5th Annual Mentor Cup
Spring & Summer, 2022 – North Myrtle Beach
Finals to be hosted at Tidewater
The Mentor Cup Tees off in Spring & Summer, 2022 – North Myrtle Beach
The First Tee and Kelly Tilghman’s foundation will conduct The First Tee Mentor Cup, a national, amateur, mentor based charity golf program that will promote education and equality between girls and boys (ages 7 18) and women and men through golf clinics and tournaments.
The Mentor Cup will begin in the Spring of 2022 with local qualifying events conducted by The First Tee chapters. Winners will advance to a Regional Championship Tournament the following Summer in North Myrtle Beach as part of Family Golf Week. They will be treated to 18 holes of championship golf and a medley of educational clinics that promote mentorship, equality and inclusion.
The Mentor Cup will begin in the Spring of 2022 with local junior qualifying events conducted by The First Tee and its Mentors. Local winners will advance to regional events conducted by The First Tee. Girls and boys will compete side by side with their mentors. Girls and boys can participate and succeed and gain recognition for athletic talent and demonstration of outstanding character.
About Gene’s Dream Foundation
The Gene’s Dream Foundation honors the life and accomplishments of Gene Weldon. It is the culmination of family and friends impacted by the persistence of this legendary mentor to introduce golf to children and teach them how to love the game. Throughout his life, Gene left his mark on the golf industry in the Myrtle Beach, SC area through mentoring youth. His impact has been spread by those he inspired to be the best they can be. Many people throughout the golf industry credit their success and understanding of life through golf to Gene Weldon.
Looking Forward…
We will continue the process of mentoring in his honor. We can only hope to be as effective as Gene, and to use his legacy to help others see the importance of mentoring youth. Thank you, Gene, for helping us to understand how and why you affected us. You will be missed, but will always live in our hearts and our efforts to carry on your dream.
Golf Legend Nancy Lopez and Duke women’s golf head coach Dan Brooks named as featured mentors
Golf legend Nancy Lopez, a 48-time winner on the LPGA Tour and a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame, as well as 35 year collegiate coaching veteran Dan Brooks ave committed to attend the 2019 Mentor Cup.
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My father has always been my mentor. He put a golf club in my hands at the age of 3 and never pushed golf or any other sport on me. He guided me throughout all stages of my life until the very end. He is my definition of a mentor, someone who helps shape you and guide you through life. I hope to pass on this legacy to my own daughter and all the junior golfers in the area
“If you needed something, Gene said, ‘I’ll take care of that.” He’d go away and come back with it. You didn’t always know how, but Gene always came through. He had a warmth about him and selflessness that was very endearing to a lot of people, and everybody wanted to help him improve the lives of other people.”
In life, business, sports…..everybody learns from somebody. It’s vitally important to honor those you learned from, by not only using the skills they helped you develop, but also to pay forward the time they invested in you. If all of us put this simple concept into practice, the benefits to society would be immeasurable.