Barbara and Jack Nicklaus hosted the third Creighton Farms Invitational at award-winning Creighton Farms in the Northern Virginia city of Leesburg. The event included a reception, dinner and auction held Sunday night in the clubhouse, followed Monday with a golf tournament.
Surprise co-auctioneer Sunday night was 4-year-old Aiden Lipscomb, who has battled a cancer of the muscles since he was 5 months old. Now in remission and dressed Sunday night in a Superman cape, with the letter A on the back, Aiden inspired the crowd to raise its bids. The dinner concluded with a lively Q&A between Nicklaus and ESPN golf and College GameDay reporter and essayist Tom Rinaldi, winner of 10 National Sports Emmy Awards.
Monday, participants had the opportunity to golf on the award-winning Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course at Creighton Farms. This year, the course—a centerpiece to the Creighton Farms community—was recognized in Golfweek’s Best Residential Courses list.
This year’s event raised about $700,000 for the Nicklaus Children’s Health Care Foundation, bringing the three-year total to almost $1.7 million. This year’s tournament will help to establish the Nicklaus Nutritional Fund for Inova Children’s Hospital’s new 108-bed, Level IV neonatal intensive care unit, thus ensuring that the most fragile, premature babies have the best start at life.
Participating celebrities Sunday and Monday included Roger Clemens, record 7-time Cy Young Award winner and two-time World Series champion; Joe Theismann, former quarterback for the NFL’s Washington Redskins and sportscaster; Peter Bondra, former NHL hockey player with the Washington Capitals and Ottawa Senators; Bob Dandridge, Hall-of-Fame NBA player with the Milwaukee Bucks and Washington Bullets; Ricky Ervins, former NFL running back for the Washington Redskins and San Francisco 49ers; Kevin Grevey, former NBA small forward and shooting guard with the Washington Bullets and Milwaukee Bucks; and Rod Langway, former NHL defenseman with the Montreal Canadians and Washington Capitals.
The Creighton Farms Invitational was organized between Southworth Development—the owners of Creighton Farms—and the Nicklaus Children’s Health Care Foundation. Money raised by the event will be donated from the Foundation to support pediatric healthcare in the Northern Virginia/Washington, D.C. market. Funds from 2012 and 2013 events established the Nicklaus Children’s Clinic for Physical and Occupational Therapy for children battling cancer at Inova’s Children’s Hospital, as well as created a fund for uninsured children with special needs requiring treatment at the Pediatric Specialists of Virginia Outpatient Center.
“Creighton Farms is a special place,” Jack Nicklaus said. “It’s a beautiful property, and Southworth has created an attractive blend of quality amenities and a comfortable atmosphere for members and residents.
“I wish I had the opportunity and privilege to work with more owners like David Southworth and Joe Deitch, who care deeply about the communities in which they have a presence and work tirelessly to support charitable initiatives–especially those focused on helping children–in those places. I look forward to every opportunity I have to visit Creighton Farms, and enjoy the company of the other residents and members.”
Another unique aspect of this year’s event was a private cocktail reception to kick off Sunday evening and to celebrate the unveiling of the Nicklaus Home at Creighton Farms. The home, which was built for the use of Jack and Barbara and the Nicklaus family, is located in the North Villas section of the community’s Nicklaus Village neighborhood. The home is located just steps from the Creighton Farms Clubhouse and just behind the 9th green of the Jack Nicklaus Signature Course, annually rated as one of the country’s finest since it was named to Golf Digest’s prestigious list of the 10 Best New Private Golf Courses in 2008. The course was one of only two that year to sweep the “Best New Course” Awards in Golf Digest, Golfweek and Travel + Leisure Golf.
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