Making the Turn – Bill Bass Open – UL’s annual Homecoming Golf Tournament helps UL Golf Team

Dan McDonald, Daily Advertiser, Oct. 30, 2012

Friday’s Bill Bass Open, UL’s annual Homecoming golf tournament that serves as a fundraiser for the Ragin’ Cajun golf team and the Bill Bass Scholarship Fund, still has limited availability for last-minute entries.

And those last-minute entrants will have the opportunity to meet and interact with members of that Cajun golf squad during their rounds.

All of the current UL players, and a handful of former Cajun standouts, will be on the course during Friday’s morning and afternoon sessions, and they will be hitting shots with all tournament competitors on selected par-three and par-five holes. Teams will be able to use the Cajun players’ shots as part of their scramble play.

That’s just one of the tournament features on a list that also includes giveaways by Cypress Bayou Casino and Dixon Golf, contests on the course, breakfast for the morning wave and lunch from Pete’s Family Sports Grill for both groups, a gift pack that includes Bass Open golf shirt and balls, a tumbler, an official UL Homecoming T-shirt, a gift card from Golfballs.com and other items.

Prizes include special UL items like autographed footballs and autographed game-used jerseys, and Cajun football coach Mark Hudspeth is tentatively scheduled to appear between the morning and afternoon shotgun starts to congratulate the morning finishers and properly motivate the afternoon wave.

The Bill Bass Open is Friday at Les Vieux Chenes with shotgun starts at 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. Only a limited number of slots remained available for afternoon play as of early Tuesday, but team slots were still available for the morning round.

It’s a big part of Homecoming activities which run all week and culminate with the Cajun football team facing New Mexico State at 4 p.m. Saturday at Cajun Field. Winners of the Bass Open will be announced during the game.

More importantly, proceeds from the event go to coach Theo Sliman’s UL golf team to help with day-to-day program expenses, to the Bill Bass Scholarship Fund to help provide UL student-athletes with scholarship assistance, and to the UL Alumni Association to help defray Homecoming expenses.

Entry fee is $125 per player or $500 per team, and players may make up their own four-person team or may enter as individuals to be paired up into teams. A team handicap index is used so that all teams will have a chance at the Cajun-themed prizes that will go to the winning squads.

With the short amount of time until Friday’s tournament, any players interested in last-minute entries should call (337) 654-4161 or 857-8754, or e-mail danmcdonald@cox.net.