Golf legends tee up for Forsgate Classic
Lee Trevino among stars to participate in two-day event

Lee Trevino

MONROE - Lee Trevino, Peter Jacobsen and John Cook are scheduled to play at this year's Sovereign Bank Charity Golf Classic, to be held at Forsgate Country Club Sept. 24-25.

Musician Huey Lewis will also be on hand, while television personality Matt Griesser will serve as master of ceremonies for the annual event, which raises funds for the non-profit Forsgate Foundation, supporting causes throughout New Jersey.

Due to the event's popularity with golfers, organizers have opened Forsgate's second 18-hole golf course, the Palmer Course, to accommodate additional participants and sponsors.

"The support from the membership and the community is uplifting," said Forsgate Country Club General Manager Det Williams. "They clearly participate to support the charities involved, but they also enjoy the interaction with the great personalities that are attracted to the event year after year."

The Charity Classic is the signature golf event of the Forsgate Foundation and its primary source of fundraising. Last year, the event raised $53,500 for the Forsgate Foundation, which distributed the funds to 13 charitable organizations.

In addition to Sovereign Bank, another major sponsor of the Charity Classic is Bud Light.

The event will kick off Sept. 24 with a VIP reception and live and silent auction in the clubhouse. Participants and sponsors will have the opportunity to mingle with the celebrity participants and bid on such unique auction items as the opportunity to caddie for one of the celebrities or serve as a celebrity's playing partner in the skins game.

On Sept. 25 at 8:30 a.m., event participants will compete in an 18-hole golf tournament on the Banks and Palmer courses. At 2 p.m., the general public is invited to attend the hour-long Bud Light Celebrity Skills Exhibition, where Trevino, Jacobsen and Cook will show off their tour caliber skill and amuse the crowd with impersonations and anecdotes from their years on PGA Tour. Lewis will join in on the fun.

The Charity Classic will conclude at 3 p.m. with the nine-hole Bud Light Skins Game, where Trevino, Jacobsen, Cook and Lewis will battle it out on the links for a total purse of $9,000.

A limited number of tournament playing positions are still available on the Palmer Course for $800 (individual) and $2,750 (per foursome). In addition to playing 18 holes, tournament participant privileges also include preferred admission to the live and silent auction and reception, all of the Sept. 25 events, a gift package and a VIP parking pass. In addition, participating and corporate sponsor packages are still available.

Gallery participant tickets are $15 and include admission to both the Bud Light Celebrity Skills Exhibition and the Bud Light Skins Game. Tickets may be purchased in advance or on-site on Sept. 25. For more information on playing positions, sponsorship or tickets please contact Det Williams, at (732) 656-8911 or log on to charityclassic@forsgatecc.com.

Trevino had 29 victories on the PGA Tour, and found success 29 times on the Champions Tour. A five-time PGA Tour Vardon Trophy winner, Trevino was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1981.

Jacobsen is a 30-year veteran of the

PGA Tour and a three-year member of the Champions Tour, and has served as player director on the PGA Tour, golf commentator on ABC-TV, television analyst for The Skins Game and a roving reporter for the 1991 Ryder Cup matches on NBC. He has authored two books, "Buried Lies: True Tales and Tall Stories From the PGA TOUR" and "Embedded Balls." His TV shows "Peter and Friends" and "Peter Jacobsen Plugged-In" ran for three years on The Golf Channel.

Jacobsen earned seven PGA Tour victories and two Champions Tour victories in his career, including the 2004 U.S. Senior Open.

Cook has enjoyed success as a professional golfer for 27 years, earning 11 PGA Tour titles. In 1993, he was named to the U.S. Ryder Cup Team. He had a string of three straight years winning a PGA Tour event (1996-98) and finished second at the 2002 Memorial Golf Tournament. In 2003, Cook joined the USA Network's "PGA Tour Sunday" program as an analyst.

To learn more about the Sovereign Bank Charity Golf Classic and the celebrity guests, visit www.forsgatefoundation.org.