Hearts of Pine midfielder Ollie Wright will swap his soccer kit for a golf get-up when he plays in the Drive Fore Kids charity golf tournament next month in Falmouth.
In the tournament, Wright and a host of other celebrities will vie for a $250,000 prize purse and help raise more than $100,000 for two beneficiaries: the MaineHealth Barbara Bush Children’s and the Dempsey Center.
The event will take place from June 25-28 at the Falmouth Country Club.
It will feature a celebrity lineup of athletes, actors and TV personalities. Among them will be Dempsey Center founder Patrick Dempsey, retired Boston Red Sox pitcher Jon Lester and Mike Eruzione, captain of the 1980 U.S. Men’s Olympic Hockey team.
Wright joins a handful of others joining the tournament for the first time this year.
“I’m humbled to be able to play with such an amazing list of people, but also grateful to be able to help raise money for such amazing charities that have helped and continue to help so many people,” the 27-year-old from London told Mainebiz via email.
And how’s his golf? “I play a handful of times a week, but my handicap is around 25, maybe worse,” he said.
Community impact
Drive Fore Kids, launched in 2023, “keeps getting bigger and better thanks to the great atmosphere created by the celebrities who interact with fans, creating a memorable weekend with significant impact,” said Brian Corcoran, the tournament’s executive director and CEO of Shamrock Sports & Entertainment, in Portland.
“Since Drive Fore Kids launched in 2023, we have driven over $500,000 in charitable impact, $4.25 million in annual economic impact, and community impact that includes over 300 volunteers, 30,000 fans and more than four million viewers on NESN,” he added.
Information about the event and the updated celebrity lineup is available on the Drive Fore Kids website.
