April 27, 2011

The Chick-fil-A Bowl has announced the official pairings for its Chick-fil-A Bowl Challenge charity golf tournament May 3. Twelve university teams of head coaches and celebrity alumni will compete in six groups vying for their share of the $415,000 scholarship purse.

The groups will tee off at 8:30 a.m., Tuesday, May 3 and play a two-man scramble format over 18 holes. The tournament’s championship team will earn a $120,000 first place scholarship donation to their university.

Featured groups include rivalry pairings that mirror the Chick-fil-A Bowl’s ACC vs. SEC format. Two of the pairings will match teams that have competed or are set to compete in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game (Alabama vs. Virginia Tech – 2008 and NC State vs. Tennessee – 2012). Official group pairings include:

Group One: Clemson Dabo Swinney / Steve Fuller VS. South Carolina Steve Spurrier / Sterling Sharpe

Group Two: Alabama Nick Saban / Chris Mohr VS. Virginia Tech Frank Beamer / Dell Curry

Group Three: NC State Tom O’Brien / Torry Holt VS. Tennessee Derek Dooley / Stanley Morgan

Group Four: Maryland Randy Edsall / Stan Gelbaugh VS. Ole Miss Houston Nutt / Wesley Walls

Group Five: Mississippi State Dan Mullen / Fred McCrary VS. Wake Forest Jim Grobe / Riley Skinner

Group Six: Georgia Tech Paul Johnson / Jon Barry VS. Miami Al Golden / Gino Torretta

The nation’s premier head coach and celebrity golf event will be held at the beautiful Reynolds Plantation resort on Lake Oconee outside Atlanta. Over the past four years, the Chick-fil-A Bowl Challenge has provided $1.9 million in scholarship and charity to its participating universities.

In addition to the $415,000 scholarship purse, additional proceeds will be donated to selected charities including Chick-fil-A’s WinShape Homes. The Chick-fil-A Bowl Challenge is a significant contributor to the Chick-fil-A Bowl’s overall charitable and scholarship donations. The Chick-fil-A Bowl leads all bowls in the country in charitable giving, including gifts of more than $7 million since 2002.

The tournament is being taped by ESPN for broadcast in the fall. The event will air Aug. 6 at noon and Dec. 31 at 11 a.m. on ESPN-2.

For more information on the event, visit www.Chick-fil-ABowlChallenge.com.