On Tuesday, March 26th, a full house of sports fans and Foundation supporters came together to raise funds for the Verne Lundquist Sports Media Institute and to honor Verne on his 40th anniversary broadcasting at the Masters Tournament. At our most successful fundraiser to date, guests were treated to a moving tribute to Verne and his legendary career, an intimate conversation with Verne about his 40 years at the Masters, and funny, behind-the-scenes stories from Verne and his special guest, golfer-turned-broadcaster David Feherty.
A record crowd of more than 160 people, including PGA Tour Champion Mark Brooks, Ray Benson from Asleep at the Wheel, CBS Austin Sports Director Bob Ballou, and Austin American-Statesman sportswriter Cedric Golden enjoyed the dinner and program, led by Ed Clements, KLBJ radio host and the evening's emcee. Funds raised from this annual event will support scholarships and other programming of the Foundation's Verne Lundquist Sports Media Institute.
Special thanks to Verne and Nancy Lundquist, David and Anita Feherty, Lundquist Institute Chair Mark Morrison, Foundation Board Chair Patti Ohlendorf, the Lundquist Institute leadership team, and our amazing sponsors (listed below) for another unforgettable evening!
Before the evening's festivities got underway, CBS Austin Sports Director Bob Ballou interviewed special guest David Feherty to get his thoughts on the future of professional golf, and his good friend Verne Lundquist's historic career.
Austin American-Statesman sportswriter and Lundquist Institute Committee-member Cedric Golden wrote a beautiful farewell tribute to Verne in his column on April 16, 2024. Read the column.
EVENT VIDEOS
EVENT PHOTO GALLERY
To download high-resolution images from the gallery below, please visit this link. The download pin is 6056.
THANK YOU TO OUR 2024 EVENT SPONSORS!
ACE - $10,000
EAGLE - $5,500
BIRDIE - $2,750
IN-KIND
Mark Brooks
Scotty Sayers
Verne Lundquist
Verne Lundquist, a longtime Headliners Club member, has been at the center of covering major sporting events for more than 50 years. He began his career at KTBC-TV in Austin, then owned by Lady Bird and President Lyndon Baines Johnson. He was also the long-time voice of the Dallas Cowboys. Lundquist joined CBS Sports in 1982 and broadcast more than 20 sports for the network, including national and international coverage of football, basketball, Olympic figure skating, and golf.
He retired from covering SEC football in 2016 and continues to cover the Masters and other golf tournaments for the network. Lundquist played himself commentating on golf tournaments in the 1996 motion picture Happy Gilmore.
DAVID FEHERTY
David Feherty is a renowned golf analyst and host. A native of Northern Ireland, David Feherty joined the professional golf ranks in 1976 and won 10 worldwide events throughout his career. He captained the winning 1990 Alfred Dunhill Cup team, played for Europe in the 1991 Ryder Cup and notched top-10 finishes at the 1991 PGA Championship and 1994 Open Championship. In 1997, Feherty transitioned to broadcasting and began his career as an analyst and on-course reporter. Over the course of 25 years, he has become a New York Times best-selling author and has held high-profile roles with some of the sport’s leading networks covering hundreds of marquee events, major championships and international competitions. In 2011, he premiered the highly popular talk program Feherty which earned him an Emmy nomination in 2014 for Outstanding Sports Personality. Throughout the show’s 10-year run, he hosted and interviewed nearly 150 different guests and some of the world’s biggest names, including four U.S. Presidents, Hollywood celebrities and global sports legends.
Most recently, David joined the LIV Golf broadcast team to serve as an on-air commentator and co-executive producer of LIV Golf Event Coverage. David is one of the most influential and recognized voices in golf for more than two decades and is known for delivering insight and humor to audiences around the globe. He made his debut in July at the LIV Golf Invitational Bedminster and also served as a host and producer for an original new series in collaboration with LIV Golf. "His authentic style blends unique perspective, personality and wit that educates and entertains fans like no other,” said Greg Norman, CEO and Commissioner of LIV Golf. “Following more than 20 years as a player, he brought a new voice to the sport that has transcended golf culture.
ED CLEMENTS
Ed Clements will serve as the event’s Emcee. He is an Austin radio personality, a member of the Headliners Club and has served on the Headliners Foundation’s Verne Lundquist Sports Media Institute Committee since 2018. He was the Emcee for the Institute’s inaugural fundraising event in 2019, An Evening with Verne Lundquist. Clements has spent more than 30 years as a talk show host at KLBJ-AM in Austin. He is also the host for “Crenshaw on Golf” on SIRIUS-XM PGA Tour Radio. Clements is the starter for the Dell Technologies Match Play Tournament and was honored in 2018 by the Southern Texas PGA and the First Tee of Greater Austin for his contributions to the sport of golf. He is currently on the Boards of Texas Alzheimer’s, United Heritage Charity Foundation, the ARC of the Capital Area, and the Save Muny Conservancy.