The legacy continues. The annual Wayne Pruden Memorial Golf Tournament has become a cornerstone of the fundraising efforts for the Battlefords Union Hospital Foundation. Along with the thousands of dollars raised each year, another thing golfers can count on is Wayne's son Matt and his teammates to be in the running for the championship.
Matt and Mike McMaster, Riley Higgs, Travis Keller, Jordan Houk and David Whyte didn't disappoint once again. Matt's team shot a 57 to win for the second straight year.
The tournament is not only an opportunity for great golf at the North Battleford Golf and Country Club, but it is to honour Wayne "Chico" Pruden and raise money to help purchase hospital equipment for the Battlefords Union Hospital.
This year's fundraising efforts through the tournament will be put towards a portable bladder scanner for the post-operative unit. Post-operative patients can suffer complications, but with the new scanner those complications can be detected earlier and possibly prevented. The new equipment is specifically aimed at assessing the patient and alleviating the possibility of increased invasive procedures.
Claudette McGuire, BUF Foundation executive director, explained at the kickoff for the tournament, the budget for the new scanner is $20,000.
In the tournaments' 15-years of existence, the WPMGT has raised nearly $300,000.
Through the help of dozens of organizing volunteers, on course volunteers, sponsors and the staff at the BUH Foundation the 15th annual tournament was another great event.
"As in previous years, I think it was another amazing tournament," said Matt Pruden. "The volunteers, sponsors and golfers made it an amazing event."
Following the golf, the nearly 200 golfers gathered at the Western Development Museum, to pick up their door prizes, hand in their score cards, poker hands, trivia cards, enjoy a meal, win raffle prizes and celebrate the day.
Also at the banquet, for the second year, the Pruden family presented the Annual Wayne Pruden Memorial Golf Tournament Spirit of Giving Award and the recipient was Terry Lumsdon. The award, according to Matt, honours other members of the community deserving of recognition for their contributions, who are sometimes overlooked.
Matt confirmed the family will continue to present the award annually at the golf tournament, but instead of the family picking a recipient there will be a new nomination process to help them recognize worthy community members.
Wayne Pruden was said to be a community architect and would be truly proud of those who have built the annual memorial tournament into the most anticipated and successful golf tournament in the Battlefords for the past 15 years.
