Vicky and Doug Lattner pose at the Four Seasons golf course in Irving, which will be home to the third annual Bishop Farrell Invitational golf tournament Sept. 16. (RON HEFLIN/Special Contributor)
By Cathy Harasta
The Texas Catholic
IRVING—The third annual Bishop Farrell Invitational golf tournament on Sept. 16, which provides immediate tuition assistance for students to attend Catholic schools in the Diocese of Dallas, is on the move in more ways than one.
Organizers announced that the tournament, hosted by Dallas Bishop Kevin J. Farrell, is shifting to the TPC-Four Seasons Resort and Club and Cottonwood Valley after two years at the Dallas Athletic Club.
In its first two years, the Bishop Farrell Invitational has raised more than $1 million and helped 550 students attend Catholic schools in the Diocese of Dallas.
The 2012 Bishop Farrell Invitational, with revenues of $553,270, was ranked the fourth-largest charity golf tournament in North Texas by the Dallas Business Journal.
The top three events listed in the journal were between 10 and 26 years old.
The Bishop Farrell Invitational’s revenues and participation increased last year over the inaugural event.
“You try to set your goals as high as the previous year’s goals,” said Doug Lattner, who is co-chairing the tournament with his wife, Vicky. “We’re trying to raise not only money but the consciousness level of the people in the diocese about getting kids in the seats. The immediate income [from the tournament] gets them into Catholic schools right away.”
Jim Urbanus, director of Development for the Diocese of Dallas, said that diocesan elementary schools have 2,766 available seats.
Doug Lattner said that raising money for children to attend Catholic schools benefits the community at large. He said that 98 percent of children from Catholic grade schools go on to graduate from high school.
Kris Kramer, the tournament’s special events director, said that the Bishop Farrell Invitational focuses on helping children attend the diocese’s K-through-eighth-grade schools. More than 13 schools benefited from the 2012 tournament’s proceeds.
Vicky Lattner said that Bishop Farrell’s strong and eloquent message about the great value of a Catholic education resonates with the entire Catholic community.
“Bishop Farrell is so passionate,” Vicky Lattner said. “He’s very inspiring.”
Kramer said that many participants have expressed eagerness to help with immediate tuition assistance for families that want Catholic educations for their children.
She said the tournament’s location will give some golfers a chance to experience courses that they might never have played. The event aims to have 220 golfers, she said.
The new venue, which is home to the PGA Tour’s HP Byron Nelson Championship, has two 18-hole courses—the par-70, 7,166-yard TPC Four Seasons course and the par-71, 7,120-yard Cottonwood Valley course.
“The Dallas Athletic Club was a fabulous host for our first two years,” Doug Lattner said. “We didn’t want to over-extend our welcome.”
Kramer said that underwriting had reached $110,000. The event seeks lead sponsors, she said.
For more information, please visit www.bishopfarrellgolf.org or email Kris Kramer at kristinakkramer@gmail.com or Jim Urbanus at jurbanus@cathdal.org.
