With a sellout audience of 200-plus in attendance at Sawgrass Country Club, longtime local residents Tabitha and Jim Furyk and other leaders and contributors to the game of golf were honored at the seventh Celebration of Golf Banquet presented by Circle K Feb. 22.
The Furyks received the evening’s most prestigious honor, the Deane Beman Award, in recognition of their varied and outstanding contributions to the welfare and wellbeing of the less fortunate and in-need members of the community.
In a surprise development, the Furyks announced that the Jim and Tabitha Furyk Foundation would commit $10,000 to the Jacksonville Amateur Golf Association charitable trust, with the trust selecting the Moore-Myers Children’s Fund graduates, who will receive scholarship support from it over the next few years.
Moore-Myers is a JAGA member organization that strives to transform young lives by reinforcing key core values and to develop exceptional character using the game of golf as the vehicle.
The Deane Beman Award was established in 2015 to recognize individuals who have had significant and long-term impact on or through the game of golf in the greater Jacksonville area.
Unfortunately, Beman was unable to participate in the presentation after falling ill. However, in his absence, USGA, PGA TOUR and PGA TOUR Champions winner and longtime Beman confidant Bob Dickson presented the award to the Furyks.
It was quite a day for the Furyks, as earlier in the day Jim received news that he was one of 12 finalists being considered for 2024 World Golf Hall of Fame induction.
The announcement about who will be part of the 2024 class will be made during the week of THE PLAYERS on March 6.
Since joining the PGA TOUR in 1994, Jim Furyk has won 17 titles and three on the PGA TOUR Champions, including the 2003 U.S. Open and the 2021 U.S. Senior Open. In 2010, he won the TOUR’s grand prize, the FedEx Cup.
Tabitha Furyk has been a strong advocate of Jacksonville charities since joining the PGA TOUR Wives Association in 1995.
She initiated “These Kids Can Play” at THE PLAYERS and has hosted several Operation Shower events in support of local military.
She has been an active board member for a number of organizations including Community Hospice, Blessings in a Backpack, Wolfson and Baptist’s Foundation Board and is the heart and soul of the Jim and Tabitha Furyk Foundation.
Residents of Ponte Vedra Beach and Jacksonville for 20-plus years, the Furyk family has focused on service, contributions and charitable leadership that will make lives better for families and children who are less fortunate across greater Jacksonville.
In 2020, their Foundation’s vision to help expanded with the announcement of the Constellation Furyk & Friends presented by Circle K, played at Timuquana Country Club in October.
In two editions of the event, it has generated more than $2.5 million for area charities and was just voted “best tournament” by the PGA TOUR Champions players.
Prior to the tournament’s creation, the foundation had raised over $4.5 million for local charities bringing the total impact to over $7 million.
The banquet was sponsored by Circle K and conducted by the Jacksonville Area Golf Association and Northern Chapter of the North Florida PGA with the support of the Jacksonville Women’s Golf Association, North Florida Golf Superintendents Association, First Coast Women’s Amateur and host Sawgrass Country Club.
