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Category: Morton Golf Foundation

Abigail Lin Advances to Drive Chip and Putt National Finals at Augusta

Local Junior Golfer from Folsom, CA Abigail Lin Advances to Augusta in the Girls 14 – 15 Age Division.

Abigail Lin, Morton Golf Foundation Junior Golf Development Grant Winner advances for the National Final Competition at Drive, Chip & Putt on Sunday, April 7th, 2024.

At Chambers Bay, her fourth appearance in Drive, Chip & Putt regional qualifying, Abigail Lin of Folsom, CA made her dream come true of winning to move on.

“It was the first time I hit all 3 drives in the grid”, says Abigail.   “That was really good, actually.  It gave me a lot of confidence for the rest of the competition.”

Abigail Lin has been a Morton Golf Foundation Junior Golf Development Grant Winner since 2019.

Continued good luck to Abigail representing our Greater Sacramento area!

Local Charities Win BIG During Capital Cup Charity Tournament

The 8th Annual Capital Cup Charity Tournament was held on September 15, 16 & 17, 2023 with the new title sponsor of L5 Investments.

This year’s 32 participating golfers raised $1,847,396.00!

In the past, this is the largest charity event in Sacramento. This event annually raises more charity dollars than the May Big Day of Giving.

Each participant pays a $2,500.00 fee to participate in the fundraiser. This fee covers all event administration and operations costs allowing 100% of raised dollars to go directly to each player’s charity.

I am sure it’s fun for the 32 players to play 3 competitive rounds of golf in 3 days but the real fun is watching each charity receive their WINNING check!

From the Board of Directors at Morton Golf Foundation we would like to thank everyone who donated, participated & supported us on our successful journey.

See everyone next year!

Students in Need of the Robla School District Receive Help Through Back to School Give Away

Sacramento Businesses & Non-Profits Come Together to Serve Students of the Robla School District.

The Optimist Club approached the Morton Golf Foundation with a request to assist the families of Robla School District in their Back to School Giveaway, and we were happy to say yes. This is the second year that Morton Golf Foundation has been involved in helping these families prepare for the upcoming school year.

The Robla School District consists of six schools, and on August 5th, 2023, the six schools and volunteers gathered at Robla Main Avenue Elementary School to make a positive impact. Approximately 40% of the students in this district are either unhoused or in foster care, making the Back to School giveaway an essential event in this community.

As the families entered the multi-purpose room at Robla Main Avenue Elementary School, they received a Passport, which served as their Student ID for the day, allowing them to visit various stations set up for them. These stations covered topics such as healthcare, library resources, oral care, and backpacks, among others.

Morton Golf Foundation had numerous dedicated volunteers, and they were honored to participate in this initiative. One touching moment during the event was when a young boy around 10 years old arrived with shoes several sizes too big, and they were also mismatched. At the Back to School Giveaway, he received his first new pair of shoes, bringing him immense joy, which he shared with his mother. After getting their new PUMA shoes, the families proceeded to receive underwear and socks, completing the necessary items for their first-day school outfit.

Language barriers were handled adeptly by creative volunteers who found ways to communicate with families who did not speak English. Carson & Heather Morton from the Morton Golf Foundation used Google Translate to efficiently address the needs of these families.

The Mixed Institute of Cosmetology and Barber set up a station at the Back to School Giveaway, providing 12 stylists to help students with their hair and grooming needs, all at no cost to the students. This was aimed at giving them a positive and memorable experience as they prepared for their first day of school.

To encourage students to explore all the stations, they were entered into a raffle if they got their Passport stamped at each location. The Sacramento Police Department generously donated a FREE bicycle as a raffle prize.

Students were also educated on physical activities and fun ways to stay active throughout the year by Coach Roz from Playmakers and Coach Asley Noda from First Tee – Greater Sacramento.

The overall goal of the event was to better educate students about healthcare and prepare them adequately for the school year. The community’s compassionate leaders played a significant role in helping these families, and as students left, they were provided with a “to go” non-perishable box of food for future meals, courtesy of Food for Families.

This event showcased a remarkable collaboration among community leaders, all coming together to make a difference in the lives of these students. The support thorugh this event will continue to create an even better future for them.

Mini Golf Night Organized by Ietetsu Ueyama Dubbed “Ueyama Fundraiser”

18-Year-Old Ietetsu Ueyama Organizes Fundraiser to Benefit Junior Golf Development Programs With Morton Golf Foundation

At the age of 8 a junior golfer, Ietetsu Ueyama, decided he wanted to host a birthday party at Haggin Oaks, but he didn’t want his friends to give him a gift. He asked that his friends give a donation toward Morton Golf Foundation to support junior golf. The day ended with Ietetsu donating $455.00 to Morton Golf Foundation so another junior golfer could have the opportunity to play the game. More recently, Ueyema organized a mini golf night.

