Las Vegas, Nev. (April 19, 2016)—Derek Jeter’s retirement may have him out of the baseball spotlight, but that doesn’t mean the 14-time all-star and some of his closest friends don’t shine brightly—especially in Las Vegas. Jeter and friends took part in the Derek Jeter Celebrity Invitational at Aria Resort & Casino and Shadow Creek. And one of the moments from the Derek Jeter Las Vegas golf tournament set the web on fire. –By Bill Bowman
Jeter’s sister posted to Instagram that Jeter made a hole-in-one on the luscious par 3, 17th hole at Shadow Creek. It took the internet by storm, even though it was a staged celebration.
The event kicked off on Wednesday, April 20, 2016, with a welcome party at Aria. Flo Rida was the headliner for the event. Some of the athletes and entertainers who took part in the opening night extravaganza, as well as the two-day golf tournament that followed, included: Ken Griffey Jr., Cal Ripken Jr., Rob Riggle, Reggie Bush, Josh Duhamel, Misty May-Treanor, Alan Thicke, Bode Miller, Tino Martinez, Jorge Posada, Joey Fatone, Ivan ‘Pudge’ Rodriguez and Haley Joel Osment.
“The Derek Jeter Celebrity Invitational is a tremendous opportunity to enjoy world-class golf, food and entertainment with great friends while supporting my Turn 2 Foundation in its mission to create social change and help young people reach their full potential,” said Jeter in a statement.
The event was highlighted by the golf tournament at famed Shadow Creek. On Thursday and Friday, fivesomes (one celebrity and four amateurs) played a one best-ball modified scramble tournament.
Shadow Creek was designed by legendary architect Tom Fazio and is a par-72 layout. It features 18 picture-postcard holes and combines challenges, beauty and tranquility into one round of golf.
The Jeter event finished up its 13th year and has raised more than $20 million for Jeter’s Turn 2 Foundation. The foundation supports programs that help young people develop healthy lifestyles, academic achievement and leadership development.
Jeter spent 20 years in the majors and finished with a lifetime batting average of .310. He had 3,465 hits, 260 home runs and 1,311 RBI. He’s also a five-time World Series champion.