Eli Manning Returns For The 34th Annual Guiding Eyes Golf Classic

34th Annual Guiding Eyes Golf Classic with NY Giants Quarterback Eli Manning Tees Off June 13th

NY Giants Quarterback Eli Manning returns in 2011 with the country’s best blind golfers to host Guiding Eyes for the Blind’s 34th Annual Golf Classic on Sunday, June 12 and Monday, June 13. Guiding Eyes, an internationally accredited nonprofit guide dog school headquartered in Yorktown Heights, each year holds the Classic at Whippoorwill Club in Armonk, NY and Mount Kisco Country Club in Mount Kisco, NY – two of the region’s favorite and most challenging courses.

Blind golfers, magnificent dogs, and a football star; not your average golf charity event! The 34th Annual Guiding Eyes Golf Classic will be held on June 12 and 13 at two esteemed Westchester County, NY courses – Mount Kisco Country Club and the Whippoorwill Club. Hosted by NY Giants quarterback Eli Manning, this outing is played on two golf courses over two days with the country's best blind golfers and Guiding Eyes dogs in attendance.

Eli Manning's interest in Guiding Eyes is the result of a childhood friendship with Patrick Browne III whose father, Patrick Browne, Jr., is the twenty-time winner of the Corcoran Cup, considered the masters invitational of blind golf. When Eli and Patrick were young, they were taught how to play golf by Browne, Jr., who remains a Manning family friend. “This is my fifth year hosting the Guiding Eyes for the Blind Golf Classic and it’s very special to me,” says Manning. “It’s important to raise money for the school so that people who need guide dogs can have them.” Manning took over hosting duties in 2006 from PGA Masters Cup champion Ken Venturi, a Corcoran Cup founder.

On Sunday, June 12, 2011, fourteen of the country's best blind golfers will compete for the Corcoran’s coveted trophy at Mount Kisco Country Club. The community gets into the act on Monday, June 13 at Guiding Eyes' mega-sponsor charity golf outing held at the two country clubs. The field will include golfers hosted by Diamond Sponsors Gatorade and Entergy Nuclear Northeast, and over $500,000 will be raised for Guiding Eyes.

Corcoran Cup participants: 2010 Corcoran Cup Champion Patrick Browne, Jr. of New Orleans, and LA and Cribari Trophy recipient David Meador, of Nashville, TN will return to compete in 2011. Also on the roster are Bill McMahon (of Framingham, MA) who received the Joe Spoonster Trophy in 2009 for most improved player, and Sheila Drummond (of Lehighton, PA), winner of the McFarland Trophy. Additional top ranked blind golfers invited to participate in this year’s Corcoran Cup are: Ron Murner (of Wellington, OH), Ron Derry (of Baltimore, OH), Mike Mercado (of Albany, NY), Ted Fass (of Rockville Centre, NY), John Casolo (of Waterbury, CT), Mario Tobia (of Mount Laurel, NJ), George Pilz (of King of Prussia, PA), Jim Baker (of Nashville, TN), Dick Pomo (of Green Valley, AZ), and David Wall (of Canada).

Each blind golfer plays with a coach who aids in club selection, alignment, setup, and distances. At Monday's sponsor-supported outing, blind golfers will challenge their sighted counterparts to experience golf as a visually impaired person by inviting them to take a shot at hitting the ball blindfolded.

Sponsor information: Sponsorships are available at the Platinum, Gold, and Silver levels. Additional support opportunities include bronze foursomes, individual play, hole sponsorship, and journal advertising.

Those contributing $10,000 or more are invited to a special sponsor recognition party with Eli Manning at Mulino’s of Westchester in White Plains. Current sponsors for the 34th Annual Guiding Eyes Golf Classic include:

Diamond Sponsors: Entergy Nuclear Northeast & Gatorade
Presenting Sponsor: The Journal News
Platinum Sponsors: The Canine Companies, SafeHarbor Risk Management / Kinloch Insurance Services
Gold Sponsors: A. Devito & Son, Atria Senior Living Group, Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield, JP Morgan Chase, Turner Broadcasting System, Inc.
Silver Sponsors: Aero Hardware, CBS, Citibank, Stanley Cohen, Freeh Group International Solutions, Inc., Freeh Sporkin & Sullivan, LLP, Albert and Carol Hallac, Paul Holland, Arthur Levitt, Rolex USA, Skanska USA Civil Inc., The Stewart Family, TBS Shipping, Welby Brady & Greenblatt, LLP, Wilson and Son Jewelers

Individual play is $700 and a foursome ranges from $2,500 - $50,000. These fees include breakfast, lunch, a banquet dinner with silent auction, and a truly memorable day of golf. Spectators are welcome at the Corcoran Cup; registration is required for gallery seating. To find out more about sponsorship opportunities, or for general golf information, please contact Michelle Brier, Events and Marketing Manager, at 914.243.2208 or mbrier(at)guidingeyes(dot)org.

Guiding Eyes for the Blind is located at 611 Granite Springs Road in Yorktown Heights, NY. The organization can be reached at 914.245.4024 or by visiting http://www.guidingeyes.org.

About Guiding Eyes for the Blind
Guiding Eyes for the Blind (http://www.guidingeyes.org), an internationally accredited nonprofit guide dog school, was founded in 1956 to enrich the lives of blind and visually impaired men and women by providing them with the freedom to travel safely, thereby assuring greater independence, dignity and expanded horizons of opportunity. Since that time, Guiding Eyes has become one of the foremost guide dog schools in the world, graduating more than 7,300 guide dog teams. It provides superbly bred Guiding Eyes dogs, professional training and follow-up support services to students at no cost to them and depends on contributions to fulfill its mission. The comprehensive cost of breeding, raising, preparing, training, and supporting a Guiding Eyes team is $45,000. Guiding Eyes for the Blind's Headquarters and Training Center is located in Yorktown Heights, NY and the Canine Development Center is in Patterson, NY.