awards luncheon is scheduled for 1:30 p.m.

All proceeds from the golf tournament will benefit Boys and Girls Club programs across the country.

There are 1,000 Boys and Girls Club programs nationwide, reaching 4.1 million children.

Also participating will be former NBA players Ron Harper, Charles Oakley, Brad Daugherty, John Starks, Muggsy Bogues, Phil Ford and Darrell Armstrong, along with former NFL star Sterling Sharpe.

Cox Media Group