Rye Brook Couple Celebrates 50 Years of Volunteering at The Barclays

From a young age, Karan Whamond was taught the importance of compassion, commitment and the willingness to help others. Her parents led by example, as her father was on the Board of Trustees for United Hospital in Port Chester and her mother was actively involved with the hospital’s women’s auxiliary board.

So, in 1954, when a group of volunteers began planning a Pro-Am to benefit the hospital, Karan’s parents recruited her, though only 11-years-old, to help with tasks such as selling raffle tickets and stuffing goody bags. This began her dedication to the area’s golf tournaments and the local charities affiliated with these events.

Shortly after Karan wed Don Whamond in the winter of 1966, the couple agreed to help the PGA TOUR with planning for the first Westchester Classic, known today as The Barclays. When this year’s tournament begins at Bethpage State Park in Farmingdale, NY, on August 23, the Whamonds will celebrate their 50th consecutive year as tournament volunteers.

Karan and Don have committed time and energy to assist with nearly every aspect of the tournament, including communications, player services, transportation, media center, and much more. In addition, Karan has served as General Chairperson of the event twice. Although they still support other committees, as needed, the Whamonds have settled in to recurring roles as co-chairs of the Uniform Distribution Committee, and Don also volunteers as the announcer on the 10th tee (where he performs his duties dressed in a kilt, which the professional players have come to expect of him).

“Initially, our motivation for volunteering with the PGA TOUR was to support charity, which certainly still holds true today, but now we have many more reasons to return each year,” said Karan. “We are driven by the meaningful friendships, positive interactions with the players and TOUR staff, and the chance to witness professional golf up-close.”

Over 50 years, the Whamonds have seen an evolution that has transformed The Barclays into a world-class, multimillion dollar event. Karan recalls the time before extensive technology was utilized in the event logistics; years ago she worked with the TOUR advance team to type 3x5 notecards used for pairings and she helped record scores by hand, which were given to runners who delivered individual scorecards to the media center, radio tower and official scoreboard. Today these tasks are handled electronically.

With a goal of supporting the tournament’s charitable beneficiaries, the Whamonds have registered for the PGA TOUR Volunteer Challenge, sponsored by Myrbetriq® (mirabegron).

This friendly competition is designed to raise funds for non-profit organizations while recognizing the talent, passion and commitment of PGA TOUR volunteers in communities nationwide. The Barclays is one of 16 tournaments hosting the Volunteer Challenge during the 2016 season.

As part of the program, volunteers ask friends and family to vote at PGATOUR.com/volunteers, and when voting ends on August 27, the volunteer with the most votes will earn the chance to present a $10,000 check to The First Tee of Metropolitan New York. In addition, $5,000 will be donated to the winner’s charity of choice, and top-ranking tournaments can earn additional charitable funds based on the total number of votes earned collectively by volunteers and the tournament – up to $60,000.