Toby Keith & Friends Golf Classic will celebrate its 20th anniversary, marking the first year without Keith as emcee.
On Feb. 5, the country music artist and Oklahoma native, Toby Keith, died at the age of 62 after a long battle with stomach cancer.
The charity event will return to Norman from May 31 to June 1 to continue the memory of Keith and support OK Kids Korral, a cost-free home in Oklahoma City for the families of children receiving cancer treatment, which was founded by The Toby Keith Foundation.
“(OK Kids Korral is) my best gift I’ve ever given to the world. One of the first things I thought of when I got cancer was who’s gonna take care of the Korral? Who will carry that torch?” Keith said in an interview with News 9.
The event will begin on May 31 with a denim and diamonds-themed dinner and auction at Riverwind Casino. Bob Stoops, former OU football coach, and Jim West, business executive and founder of NCAA golf’s Jim West Challenge, are set to emcee in place of Keith.
Texas country group Eli Young Band, who opened for Keith on tour, will headline the night with support from the band, The Bottom of The Barrel.
The shotgun start golf will begin the morning of June 1 at Norman’s Belmar Golf Club.
According to the press release, this year’s invitation-only charity event sold out in less than a week, including silent auction items such as signed memorabilia from Luke Combs, Carrie Underwood, Jimmy Buffett, Blake Shelton, Willie Nelson, Patrick Mahomes and more.
Additionally, concert tickets from Zach Bryan and Jelly Roll, a Grand Ole Opry experience, a Texas Rangers Experience and more are up for bid.
The silent auction is now open to the public and is set to close at 10 p.m. on May 31. Donations can also be made on the website.
As listed in the press release, live auction offerings include trips to Portugal and Switzerland, a Taylor Swift guitar, hand-painted guitars honoring Toby, paintings by KWTV News 9’s Robin Marsh, Toby Keith & Friends 20th Year one-of-a-kind commemorative items and other items donated by Keith’s celebrity friends.
Juliet Nees-Bright, the executive director of The Toby Keith Foundation, described the success and growth of the charity event over the years and how Keith will be remembered.
The first charity event was small, taking place under a tent with a huge mud pit. Nees-Bright said it ended up being a fun memory between Keith and his friends and a great way to raise money for the children.
The Toby Keith & Friends Golf Classic charity event has raised nearly $18 million since it first started. Last year’s event raised a record of $1.8 million.
“Now, 20 years later, we are getting ready to host our first event without Toby acting as the emcee, ribbing us to donate and entertaining us throughout the night,” Nees-Bright said. “This year will be a balancing act as we remember him, but also honor his wishes to continue throwing one hell of a party.”
This story was edited by Ana Barboza. Avery Avery copy edited this story.