Ten years later, on July 17th, 2023, Ietetsu Ueyama, now 18 years old wanted to create another fundraiser to support Morton Golf Foundation. With all proceeds going to support junior golf development grants and grow their game through tournaments, coaching, and equipment.

For the past 4 months, Ietetsu has been using his great personality and skills by asking his friends and families for support in growing his next fundraiser.

Ietetsu has been a volunteer for Morton Golf Foundation since he has been 4 ½ years old.  At that time, he attended an “Easter Egg Hunt” at Haggin Oaks and decided that day that he was going to volunteer.  For the past 14 years, Ietetsu has been an active volunteer in helping raise funds to give back to other non-profits to grow the game of golf.  When he turned 18, he decided that he wanted to give back into adulthood and called the Morton Golf Foundation to discuss his newest adventure with creating his next fundraiser. The idea come about at a Committee meeting to have a Mini Golf Night knowing that whoever he asked to participate could join in whether they played golf or not.  

On Monday evening, July 17th the fundraiser kicked off with 7 putting teams participating along with several donors that provided the opportunity for a junior to participate.

30 participants gathered in the 107-degree heat starting at 5:00 p.m. One participant was quoted as saying, “We had so much fun at the event that I don’t remember how hot it was.”

As the evening came to an end, a wonderful catered dinner was provided in the Pavilion Tent by his family, owners of Shoki Ramen House, 2530 21st Street, Sacramento.

The Winning team was won by Kelli Corlett, Ellis Morton, Evan Morton, Kenny Castro & Alex Cooper with a score of only 26 putts.

This year Ietetsu’s fundraiser will donate nearly $2,000 to support future junior golf development grants!

Frank LaRosa, a friend and board member of Morton Golf Foundation was the emcee of the event. Frank interviewed Ietetsu and asked if he would wait another 10 years to do a fundraiser since he did one at age 8 and age 18.  Ietetsu answered back, “I’ll do one every year”.

Are hats are off to our friend IETETSU UEYAMA for believing in the mission and organizing a thrilling mini-golf night.  It is philanthropy like his that continues to help all ages of people through this amazing sport of golf, character building, and competition for a lifetime.

Morton Golf Foundation Scholarship Winners

This year Morton Golf Foundation awarded 18 scholarships to graduating high school seniors.

At “Golf & Guitars” VIP Singer /Songwriters night the scholarships were awarded to acknowledge each of the winners’ high school achievements.

A crowd of 500 cheered them on to wish them success as they continue on into their future.

Congratulations to all of our scholarship winners. We look forward to seeing their continued success!

From your friends at

Morton Golf Foundation

The 2023 Morton Golf Foundation Educational Scholarship Winners Have Been Announced

Congratulations go out to the 2023 Morton Golf Foundation 18 Educational Scholarship WINNERS

$8,500.00 CATEGORY:

“Dusel Family Scholarship” – Kenny Castro $8,500.00 from Jesuit H.S. will be attending the University of Puget Sound

“An experience that has had the most impact is volunteering at Cal Eagles golf program with Adults with disabilities. My first instinct was to try to get to know them; I went around & introduced myself to everyone, and asked questions about each of their lives.”

$5,000.00 CATEGORY:

“Rocket Restrooms & Fencing, Inc. Scholarship” – Jason Chou $5,000.00 from Jesuit H.S. will be attending Gonzaga University

“I was taught that perseverance meant never giving up, respect was being kind & generous to others, and integrity was doing the right thing when nobody was looking.”

“Jane & Rob Siebers Community Service Award” – Ietetsu Ueyama $5,000.00 from Sacramento Waldorf H.S. will be attending Santa Monia College

“Golf will forever stay with me and the lessons I’ve learned through the First Tee, Morton Golf Foundation & my mentors will continue to stay with me.”

$4,500.00 CATEGORY:

Chelsea McMahon $4,500.00 from St. Francis H.S. will be attending St. Mary’s College

“I find such inspiration and purpose in making a difference in the lives of the disabled, and am considering a career path that allows me to do that.”

“Ogilvie Merwin Vintners Scholarship” – Joshua Galindo $4,500.00 from Da Vinci Charter will be attending Towson University

“Growing up playing golf with people of all ages and abilities and backgrounds has taught me how to put myself out there, speak with strangers, shake hands and make eye contact – make and keep connections.”

$3,000.00 CATEGORY: –

Nikki Chindavong $3,000.00 from A.Rodriguez H.S. will be attending University of Nevada – Reno

“I learned that everything happens for a reason and in every aspect of life, we can find wins to celebrate.”

“Pat Mailey Memorial Scholarship” – Julia Geer $3,000.00 from St. Francis H.S. will be attending Cal Poly

“Accountability is the core value that I have taken away from golf and will continue to influence my life.”

