Staff member Kent Lewis, MDiv, was amid the action as an annual professional golf event made its return to Kentucky this summer.
Lewis, who is a student affairs officer at the UK College of Medicine-Bowling Green Campus, volunteered at the PGA TOUR Barbasol Championship. The opportunity was presented in March by UK HealthCare, a partner of the event. More than $325,000 has been donated to Kentucky Children’s Hospital by the Barbasol Tournament and its charitable arm, Caddie127.
“As a father of three children, and someone who loves golf, I jumped at the opportunity to help a tournament that helps the health care needs of our children, especially children across the Commonwealth,” Lewis said.
Lewis was a ShotLink operator, which entails working with the ShotLink computer system to track each player’s shots up the fairway and around the greens. He contributed more than 12 hours of his time on his first day, which included marking shots for more than 150 golfers.
“When you watch a golf tournament on television, and the commentators tell you the distance of certain shots, or you are following certain players on your mobile device, ShotLink and its operators are providing that real-time information,” he said. “It’s really cool to be part of this aspect of the golf tournament, providing important information to both the broadcast and the fans.”
The PGA TOUR Barbasol Championship tournament is being held July 13-16, 2023 at Keene Trace Golf Course in Nicholasville, Ky.
A tradition starting in 2018, UK kicks off the PGA event by hosting its annual Mini Pro-Am tournament for patients at Kentucky Children’s Hospital.