Schooner Fall Classic is More Than Just Golf

The OU women's golf team had a successful weekend after finishing fourth in a strong field at the 2016 Schooner Fall Classic. It was a good performance for the team with four individuals finishing in the top 25, but during this tournament, golf takes the back burner to what really matters in life.

The annual Schooner Fall Classic began in 2013 as a fundraiser for the Toby Keith Foundation to help with the construction of OK Kids Korral. The Korral, now in its third year, is a home-away-from-home for children battling cancer and receiving care in Oklahoma City by providing lodging for pediatric patients and their families. The facility includes wings for children with weakened immune systems, family suites, a movie theater, game rooms as well as indoor and outdoor play areas.

After the Korral was completed, the Schooner Fall Classic staff wanted participating student-athletes to experience the cause they were fundraising for. For the third year, the golfers and coaches had dinner and interacted with the kids staying at the Korral after their opening round of the tournament.

"Sometimes some of these girls may have had a bad round of golf, but when you go and see those kids and play with them, you see how happy they are and pumped they are that you are there to play with them. It makes it totally different."
Veronique Drouin-Luttrell

“I think it is really special that we are able to include that with our tournament,” OU head coach Veronique Drouin-Luttrell said. “It's very unique. Most tournaments we got to are kind of all about business – you go there, you play golf and that's it. The element of us going to OK Kids Korral definitely puts things into perspective. Sometimes some of these girls may have had a bad round of golf, but when you go and see those kids and play with them, you see how happy they are and pumped they are that you are there to play with them. It makes it totally different.”

Juliet Bright, the executive director of OK Kids Korral, interacts daily with the kids and families the facility serves. She says the experience the golfers have at the Korral benefits them in more ways than just perspective.

“This time after the girls left, the families talked about how they loved getting to talk to the girls about what they are going through,” she said. “Not because they want them to feel sorry for them, they don't want them to feel bad, they just want them to understand that life can be pretty complicated and it can be pretty hard, but if you stick together and you band together it's just a much easier process.”

The Kids Korral isn't the only memorable event of the Schooner Fall Classic though. Golfers, coaches and sponsors are invited to a welcome party at the home of country-music superstar Toby Keith and his wife, Tricia, to kickoff the tournament. The event included dancing, karaoke, backyard games and a barbecue.

“I danced quite a bit and had so much fun,” OU freshman Sydney Youngblood explained. “It's a lot different than welcome parties I've been to before. Those are more formal and you're sitting down. There's really nothing fun to do. I got to see Snapchats of last year's welcome party and what it looked like, and it looked like so much fun, but it was awesome being there. Toby and Tricia put on a great event.”

The OU program is a co-host of the tournament along with the Toby Keith Foundation and takes pride in hosting what they believe to be one of the top collegiate golf experiences in the country.

“It's very special knowing that we put this awesome tournament on,” OU sophomore Julienne Soo said. “We always get so many compliments about it every year. All the girls from other teams are jealous of the course, the people we work with, the people who support us, we're just really lucky.”

The visiting coaches and student-athletes sang the praises of the Schooner Fall Classic. Whether it was the winners who spoke at the tournament's award presentation or others on social media, all were quick to show their admiration for the tournament staff and the experience they created for the golfers. The tournament staff puts in countless hours making the event special, but Drouin-Luttrell said the hours are easy when you remember who you are playing for.

“The cause behind the tournament is what makes it so special,” she explained. “The fact that we are able to raise so much money and all of it goes back to the Korral, as a whole it makes everyone feels good about ourselves. I heard a lot of teams this time just saying that it puts things into perspective if you have a bad day. Some of these kids have worse days than you and we get to play golf every day. How lucky. For college players, I just think it's a lot of fun to just go over to the Korral and hang out while representing your school.”