By Matthew Leonido, Enterprise special correspondent
Last year, the rain put a damper on the first charity golf tournament for My Brother’s Keeper, but its second annual event Friday was held in the sunshine, and drew more golfers in its first day than the entire three-day event last year.
“Tough weather last year, but the sun is shining, God is shining on us so we expect a big turnout,” Jim Orcutt, founder of My Brother’s Keeper, said.
My Brother’s Keeper is a charity sponsored by Orcutt’s volunteer Christian ministry, which he founded with his wife Theresa in 1988. They provide furniture and food to more than 2,500 needy families each year.
They also promise to provide a $1 million prize for a hole-in-one, but there has been no grand-prize winner yet.
The qualifying round of the second annual tournament continues today at Stonehill College, leading up to the semifinal and final rounds to be held Sunday at the Easton Country Club.
To qualify for Sunday, participants have to land a ball within 6 feet of the pin, located about 125 yards from the row of tees. Buckets of golf balls were available for donations of $10 and $20, with all proceeds benefiting My Brother’s Keeper.
Abington resident Arthur Greenlaw was glad to donate toward a good cause while having fun.
“I’ve been looking forward to this. You can go hit a bucket of balls at the driving range, so why not do it for charity,” said Greenlaw, 39.
Brad McMenimon of Easton made it into the semifinal round when one of his shots landed 7 inches from the flag. He came to the event to compete with his daughter, Jacki.
“My daughter was in the finals last year, so I had to come give it a shot,” McMenimon, 52, said.
The first day of qualifying found competitors vying for a $500 charitable donation and a trophy.
Brockton Mayor James E. Harrington, who was on hand to take the first shot, beat out five other contestants from the Brockton and Boston-area media to win the opening contest. This reporter from The Enterprise took his best shot, but fell short of the pin.
Harrington designated the $500 donation to the Mayor’s Children Fund and matched the donation with $500 of his own to My Brother’s Keeper.
“My Brother’s Keeper is a tremendous organization. It’s going to be a great event, I am glad to be a part of it,” Harrington said.
The Orcutts got started using their basement as a warehouse and car roof racks to deliver furniture. Since then, they have made donations to nearly 15,000 families.