Local golfers win $2,000 prize for TeamConnor Childhood Cancer Foundation

Dan Nelson of Frisco is passionate about two things: fighting cancer and playing golf. His two passions led him to bid on the Lexus Champions for Charity golf package last year at the III Forks Golf Classic Auction & Dinner benefiting TeamConnor Childhood Cancer Foundation. He has won the high bid and played in the three-day, Lexus Champions for Charity National Championship at Pebble Beach Resorts in Palm Springs, California for the past two years. Park Place Lexus Plano donated the golf package to TeamConnor for the auction.

“I’ve been a supporter of TeamConnor for years,” said Nelson, 60. “My daughter attended Prestonwood Christian Academy, where she was good friends with Connor Cruse’s older sister Mackenzie. We watched Connor fight cancer for several years before he ultimately lost his battle. Both of my parents also died of cancer. So I’m going to do everything I can to fight this disease.”
 
TeamConnor Childhood Cancer Foundation is the legacy of eight-year-old Connor Cruse of Frisco, who lost his four-year battle with neuroblastoma in 2009. TeamConnor has awarded more than $2 million in funding for childhood cancer research and patient programs across the country since 2008.
 
“This year, my team member Jim Crowther and I placed ninth out of 198 teams,” said Nelson. “The year before we placed 15th. The top 10 teams share a $100,000 purse. So we won $2,000 for TeamConnor this year. But we were really just a few strokes off winning $7,500. The weather was perfect for the first two days, but the last day it was rainy with a 30 mph wind. As soon as we finished, we were analyzing our game and talking about where we could improve. I know we can do even better next time.”
 
The Lexus Champions for Charity Tournament pairs great golf with charity, as amateur golfers participate in tournaments held at the finest golf and country clubs across the United States. Lexus supports the local tournaments and offers competitors the opportunity to win a Lexus and represent their charity in the annual grand finale, the Lexus Champions for Charity National Championship at Pebble Beach Resorts in December. The three-day, 54-hole tournament features 18 holes per day on Pebble Beach Golf Links, Spyglass Hill, and The Links at Spanish Bay.
 
TeamConnor hosts events throughout the year to raise funds for childhood cancer research, including the III Forks Golf Classic and Auction Dinner, April 30 – May 1, 2017; Splash Out Childhood Cancer in July; National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month Concert and Prayer Vigil in September; Color Me Green 5K/10K in October, and the Northwestern Mutual Clay Shoot in November.  In addition, TeamConnor’s national Coins for Kids with Cancer program raises funds in schools, churches, offices and organizations across the country to help fund childhood cancer research.
 
Worldwide, a child is diagnosed with cancer every three minutes. In the United States, cancer kills more children every year than AIDS, asthma, diabetes, cystic fibrosis and congenital anomalies combined. Yet, the National Cancer Institute allocates less than four percent of its funds to pediatric cancer research. TeamConnor Childhood Cancer Foundation is dedicated to serving families, building awareness, and raising funds for research to help cure childhood cancer.
 
For more information on how to join the fight against childhood cancer please visit www.teamconnor.org or Facebook.com/TeamConnor