Ollie Wright doesn’t consider himself much of a golfer. But when the Drive Fore Kids came calling with an invitation, he had a quick answer.
“I jumped at the opportunity,” said Wright, a midfielder for the Portland Hearts of Pine. “I see the lineup that I’m (going to be) playing with, and I’m like ‘Wow, some incredible names on there, and just little old me.’”
Ollie Wright, left, of the Portland Hearts of Pine will participate in the Drive Fore Kids charity golf tournament at Falmouth County Club in June. (Brianna Soukup/Press Herald)
Wright is one of the five new celebrities playing the fourth edition of Drive Fore Kids, the fundraising golf tournament that will take place June 25-28 at Falmouth Country Club. Proceeds go toward the Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital and The Dempsey Center, the organization founded by actor and Lewiston native Patrick Dempsey.
Event organizers revealed this year’s field Wednesday — 38 committed players, the most yet, with some invitations still outstanding. The group includes NFL Hall of Famers Jerome Bettis, Ronde Barber, Dwight Freeney and Sterling Sharpe, Red Sox World Series winners Jon Lester, Clay Buchholz and Keith Foulke, and former NBA superstar Vince Carter.
New to the tournament are Jacksonville Jaguars kicker Cam Little, professional skateboarder Sean Malto, Boston Celtics guard Payton Pritchard, Olympic gold medal-winning snowboarder and Maine native Seth Wescott, and Wright, who since joining the Hearts of Pine has become their leading goal scorer and a fan favorite.
Celtics guard Payton Pritchard is one of the five new celebrities who have agreed to play in the Drive Fore Kids charity golf tournament at Falmouth County Club in June. (Charles Krupa/Associated Press)
“It’s something I really don’t take for granted,” Wright said of his relationship with the Hearts’ fan base. “(Fitzpatrick’s) a small stadium, only 6,000 can go, a lot of the seats are sold out. I think sometimes it’s important to get in front of those fans that can’t necessarily go to the games and create a relationship with them as well.”
Wright, though, made sure to manage expectations.
“I play (golf) all the time but I’ve just not improved much,” he said. “I’ve got a couple of months to practice. Hopefully I can keep the ball in bounds, and then we’ll see what happens from there.”
The tournament raised $210,000 last year for the Barbara Bush hospital and Dempsey Center, which assists people affected by cancer, up from $108,000 raised for the hospital by the inaugural tournament in 2023.
Shamrock Sports and Entertainment CEO Brian Corcoran, the tournament’s executive director, said the event has been increasing in size and cachet, adding MasterCard as a primary sponsor in addition to Bangor Savings Bank. He said he’s expecting 12,000 spectators over the three days this year; the tournament averaged around 10,000 the first three years.
“We’ve had good numbers at Drive Fore Kids. I think we’re going to have great numbers (this year),” he said. “I think to realistically have about a 20(%) to upwards of 25% increase is the goal for the team.”
Actor Patrick Dempsey tees off as the rain begins to come down.
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Corcoran said the celebrities in the field should help in that endeavor, with Wright, Wescott, NESN broadcaster Tom Caron and Dempsey among those with Maine ties.
“You’ve got some real big names,” he said, “but I’d say (the biggest draw) is on the local front because 80% of our audience at Falmouth Country Club, and even our sponsor base, 80% is really local market.”
Dempsey will be back after being unable to participate last year. He played in 2024.
“Patrick is a Mainer, through and through,” Dempsey Center president and CEO Brandon Hotham said. “So anytime he can be back in his home state doing stuff for the center and for his community, he’s always excited about that.”