44th annual Slavic Invitational Golf Tournament

Over a thousand golfers are on the Mississippi Gulf Coast to compete in the Slavic Invitational Golf Tournament.

The 44^th annual Slavic Invitational Golf Tournament teed off this morning at six courses across South Mississippi. Last year, more than 30 states were represented and members of the Lodge expect the same this year. Tournament golfer Lee Kimbell said, “We have some very good friends in Raleigh, the Rabeys, and they’re from Wiggins and this is the second year they have invited us to come down and play with them. It’s always fun to play in an event like this. There’s a lot of people from all over the country, as evidenced from where I’m from and a lot of good people are here.”

The money raised in this tournament goes straight to the children of members of the Lodge so they can take off into their future.

In addition to scholarship money, whatever is raised goes to fund the Lodge and the community events they hold throughout the year. Vice President of the Yugoslav Organization Jay Vollmuth says the social events they host each night, like a seafood and prime rib dinner, make this tournament stand out and grow every year. “You know this is becoming one of the biggest, if not the biggest amateur golf, maybe in the nation, possibly in the world. A lot of golfers say it is golfing that they get to party at, but I like to say it’s a party that they get to golf at.”