6:45 AM – Round 1 of 11
“It’s pretty muggy out here. Definitely forgot about how wet it is on round 1. Very moist. We went double-digits birdies for the kids, though!”
This year’s third annual Overton Park 99 tournament, presented by FedEx, saw 25 golfers endure near-record-breaking heat and raise record-breaking amounts of money for the Overton Park Junior Open, the Loren Roberts Scholarship Fund at First Tee Memphis, and Overton Park Conservancy. They played—and walked—99 holes in one day, and supporters donated and pledged extra based on how many birdies they shot. After raising $61,000 in their first year and $111,000 in year two, this year they surprised even themselves by hitting $143,000.
“While we had some pretty big aspirations at the beginning, I never got this far!” says Will Frazier, co-organizer of the tournament. “It’s crazy to sit here and think we just raised almost $150,000 for so many vital programs for this city and for the future of this game.”
Alex Presley, Ethan Lee, Harrison Downing, Alex Boggs, and Schuyler O’Brien getting ready for their “vibe round,” in which they switched up their wardrobes and music choices to bring up the mood.
9:40 AM – Round 4 of 11
“I’m getting hungry. I woke up at 4:30 AM and all I had was an Uncrustable.”
“Luckily, it’s only getting hotter.”
“I do this every year. Never missed it. A true sicko.”
While several golfers were new to the event, many returned with strategies for reducing their misery level. “It’s like dropping your kids off at summer camp—you bring 12 outfits, 6 pairs of underwear, a few diaper changes,” one said. “The key is to walk as little distance as possible,” suggested another (important in a day when the golfers approached 50,000 steps). “Every two rounds is the magic number for switching out socks and shoes.” They also welcomed the help of junior caddies from the Western Golf Association’s Chick Evans Scholarship Fund, who volunteer at golf events and receive college assistance.
2:30 PM – Round 6 of 11
“We have peaked the parabola and now we are on the downward slope.”
“I have a buttery hot core.”
“We’ve got a good support group here. I’ve only called my therapist twice.”
“One of us is consistently hitting the ball where he intends to, and there’s four of us zig-zagging. We’ve got some blind squirrels in this group.”
Will Frazier with his dad Tim, who first played the course 65 years ago.
8:00 PM – Round 11 of 11
“Someone in our group chat said that nothing unifies like communal suffering, and boy was there plenty of that to go around this year from about noon to 3:00 pm!” Will says. By the end, “the guys from other groups, their friends and family members all joined the last few groups for their final few holes. There was quite a crowd and everyone was picking each other up until every last one of us got it done.”
“Thanks to the people who were good stewards of the gift that is Overton Park (and the OP9) over the last 125 years, we get to do this and hope, in doing so, the next 125 years are even better than the last.”
This year’s OP99 was presented by FedEx, with additional sponsorship from Colliers, MAA, and Paula & Bob McEniry. Colliers: Embry Stringfellow Daves, Farmhouse, First Horizon, Glenview Partners, Iron Tribe Fitness, and Seacap Advisors were hole sponsors, and AJAX Beverage Distributing, Alma del Jaguar, City Silo, Grind City Designs, Hard Times Deli, Huey’s, LSI Graphics, and Old Dominick provided in-kind sponsorship.
