Wilton Resident and Former Golf Pro Host Benefit Tourney

Greg “Jake” Jacobson of Wilton, a former professional golfer who is now battling multiple sclerosis, is hosting a golf tournament at the Ridgefield Golf Club in September to benefit the fight against the disease that afflicts him.

“The Jake,” which organizers call the first-ever golf tournament to benefit the fight against MS, will be held on Wednesday, Sept. 25, at 1 p.m. At the popular club in Ridgefield.

A traditional “best ball” golf tournament for teams of two, the event features, three separate divisions: men’s (80 percent handicap); women’s (80 percent handicap) and scratch (no handicap). Professionals are welcome.

The individual entrance fee is $200 (players will be paired), the fee for teams of two is $400 and for a foursome (two teams) the fee is $800. The entry fee includes golf, cart, range access, lunch, dinner, drinks, on-course contests, prizes, drawings and a silent auction. Sponsorship opportunities are also available.

In 2011 Jacobson’s golf career came to an abrupt halt when he was diagnosed with progressive multiple sclerosis, a debilitating form of the disease in which individuals can lose more and more motor function over time.

Until then, to say Jacobson was an avid golfer would be an understatement. The Wilton resident served as captain of the golf team while attending Williams College in Williamstown, Mass. From 1982 to 1984 Jacobson earned a spot as a professional tour player on the Space Coast Mini-Tour. After regaining his amateur status, he was a fixture for more than 20 years at the Ridgefield Golf Club where he won numerous RGC championships.

In fact, in 1995, he shot an RGC course record of 67.

Jacobson was also a regular competitor in Connecticut State Golf Association (CSGA) tournaments, and he played in many Connecticut opens, amateur and mid-amateur competitions. In 1981, he was named an NCAA Golf All-American.

“Multiple sclerosis side-lined me; it has robbed me of a lifestyle I loved,” said Jacobson in a statement. He now uses a cane for stability and support. “Although MS has deprived me of many things, it can’t rob me of my unrelenting determination to help ensure science keeps moving forward toward better treatments and what I want most, a cure.”

More than 6,000 Connecticut residents are affected by multiple sclerosis, a central nervous system disease, of which there is no known cure.

Symptoms can include, among other things, numbness in the limbs, difficulties with vision and speech, stiffness, loss of mobility and, in some more severe cases, total paralysis. Most people who are diagnosed with multiple sclerosis have relapsing-remitting MS in which patients experience attacks when symptoms flare up. A relapse is followed by recovery or remission of symptoms that can last for weeks, months or longer. Primary progressive MS steadily worsens.

Ten to fifteen percent of people with MS are diagnosed with primary progressive MS. However, the progress, severity, and specific symptoms of MS in any one person cannot be predicted. No two people are likely to experience the identical set of symptoms in the same way.

For more information or to register for The Jake 2013, visit www.playthejake.com. To request an electronic brochure, email tournament chair Mike Reilly at mreilly80@comcast.net. The Jake 2013 is sponsored by Fairfield County Bank.

For more information on multiple sclerosis, its effects and the many ways to help make a difference through Do It Yourself Fundraising, visit www.ctfightsMS.org.