More than 20 professional golfers from the Ladies Professional Golf Association are heading to Detroit on Monday to participate in the Turning Point Invitational, which aims to raise $1 million to help students attend Cornerstone Schools in Detroit.
“I think events like this are very important to getting people involved in returning Detroit back to its greatness — supporting schools like (Cornerstone) in the inner city can only help in getting Detroit back on its feet,” says Meg Mallon, who is participating in the tournament, to be held at the Country Club of Detroit in Grosse Pointe Farms.
Mallon, who grew up in Birmingham and attended Mercy High School in Farmington Hills, retired from the LPGA in 2010. “I had a wonderful 25-year career and events like this are fun for me to play in and let me reconnect with the game and what our game is all about, which is raising money for charities,” she says.
The first Turning Point Invitational took place in 2004, when it brought nearly 30 past U.S. Amateur champions together to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Arnold Palmer’s U.S. Amateur win at the Country Club of Detroit. Since then, the annual event has provided funds for programs and building expansion at Cornerstone Schools.
Cornerstone officials say the game is a key platform for funding an expansion that extends its reach to 5,000 children who are attending failing schools in Detroit.
Other confirmed players in next week’s event include Nancy Lopez, Juli Inkster, Jessica Korda, Morgan Pressel, Brittany Lincicome, Cheyenne Woods, and Yani Tseng.
For more information about the Turning Point Invitational, visit cornerstoneschools.org. To order gallery passes, which are $500 each or $800 for two, call 313-368-8580 or email nicole.white@cornerstoneschools.org.