$2,500.00 CATEGORY:

“Sacramento Golf Council Scholarship” – Jennifer Chan $2,500.00 from Inderkum H.S. will be attending UC Irvine

“I consider sportsmanship to be a necessary quality that has guided me as I traversed through life.”

$2,000.00 CATEGORY:

“Western Engineering Contractors Scholarship” – Theresa Shaw $2,000.00 from Bear River H.S. will be attending Biola University

“At a very young age I decided to put the major core value of honesty as my first principle to abide by in everything I do on and off the course.”

$1,600.00 CATEGORY:

“Murray Family Charitable Trust” – Mateo Castro $1,600.00 from Inderkum H.S. will be attending New Mexico State University

“Golf is a simple yet complex game that requires a lot of patience.”

$1,000.00 CATEGORY:

“Bosley Electric Company Scholarship” – Carson Morton $1,000.00 from Rocklin H.S. will be attending Colorado State University

“I learned that stepping outside of my comfort zone can be a rewarding and enriching experience.”

Sydney Hurter $1,000.00 from St. Francis H.S. University attending is TBD

“Golf has taught me patience, self-respect, honesty, focus, attention to detail, and the importance of sharing family time while exercising.”

Kara Shimazu $1,000.00 from McClatchy H.S. will be attending UC Davis

“I learned that personal victories carry a lot of weight, even if they might not look like victories from the outside.”

Haley Wong $1,000.00 from Oak Ridge H.S. will be attending UCLA

“My volunteer service shows my desire to give back and help the community and the officer positions I hold present my leadership skills and the extra responsibilities that I have taken on.”

“Kevin Sharp Memorial Scholarship” – Connor Gallagher $1,000.00 from Argonaut H.S. will be attending San Joaquin Delta College

“The most important core value I have taken from the game of golf is integrity and its value is essential because it allows me to grow as a person in a career and in life.”

“Valley Hi Country Club Women’s Group Scholarship” – Hannah Camara $1,000.00 from Pleasant Grove H.S. will be attending Westmont College

“Even while playing a tournament I have learned to never lose determination and to think positively.”

Christine Yu $1,000.00 from Vista Del Lago H.S. will be attending Claremont Mckenna College

“My creativity allows me to think outside the box and come up with innovative solutions and my persistence pushes me to try until I find a plausible solution.”

“David Scott Scholarship” – Vincente Rodriguez $1,000.00 from Oak Ridge H.S. University attending is TBD

“I have been taught to respect those who give me opportunities in life to achieve in the future.”

Morton Golf Foundation wishes them well as they head to their next adventure.

TEAM Benbrook Law Group Wins 2023 “Putting Party”

The Annual Putting Party Fundraiser for Morton Golf Foundation crowned Team Benbrook Law Group as its 2023 winner.

The MacKenzie putting green was set-up with 18-holes of “fun” on Tuesday evening, May 9th. Fifteen Corporate Teams joined in the Morton Golf Foundation fundraiser where each team brought 5-putters and took the challenge of trying to win the 1st place spot.

This year, Benbrook Law Group brought their 5-person putting team of Brad Benbrook, Wes Ehlers, Tory Griffin, Greg Lauck & Dave Swanson to WIN the event.

All 15 teams put and laughed their way around the 18-hole putting course as they enjoyed appetizers, drinks, and a buffet dinner following.

The real winners are all the wonderful charities supported by Morton Golf Foundation.

Please join us next May when we meet again for more fun, laughter, and putting competition.

Hope to see you there!

The Crest Theater Shows The Premiere of Our Documentary 90 Years Young: The Haggin Oaks Story

90 Years Young, The Haggin Oaks Story Premiered this week at The Crest Theater in Sacramento.

On Tuesday, December 13th at the historic Crest Theater in downtown Sacramento, nearly 700 golf staff, volunteers, city dignitaries, local media, customers, sales reps, vendors, and close friends and family celebrated the world premiere of this documentary to celebrate a very special golf course and its story.

Joel Johnston, Director, Haggin Oaks Turns 90

Everyone that came to the Crest Theater on Tuesday evening, December 13th was eagerly anticipating the premiere of 90 Years Young. They craved to hear the history and pass on their stories to everyone in the room.

Ken Morton,Jr., Joel Johnston, Joel Cardenas, and Terry Daubert

Joel Johnston, the film Director, worked for months along with members of the marketing team, Ozola Cody, Barrie March, and Joel Cardenas to create this historic treasure narrated by Frank LaRosa, the voice of Haggin Oaks for the past two decades.  The film was written by Ken Morton, Jr, and Joel Johnston and produced by Ken Morton, Jr. and Joel Cardenas.  The past 8 months have been dedicated to researching the past 90 years of history including the celebrities who have played here and the key people that shaped the course as we know it today.

