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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Al Gentry
Gentry.aj@att.net
502-523-5128
Fightmaster Cup Returns To Louisville Area September 27-29
Players from England, Ireland, Scotland, Sweden to face North American rivals for 7th time
LOUISVILLE, KY – Sept. 20, 2023 – Two teams comprised of the best one-armed golfers from Europe and North America will arrive in Louisville this weekend in preparation for the biennial Fightmaster Cup, which will be contested September 27-29 at two different venues in Kentuckiana. Covered Bridge Golf Club in Sellersburg, Ind., www.cbcpgolf.com, will stage the first day of matches on Wed., Sept. 27. South Park Country Club in south Louisville, Ky. (Fairdale), www.southparkcountryclub.com, will host day two and three matches on Sept. 28-29.
The event was named after the late Don Fightmaster, a Louisvillian who had a major impact on one-armed golf and the disabled community. The Fightmaster Cup is returning to Kentucky for the first time since its inaugural year of 2008 when it was an official event of Louisville’s Cup Experience, a festival celebrating the 2008 Ryder Cup. The Fightmaster Cup has been staged in Wales, Scotland and England in the United Kingdom and Chicago, Ill., and Palm Desert, Calif., in the U.S.
One of Mr. Fightmaster’s proteges, State Rep. Al Gentry, also a Louisvillian, founded the Fightmaster Cup and will be serving as Captain of Team North America. Gentry also founded the North American One-Armed Golfer Association (NAOAGA) in 2000 along with Mr. Fightmaster, Scott Lusk, and Bill Frey, Jr. NAOAGA, www.naoaga.org, qualifies Team North America. The United Kingdom’s Society of One-Armed Golfers, founded in 1932, www.onearmgolf.org, selects Team Europe. The Captain of Team Europe is current Society Secretary Keith Dewhurst of England. Team Europe leads the series 5-1, but Team North America has assembled its strongest team ever. Each team is comprised of 12 players and the competition over the three days will mimic the Ryder Cup in format of play.
Golf is medicine for people with disabilities, both physically and emotionally. In America, NAOAGA is one of 42 adaptive golf member organizations of the United States Adaptive Golf Alliance (USAGA), www.USAGA.org. The Fightmaster Cup is the premiere event in “one-armed” golf, and every one-armed golfer striving for excellence dreams of one day competing in it and representing their country.
The Fightmaster Cup is jointly presented by Mechanical Contractors of Kentucky (MCAKY) and the Plumbers and Pipefitters Union Local 502, and supported by several Louisville and southern Indiana business partners including Churchill Downs, Fuzzy’s Vodka, The Lusk Group, Koetter Construction, Craft House Pizza, Kemper Golf, and South Park Country Club.
A Press Conference will be held to introduce both teams at noon on Mon., Sept. 25 at South Park Country Club. Players and Captains will be available for questions and interviews. All media representatives are encouraged to attend. Players will stage a brief exhibition on the range at 1 p.m.
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