9th Annual TAMIU Alumni Association Golf Tournament Benefiting Scholarships March 27

Stroll down the rolling, emerald-green course, aim and putt!

Sounds like a golfing weekend?

You bet it is. Texas A&M International University's Alumni Association invites golf aficionados from Laredo and the area to participate in its 9th Annual Alumni Association Golf Tournament Saturday, March 27 at the Laredo Country Club.

The 2004 Tournament benefits the TAMIU General Scholarship Fund, said Candy Hein, vice president for Institutional Advancement. This year's Tournament Committee Honorary Chairs are Carlos and Betty De Leon.

The Tournament will consist of a two-player scramble and tee off time will be at 8 a.m. Entry fee will be $200 per player and includes green fees, cart and tees, as well as a goodie bag, morning refreshments and lunch, special competitions within the Tournament, and prizes.

Each entry fee will also include admission to the Horse Race and Vegas Night, which are both pre-tournament activities scheduled for Friday, March 26. The Horse Race begins at 3:30 p.m. and Vegas Night, a social event, will be from 8-11:30 p.m. Vegas Night will include drawings for prizes such as one week of tennis camp in New Braunfels, two Southwest Airlines tickets to fly anywhere in the United States, a weekend cabin stay in Colorado, Byron Nelson Golf tickets, green fees for four at the Fair Oaks Country Club in San Antonio and two nights of stay in Las Vegas.

Pre-tournament activities will also include range contests from Tuesday-Thursday, March 23-25, from 11 a.m. to sundown. These contests, open to golfers and non-golfers alike, are not included in the Tournament fee and require $3 per shot or $25 for 10 shots. Approximately 200 players are expected to participate in this event and they can register at the range.

The University is encouraging all members of the Alumni Association, including graduates of TAMIU and the former Texas A&I University at Laredo and Laredo State University, to attend and participate in the event.

Current sponsors for the Tournament include Wells Fargo, APEX, International Bank of Commerce, South Texas National Bank, Sanchez Oil, Emerson Constructors, Mercy Health Plans, LNB, Sprint, and SONY. Vegas Night Sponsors also include Barnes and Noble, Borderplex, American Campus Communities and Southern Distributing Co. Inc.

Hein said the University is excited to see golfers support TAMIU students through their participation every year.

"We're looking forward to meeting more of our local golfers to come out and support student scholarships at TAMIU," Hein said, "This Tournament has become a growing tradition in Laredo and is instilling the message in students that higher education is within everyone's reach."

Golfers seeking information about rules or contests can contact the Office for Institutional Advancement at the University at 326-2175.

University office hours are 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.