“The more golfers we have, the more money we raise," Pritchard Memorial Tournament sees year 27

The Pritchard Memorial Tournament, which is in its 27th year, is in honour of Mike Pritchard, who passed away from sarcoma (a type of cancer that begins in bones or soft tissue) in 1998. Darren Pritchard, one of Mike’s brothers, is responsible for moving the tournament to Carman to continue to contribute to the legacy of his loved one.  

“[Mike] went to Fairview up in northern Alberta to become a golf course Superintendent. There were a couple of other young gentlemen there . . .  that passed away the same year as him, so they started a . . . golf tournament. My younger brother and I decided we wanted to keep it going, so [for] 12 years now, we’ve moved the tournament to Carman. All the money we raise goes to cancer care here in Manitoba.”  

 

Supplied Photo 

 

Darren’s younger brother is Al Pritchard, who is a two-time survivor of cancer himself. 

Pritchard recognizes that the tournament resounds in the community because nearly everyone has been touched by cancer in some way.  

“I've talked to many people, and they start shedding a tear. ‘I lost my mom to cancer’. ‘I lost this’. You know, that's why this tournament continues to grow. We were actually going to shut it down after the 25th anniversary of the tournament. Mike’s hockey number was 25. We thought if we could get it to 25, that'd be . . . special, but so many people said, ‘you're doing such a good thing. Why would you [stop]?’” 

The Pritchard Memorial Tournament is now scheduled to happen until its 30th anniversary. According to Pritchard, the tournament raised $101,000 for cancer last year, which encouraged him to continue.  For Pritchard, the goal in 2024 is to break last year’s record.  

Pritchard says that some of the golf tournament's success is due to the impressive prizes donated for their annual online auction, which is open to everyone. Hockey fans will be pleased to see that among the prizes for the 2024 tournament are authentic jerseys signed by prominent NHL players, such as Alexander Ovechkin, David Pastrňák, Quinn Hughes, Cale Makar, and Cole Caufield. For Jets fans, there is an authentic Hellebuyck All Star Jersey and a wooden jersey signed by the entire 2023-2024 team.  

There is also a hot tub donated by Arctic Spas, a Goldeyes Private Skysuite for 21 guests, a 7-Day African Plains Game Safari, and tickets to a live UFC event. Pritchard says that last year, there were just over 100 prizes, and this year, so far there are 45, but the number will increase before the tournament.

Supplied Photo 

The Pritchard Memorial Tournament is also putting on a raffle. The tickets, which are $20.00 each, provide twofold support. $15.00 of each ticket goes to cancer care through the Pritchard Memorial Tournament, and $5.00 goes to École Morden Middle School to fund a new playground. This year, one of the grand prizes is a Jets package through Delta Air Lines. The winner will be able to fly anywhere in North America to see the Jets play and receive $500 spending money, two jerseys, and two nights’ accommodation. Raffle tickets are available for purchase on the Pritchard Memorial Tournament website and at École Morden Middle School. In the past, 2500 raffle tickets were printed, but this year, twice as many are available.  

All the funds that the golf tournament raises are split evenly between South Central Cancer Resource and the Cancer Care Manitoba Foundation.  

Pritchard says there are still spots open in the tournament both for the main event on Saturday, July 6th, and the 2-person alternate shot on Friday, July 5th in the afternoon. Friday’s smaller event is suitable for golfers who would like to get through the course in approximately three hours instead of six or seven. Pritchard hopes for 300 golfers for Saturday, and about 100-150 for the tournament on Friday.  

Either way, Pritchard says that the event is “quite the weekend in Carman”. Some golfers even camp for the duration of the tournament to experience the community atmosphere.  

“[W]e want people to come down to Carman and to enjoy [themselves].” 

Overall, the Pritchard Memorial Tournament has raised $523,000 since it moved to Carman 12 years ago.  

See the link below to register for the tournament, access the online auction, or purchase raffle tickets.