MOSES LAKE – Samaritan Healthcare Foundation is hosting its 24th annual Desert Golf Classic charity golf tournament tomorrow with a shotgun start at 10 a.m. at the Links at Moses Pointe golf course. 

“I think every year it’s really cool to see how many of our community members and supporters come out and you get to see a lot of familiar faces year after year,” said Alayna Webb, Foundation Specialist and event organizer. “We’ve had some people that have been with us since the beginning so it’s always exciting to see who turns out.” 

The tournament, which has been filled since July, will feature 34 teams with a total of 136 golfers on the course. Samaritan’s communications director Gretchen Youngren said this is at least the second year in a row that the tournament has been sold out well in advance of the actual tournament day. 

The tournament features a substantial field of sponsors and supporters including Graham Construction, which has been building the new hospital, said Youngren. Apogee Physicians and ProLink are some of the other major sponsors from this year who have helped make the event possible. 

Breakfast burritos will be served in the morning for the golfers and once the tournament is over, there will be a 19th hole celebration, which is sponsored by Microsoft, said Webb. Lunch is sponsored by Martin Insurance and will be catered by the Corndog Company of Eastern Washington. 

Youngren said the annual golf tournament raises funds for projects that the hospital is working on with this year’s tournament topping off the campaign for the new hospital project.  

“We’re just really excited to welcome the golfers and thank them for their support of our new future hospital project,” she said. “It’s a shotgun scramble and the teams usually have a great time out there and the Links at Moses Point staff are phenomenal in helping us navigate all that goes into planning a golf tournament, so we’re just grateful for their help.”