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NAPLES, Fla. - Phil Lough sat attentively on a folding chair in front of an enormous leaderboard adjacent to the 18th green. He waited for the stream of scoring updates to conclude and made sure the "Monster Board" was up to date.
 | | Volunteers start working on the Shootout long before the first tee ball is struck. |
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Lough, adorned in Greg Norman Collection attire, complete with a signature straw hat, is one of 190 dedicated volunteers who make The Franklin Templeton Shootout a monumental success year after year.
"This is a fun week," Lough said. "The pros have been very congenial, the tournament staff is wonderful and this view is great."
Volunteers have a hand in most every aspect of a tournament, and it's their commitment, effort and spirit that should be applauded. They arrive early, stay late and do it all for the benefit of the thousands of spectators who stroll the lush fairways of Tiburón Golf Club.
Their backgrounds are as diverse as the tour pros inside the ropes. Ages range from early teens to mid-80s and they descend on Tiburón from all over Florida, Wisconsin, Canada and England.
Several duties that are essential to the operation of the tournament include: leaderboards, walking scorers, standard bearers, on-course shuttles, media center assistants and pro-am registration.
Volunteer Responsibilities:
- Marshals: In charge of galleries and maintain order during play.
- Leaderboard: Responsible for posting scores on the six leaderboards spread throughout the golf course.
- On-Course Shuttles: Transport professionals, caddies, walking scorers and standard bearers from green to tee on five selected holes.
- Scoring Central: Relay scores from walking scorers to leaderboards.
- Walking Scorers: Update each team score and relay it to scoring central.
- Standard Bearers: Post team scores on standards and display for the gallery's viewing pleasure.
"The tournament staff has been extremely fortunate with the volunteers we assembled this year," said Larson Segerdahl, Operations Assistant for The Franklin Templeton Shootout. "They make this event what it is and they make our job much easier."
Tournament Director Gina Monterossi enlisted the help of Mike O'Keefe to bring together many of this year's volunteers. O'Keefe has worked for a decade and a half at The Ace Group Classic, a Champions Tour event held each February in Naples. He added the Shootout to his resume a year ago, the first time the event was held at Tiburón.
"What I try to promote is that it's not how big the winner's check is, but that the event is successful for the charities, especially the NCCF (National Childhood Cancer Foundation)," O'Keefe said. "That's my motivation, and I think it's the motivation of most everyone else this week as well."
In early December, long after the leaderboards have been packed away and the bleachers have been taken apart, volunteers will have their day at Tiburón. It will include a round of golf, food and fun.
What arrived in volunteer mailboxes a year ago after their day at Tiburón generated the greatest sense of satisfaction.
"A short time after the Shootout last year we received a letter personally signed by Greg (Norman) and that put a smile on a lot of peoples' faces and in a lot of hearts," O'Keefe said.
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