BYOB Scramble golf tournament set for Dec. 8

The Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail is holding the 13th installment of the BYOB (Bring Your Old Buddy) Scramble golf tournament Dec. 8.

The event, which is held at all of the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail locations except the Lakewood Golf Club in Point Clear, typically draws 1,400 to 1,800 players at the 10 golf sites. Around 100 of those are at the Renaissance Ross Bridge Golf Resort & Spa and 120 to 160 at Oxmoor Valley, where the tournament originated, said Jonathan Romeo, director of business development for the golf trail.

The tournament begins at 10 a.m., which Romeo said is “the largest shotgun start in the world.”

It was started by Hoover resident Paul Rohrback, who drowned in a fishing accident in 2014. A portion of the proceeds from the tournament goes to an education fund for Rohrback’s children. His 21-year-old son, Ryder, attends Jefferson State Community College and works at the Oxmoor Valley golf courses, and his youngest son, Dylan, is a senior at Hoover High School who plans to attend the University of Montevallo.

The Robert Trent Jones Foundation board of directors decides how much goes into the education fund and how much goes to charities, Romeo said. Each golf club chooses its own charity to receive money.

Proceeds from the tournament at Ross Bridge will go to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, while proceeds from the Oxmoor Valley golf courses will go to the Exceptional Foundation and Children’s of Alabama hospital.

Last year’s tournament raised more than $20,000 for charities in total, Romeo said.

The cost to play is $120 per player at Ross Bridge and $90 per player at the other courses. The entry fee covers green’s fees, a cart, lunch and a Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail discount card for 2020. The format is a four-man team scramble. Individuals will be paired with others to form teams.

To register or for more information, go to rtjgolf.com/byob.