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This past weekend, the 10th annual David Ortiz Celebrity Golf Classic came to a close in Big Papi’s native Dominican Republic. Hosted at Casa de Campo in La Romana, more than 400 people attended the four-day event which had the organization of the David Ortiz Children’s Fund and Legacy Aviation Group and raised a record-breaking $1.2M for the fund whose mission is to provide lifesaving surgeries and care for children with congenital heart defects both in the D.R. and in New England.
The star-studded long weekend saw a big contingency of athletes and celebrities showing their support, including Papi’s former Red Sox teammates Johnny Damon, Tim Wakefield, Hanley Ramirez, Mike Napoli, Robbie Ross and Chris Young; current MLB stars like Oriole Adam Jones; Yankee Dellin Betances; Ranger Adrián Beltré; Indian Edwin Encarnación; Ray Chris Archer; and free agent Danny Valencia.
Also in attendance were MLB and NFL Hall of Famers Barry Larkin, Jim Rice and Warren Sapp as well as retired MLB legends Mariano Duncan, Gary Sheffield, Fred McGriff, Vladimir Guerrero, Andres “The Big Cat” Galarraga, George Bell and Placido Polanco. Representing Hollywood was actor Richard Lawson and his wife, Beyonce’s mom, Tina, Anthony Mackie, Chris Tucker, Glynn Turman and Dascha Polanco.
Highlights from the event included Orioles’ centerfielder Adam Jones being recognized as the Fund’s 2017 “MVP” for his continued support and generosity over the years, which puts him in the top 1% of The Fund’s all-time athlete donors. Jones donated $40K throughout the event, including being the high bidder for a Hublot watch that Papi wore throughout the staycation. Among other generous donors were Legacy Aviation Group with $20K and Casa de Campo for 10K! Additional highlights were a performance by rapper Jim Jones, Big Papi getting on the mic for rap battles and a DJ appearances by one of the best known Latino DJs, Alex Sensation.
