The Darren McClelland Memorial Golf Classic reached a new milestone Friday as the annual fundraiser welcomed its largest field ever at the Elmwood Golf Club.<\/p>\n
A total of 39 teams and 157 golfers took part in the event, which supports the Dr. Noble Irwin Regional Healthcare Foundation, Swift Current EMS and the Swift Current Fire Department.<\/p>\n
Five years after the tournament was renamed in memory of the late Fire Chief of the Swift Current Fire Department Darren McClelland, organizers say community support continues to grow.<\/p>\n
Organizers stand together for the opening remarks at the tournament.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s humbling,\u201d said Nicole McClelland, Darren’s widow. \u201cIt’s a great feeling to know. I think maybe Darren’s name behind this brought everybody together and more people want to be involved.\u201d<\/p>\n
Captain Kent Silbernagel of the Swift Current Fire Department said the tournament has steadily evolved into one of the area’s most anticipated golf events.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt’s always been a good time, but it’s evolved into this great event and it’s one of the ones that everyone marks on their calendar,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Largest field in tournament history<\/p>\n
The event featured 39 four-person teams, making it the largest tournament field since the fundraiser began.<\/p>\n
Organizers also adjusted the course layout by splitting two holes into par threes, creating a 20-hole format designed to help keep play moving throughout the day.<\/p>\n
Helen Arnold, interim executive director of the Dr. Noble Irwin Regional Healthcare Foundation, said demand for spots remained exceptionally high.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was literally 15 minutes,\u201d Arnold said of this year’s registration period.<\/p>\n
She believes the tournament’s popularity comes from both its place on the local golf calendar and the community’s connection to McClelland.<\/p>\n
\u201cSince we made it a memorial to Darren McClelland, the popularity has grown,\u201d Arnold said. \u201cWe’ve had people come from far and wide to participate in the tournament, even firefighters from other cities.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Proceeds support cancer care and emergency services<\/p>\n
Funds raised through the tournament are shared between the Dr. Noble Irwin Regional Healthcare Foundation, Swift Current EMS and the Swift Current Fire Department.<\/p>\n
Arnold said the foundation’s portion is dedicated to cancer care initiatives in memory of McClelland.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll funds that are raised at this tournament go towards the cancer unit in memory of Darren,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
After tournament expenses are covered, proceeds are divided equally among the three organizations.<\/p>\n
Darren’s legacy continues to bring people together<\/p>\n
For McClelland’s family and friends, the event remains a meaningful opportunity to honour someone who was deeply involved in both the tournament and the community.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe wouldn’t miss this day for anything,\u201d Silbernagel said, recalling how McClelland participated even while undergoing cancer treatments.<\/p>\n
Nicole McClelland said the event remains both emotional and rewarding.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt’s bittersweet for me because every year you see all the people that you love and care for, and that care for us,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Organizers say as long as community support continues, the tournament will continue carrying Darren McClelland’s memory forward for years to come.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn Darren’s memory, we will keep it going as long as we can as possible,\u201d Silbernagel said. \u201cHe would love it.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The Darren McClelland Memorial Golf Classic reached a new milestone Friday as the annual fundraiser welcomed its largest…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":724652,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[443],"tags":[49,48,622,82],"class_list":["post-724651","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-golf","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-golf","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/724651","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=724651"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/724651\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/724652"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=724651"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=724651"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=724651"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}