The outside entrance to the historic Crest Theater had 6 large, framed posters advertising the 90 Years Young Celebration.

Our Volunteers

As the guests arrived, they were welcomed at the door by Ken Morton, Jr along with several of our California Eagles Athletes (Adults with disabilities). Guests checked in with our six smiling volunteers, so they could be given a ball marker poker chip to use on the golf course or as a lucky charm. The lobby beautifully displayed our Silent Auction, with all proceeds from the auction given to Morton Golf Foundation, a 501c3 giving back to local youth, disabled and underserved. 

90 Years Young showed the growth of the land, people & game.  We can’t wait to see the next 90.

LPGA Amateur Golf Association Donates to Girls’ Golf

On November 30th, LPGA Amateur Golf Association– Sacramento Chapter donated $2,408.00 to Morton Golf Foundation to be given back to girls’ golf.

This donation will be used for girls between the ages of 12 – 18 when they receive a Junior Girls Golf Development Grant.

These funds are used for individual junior golfers to achieve growing their golf game, helping with cost of lessons and equipment.

Thanks to everyone associated with LPGA Amateur Golf Association – Sacramento Chapter for believing in our mission.

Golf & Guitars Music Festival a Huge Sucess

The Golf & Guitars Music Festival at Haggin Oaks Surpasses The 1.5 Million Dollars Fundraising Mark

Morton Golf Foundation Uses Funds To Support Programming For Youth, Veterans & Those With Disabilities

The Golf and Guitars Music Festival is a celebrity pro-am golf tournament and country concert featuring nationally recognized & major label country music artists that raises money for key children’s charities in Haggin Oaks Golf Complex in Sacramento, CA. Each golfer in the tournament plays with a celebrity and gets a seat near the stage where these generous artists put on a tremendous concert underneath the stars on the golf course. The hottest acts in country music, the up-and-coming artists you’ll soon see topping the charts and some of Nashville’s very best songwriters are all donate their time to help raise funds for children’s charities. Much of the funds from the event go to the Morton Golf Foundation with the balance being paid out via a tournament purse to the artist’s children’s charity of choice.

This year started with decidedly female slant as the Monday night Singer-Songwriter Showcase was a near-all women event. Nashville’s downtown club The Listening Room has hosted an all-female songwriter collective show every Monday for the last decade or so called The Song Suffragettes and our event was able to host a “West-Coast version” of their show with eight incredible young songwriter and artist talents including Kaylin Roberson, Lydia Dall, Bonner Black, Emily Brooke, Haley Mae Campbell, Jillian Dawn, Julie Williams and Olivia Faye. Daughter of PGA Tour player Bobby Clampett and wildly talented songwriter Katelyn Clampett and longtime supporters Megan Conner, Johnny and Heidi Bulford rounded out our first night playing for a few hundred VIP guests.

The next morning was our Pro-Am Tournament where all of the songwriters and artists play in a five-person gross score scramble format. Restaurants were on every other hole providing food, local Bud Light distributor Markstein Beverage (our longest-running sponsor) made sure no one went home thirsty and our Caddie Crew with nearly every group made for an incredibly fun day of golf. Golfers will be proudly wearing their Americana flag sweatshirt hoodies and caps that they received courtesy of another key sponsor, Adidas.

When the strokes were counted, these were our winning teams and the charities the artists chose to play for along with the dollar amount that was contributed in their name.

Steve Mendiola (Cripple Creek Band) – $5,000 – St. Jude
Lydia Dall – $5,000 – Next for Autism
Conner Smith – $4,000 – Show Hope
Chris Roberts (The Lonely Fighters)- $2,000 – Valor Collegiate Academy
Adam Wakefield (Texas Hill)- $2,000 – National Coalition Against Domestic Violence
Kaylin Roberson – $2,000 – Hope Nation Foundation

The balance of our Tuesday was filled with incredible music from our main stage starting with our pre-show featuring Northern California act The Cripple Creek Band and new Americana duo The Lonely Fighters.

And before our main concert began, artist Jason Michael Carroll invited his four PGA Hope playing partners up for a standing ovation recognition and a gracious recognition gift from PING Golf who gave each of our veteran heroes a red, white & blue PGA Hope bag and a promise to fill it with a full set of custom clubs. Not a dry eye in the house was left from their response.

And lastly, but certainly, not least was the music. Jordan Fletcher, Conner Smith, Texas Hill, Jason Michael Carroll, Jackson Dean, Love & Theft, Restless Road and Ryan Hurd joined special last-minute guests Parmalee for three hours of musical celebration that lasted well into the evening.

The result? An incredible time had by all and a healthy addition to the more than 1.5 million dollars raised for charity with this event since its inception.