Las Vegas, Nevada (September 5, 2011)–Danny Gans died tragically in 2009, but his spirit lives on with the playing of the Cox Communications Presents the Danny Gans Partee Fore Kids event in Las Vegas. This Las Vegas charity event raises funds and awareness for The First Tee of Southern Nevada, a cause near to Gans' heart. The annual playing of the special event–and other weekend activities–is November 4-7, 2011, at the PGA Tour-owned TPC Las Vegas and South Point hotel. –By Brian Hurlburt.
Celebrities and athletes will be on hand once again for the festivities. And tournament organizers say the event will return back to its roots in some ways with several Las Vegas PGA Tour and LPGA Tour pros expected to come out and show their support. Big names such as Greg Maddux, Rollie Fingers, and many others have also played in past years, including actor Richard Karn, NFL star Willie Gault, and gold medalist Dan Jansen among others. There will also be a poker tournament, a celebrity-pro youth clinic, and a dinner. The host hotel is the South Point.
Gans donated time and funds to The First Tee of Southern Nevada during his life, and helped to create the Danny Gans Junior Golf Academy. The Academy offers low cost instruction to all kids and operates at several Las Vegas golf courses. The First Tee offers kids a chance to learn the game plus beneficial life skills and core values. Words kids of The First Tee of Southern Nevada live by are honesty, integrity, sportsmanship and respect.
Steve Schorr, Vice President of Cox Communications, stepped in soon after Gans passed away in 2009 to ensure the event continued. Gans was recently honored postumously by the Nevada Entertainer/Artist Hall of Fame. Two of Gans' children, Emily and Andrew, accepted the award in honor of their father. One of the highlights of Gans' golf life, besides his work with The First Tee, was playing in the PGA Tour's Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. He was shown a lot during CBS television coverage.