After a year in lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Character Media’s prestigious annual Pro-Am returned for its 14th tournament. Featuring 26 LPGA pros, the tournament paired each professional with a group of four amateurs representing sponsors such as Titleist, Vessel, Decky, Le Mieux, Airwaves Media Group, Ten Advertising and more to bring the AAPI community together by building teamwork and sportsmanship.
The two-day event, presented by Imperial Family Companies (IFC) and hosted at Pechanga Resort Casino in Temecula, CA, consisted of an 18-hole scramble tournament in the shotgun format and included minigames like Longest Drive and Shot-for-Shot—a game where players were required to down a shot of alcohol provided by beverage sponsor, Remy Martin, before taking a shot at a 10-foot wide target.
The winning trophy went to the Pechanga team, helmed by pro Hee Young Park, who each received TaylorMade drivers, a bottle of Remy XO and an extra $5,000 for the pro. Three other teams were also honored in second place with a bottle of Remy Tercet for all the amateurs and Ninja Air Fryers for the pros, including Alison Lee with philanthropist Dr. Mike Hong’s team, Jiwon Jeon with Dura Coat and Jillian Hollis with IFC.
Additionally, Nathalie DeSilva, an amateur from Dr. Hong’s team, received $300 for winning the Longest Drive challenge and Shot-for-Shot saw two pros, Gabriella Then and Hee Young Park, and two amateurs, Dura Coat’s Jeff Dockey and Airwaves Media Group Now’s KJ Kim, win $100 and a bottle of Remy Tercet each.
Despite the toll of the pandemic on professional sports, pros such as Angel Yin, Annie Park, Brianna Do, Chella Choi, Hanule Sky Seo, Harang Lee, Ilhee Lee, Kelly Tan, Lee Lopez, Mi Hyang Lee, Rebecca Lee-Bentham, Robynn Ree, Sydnee Michaels and Vicky Hurst returned to participate in this year’s Pro-Am alongside newcomers to the tournament this year, Bronte Law, Jennifer Chang, Kaley In, Roberta Liti, Tisha Alyn Abrea, Yae Eun Hong and Yujeong Son.
This year also honors the late Lorrie Hong, who, alongside her husband Dr. Hong, had been a huge supporter of the Pro-Am tournament since the beginning.
Parts of the event were adjusted to fit the COVID-19 safety guidelines as outlined by Pechanga Resort Casino to ensure a safe and worry-free tournament and accompanying receptions. All participants were required to be tested and/or vaccinated prior to arrival.
Watch the highlights video above and check out photos from the event at the CM Pro-Am website!
