SHOWCASE GOLF: Blue jacket today, Gold jacket soon ... Former NFL star Fitzgerald wins Epic Shot contest on first day of annual cancer fundraiser at Coeur d'Alene Resort Golf Course

By JASON ELLIOTT

Sports writer

The blue jacket that former NFL wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald received might have been immediately returned.

But his new Gold Jacket, which he’ll receive next weekend in Canton, Ohio, is forever.

“It’s great man,” Fitzgerald said. “What we’re doing here, raising money for the battle for cancer, it’s what it’s all about. To be around some amazing men and women here, it’s what it’s all about.”

Fitzgerald beat former NFL stars Marcus Allen, Brock Osweiler, Christian Okoye and Mark Rypien, hitting his shot 11 feet, 4 inches from the hole on the Floating Green. 

“I hit one about 10 feet left earlier, so I knew where I needed to hit this one,” Fitzgerald said. 

Fitzgerald will be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame next Saturday in Canton.

“I practiced my speech for two hours today with my coach, so I’m still putting the work in,” Fitzgerald said. “But you’ve got to enjoy yourself. And this event only comes around once a year.”

Osweiler, a member of the Denver Broncos Super Bowl championship team, is a former Flathead High of Kalispell, Mont., star, who later went on to play at Arizona State.

As for where it started, Osweiler was born at Kootenai Medical Center, now Kootenai Health.

“I was born in Coeur d’Alene on Thanksgiving Day (Nov. 22) 1990,” Osweiler said. “My family, we’ve been coming back to the lake for years. It’s our summer home. Cancer has hit my family like so many others. It’s great to be part of such a first class event and give back to a great cause. I’m very humbled to be here.”

Osweiler calls games in the Big 12 Conference during the regular season and shifts to the FCS for the playoffs.

“Going into my fifth season at ESPN now,” Osweiler said. “I absolutely love it. Covering college football in great college towns, I’m just grateful for the opportunity.”

This year, The Showcase will have raised over $20 million for cancer research.

“It’s really a number that speaks volumes about what our community, and extended community from the celebrities and donors around the nation are willing to do to help others in the fight against cancer,” said Jon Neill, the executive director of the Community Cancer Fund. “And it’s rather remarkable.”

It’s also an event that Osweiler circles on the calendar every year.

“This is my favorite event of the year,” Osweiler said. “Cancer has hit so many people, and hit my family multiple times. We’re all seeking a cure, and I’m getting goosebumps just thinking about it. To have so many generous people opening up their wallets and checkbooks, and it’s a first class event with Jon (Neill) and (operations director) Molly (Thompson), it’s something I look forward to every year.”

Al Joyner, who won a gold medal in the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, played in his first Showcase on Friday. 

“It’s a beautiful place and it’s a great cause,” Joyner said. “Jon had called me, and Vince Coleman and Marcus Allen had mentioned it and told me to come down here. And it’s been great. To be able to bring my wife, Cindy, it’s been great.”

His biggest challenge, the Floating Green.

“It’s very intimidating,” Joyner said. “I’ve been thinking about it since the first time I saw it playing today. I’m looking forward to tomorrow. It’s so beautiful. It’s such a great challenge.”

“With The Showcase, what we find is that the generosity is momentumenal,” Neill said. “What really strikes us at our core is the way that cancer hits all of us. And it comes through loud and clear through this. Everyone wants to help in any way possible. Our celebrities do an amazing job donating and creating a great experience where sponsors want to spend their summer weekend. And that’s the part that really is the longevity and stamina of the event. To be able to say we just crested $20 million, and all that money stays in the Coeur d’Alene and Spokane area.”

The Fund also holds The Boulevard street race in Spokane in September, as well as the Community Cancer Fund Classic featuring the Gonzaga men’s basketball team at the Spokane Arena in January.

“The incredible landscape we get to host this event in on Lake Coeur d’Alene, it’s the most beautiful place on the planet,” Neill said. “Especially summertime in North Idaho. And that really makes our event exciting for everyone that participates.”

“The cause is great, but the area is beautiful,” Joyner said. “This place is really a hidden gem. This is a beautiful showcase of peace. It really feels like I’m on a European trip, but I’m in the United States of America. Everyone’s been great.”

MODIFIED STABLEFORD SCORING

LOW NET — 1, Tyler Johnson, 38. 2, Tyson Nash 31. 3, Andrew Whitworth 28. 4 (tie), Mark Rypien, Neil Lomax 26. 6, Russ Courtnall 25. 7, Vince Coleman 23. 8 (tie), Larry Fitzgerald, Shane Victorino 22.

LOW GROSS — 1, Mark Rypien 26. 2 (tie), Justin Upton, Andrew Whitworth 23. 4, Tyler Johnson 20. 5, Neil Lomax 19. 6 (tie), Vince Coleman, Grant Fuhr 17. 8, Royce Clayton 16. 9, Marcus Allen 14. 

    JASON ELLIOTT/Press Al Joyner, who won a gold medal in the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, tees off toward The Floating Green during The Showcase golf tournament at The Coeur d'Alene Resort on Friday.
  

    JASON ELLIOTT/Press Former NFL wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald accepts his trophy after winning the Celebrity Epic Shot contest at The Showcase golf tournament at the Coeur d'Alene Resort Golf Course on Friday.
  

    JASON ELLIOTT/Press Former NFL running back Christian Okoye tees off toward The Floating Green at the Coeur d'Alene Resort Golf Course during Friday's first day of The Showcase golf tournament.