Pro-Am for Ronald McDonald House

The first-place team: L-R, John Evard, local pro golfer Kyle Maze, John Fox, Bobby Schmidt and Dave Kolander

Almost 120 amateurs and 30 professionals shared tee times and helped raise more than

$140,000 at the inaugural RMHC Pro-Am Golf Tournament at Desert Mountain Golf Club.

Proceeds will help pay for families whose children are undergoing often critical medical care

to stay at the Valley’s three Ronald McDonald houses.

The combination of sponsorships, donations, auction and raffle generated a total of $140,640.

The field of pro golfers playing the Jack Nicklaus-designed, 7,240-yard Geronimo Course included Tom Purtzer, Steve Jones, Howard Twitty, Ken Triplett and Billy Mayfair.

The first-place team in the shotgun-formatted tournament included John Evard, John Fox, Bobby Schmidt, Dave Kolander and local pro Kyle Maze. Scott Brown and Carol Kasses hit the longest drives, and Jim Jenka and Abby Hammond were closest to the pin.

Last year, only 10 percent of the nearly 2,000 families who stayed at the Ronald McDonald House were able to pay the voluntary $15 donation that is asked. No family is ever turned away for not being able to pay. The average cost to house a family is $49 per night. Since the first house opened in 1985, more than 42,000 family visits have been recorded.