After he birdied the last two holes of the SAS Championship on Sunday, Ernie Els walked away with the trophy, besting a star-studded field to get his second win of the season. One of golfing’s greatest players with four major championships to his name, Els fired a 6-under 66 on a soggy day in Cary, which moved him from ninth place at the start of play and allowed him to edge Colin Montgomerie by one stroke.  

The action on the course was a thrilling culmination to a busy, but different, week for everyone involved with the SAS Championship. Each year, this is our chance to show off the Triangle area, welcome some of the biggest names in the sports and raise money for local causes. While health and safety protocols prevented spectators on the course this year, we did what has become second nature in 2020: we pivoted and found new ways to make a difference. 

Each year, the SAS Championship turns a single week of golf into a full year of outreach in our community. Our co-founder, Jim Goodnight, is an advocate for educational initiatives, both here at home and around the globe.  

 

Since SAS fans and customers were not able to participate in the tournament as much as they have in the past, I wanted to offer three ways you can still be a part of the excitement: 

1. This year, our 20th year hosting the tournament, we passed $5 million in charitable giving to support local educational initiatives. The featured charity was the YMCA of the Triangle and their Y Learning Program. This program serves students in grades K through 8 who lack financial and educational support at home and struggle to reach school-system benchmarks. If you want to get involved, visit our Drive to Read Amazon wish list and donate today. Donate now.

2. SAS employees also participated in the virtual miles challenge benefiting Real Men Wear Pink, a campaign of the American Cancer Society that aims to save lives from breast cancer. For the third year, our COO and CTO, Oliver Schabenberger, is one of several business leaders participating in the Real Men Wear Pink campaign. Participants could run or walk at their own pace while still contributing their miles and donations to an important cause.  Donate now.   

3. On Tuesday, Oct. 6, I was fortunate to be a part of the Executive Women’s Day event presented by Blue Cross NC. This year’s theme was “Resolve: A Pivot on Priorities,” and we focused on what resolve really means in this new normal. Renowned speaker Valorie Burton started the day off with a thought-provoking keynote, and we had panelists featuring community leaders to discuss how they are approaching the challenges of 2020. Watch the recorded talk now. 

For 20 years, the SAS Championship has provided countless memories for fans and attendees. Although we reimagined the experience this year, we didn’t sacrifice valuable opportunities to build relationships with customers and community members, support important charities, and make long-lasting memories.  In my book, you are all champions for continuing to support this event and the causes surrounding it.