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The Ally Challenge presented by McLaren announces return of Celebrity Shootout

Posted on Thursday, August 04, 2022


GRAND BLANC, Mich.
– The Ally Challenge presented by McLaren announced today the return of one of the tournament’s fan-favorite events, the Celebrity Shootout. For 2022, this marquee competition will feature golf’s greatest champion Jack Nicklaus, along with the following Michigan natives: Detroit Red Wings Captain Dylan Larkin; two-time Super Middleweight World Champion boxer Anthony Dirrell; U.S. Adaptive Open champion golfer Kim Moore; and ESPN analyst, 13-year NBA star and member of the “Fab Five” Jalen Rose. Additional details, including celebrity pairings and charitable impact, will be announced soon.

The Celebrity Shootout will take place on Saturday, August 27¾following the final pairing of round two of the Ally Challenge¾and be contested over a new four-hole format at Warwick Hills Golf & Country Club, playing Holes 10, 11, 17 and 18. In the coming weeks, the remaining field for the Celebrity Shootout will be named to create a powerhouse group of competitors that will play the 4-hole team scramble exhibition match to benefit charity.

JACK NICKLAUS
No name is more synonymous with greatness in the sport of golf than the name Jack Nicklaus, and no single person has changed the face of the sport more than Jack Nicklaus – the champion, the course designer, the businessman, the philanthropist, and the good-will ambassador.

Nicklaus’ competitive professional career spanned five decades, and his legend has been built with 120 tournament victories worldwide, including a record 18 major-championship titles (six Masters, five PGA Championships, four U.S. Opens, three British Opens). Known as the Golden Bear, Nicklaus’ legacy transcends his championship resumé, due to his global design work, and the commitment from Jack and wife Barbara to philanthropy, specifically efforts focused on pediatric care through the Nicklaus Children’s Health Care Foundation. Using his platform to benefit others has earned Nicklaus the designation as the only sportsperson—and fourth individual in history—to be awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the Congressional Gold Medal, and the Lincoln Medal.

This is the Golden Bear’s fourth appearance at the Ally Challenge.

DYLAN LARKIN
Larkin, 26, made an immediate impact in his NHL debut for the Detroit Red Wings against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Oct. 9, 2015, when just 20 seconds into the second period the center from Waterford, Michigan took a pass from Henrik Zetterberg and shot top shelf for his first NHL goal. Larkin also added an assist in the 4-0 victory.

Selected in the first round of the 2014 NHL Draft (No. 15 overall), Larkin became the first teenager (19 years old) to play opening night since Mike Sillinger in 1990-91. He made it in to the NHL after just one season at the University of Michigan, where his 47 points (15 goals, 32 assists) led Big Ten rookies and placed him second in the NCAA among freshmen. Foregoing his final three years of college eligibility and signing a three-year entry-level contract, Larkin began his pro career with the Grand Rapids Griffins in time for the American Hockey League playoffs, where he scored three goals and five points in six games.

In 2015-16, Larkin became the sixth rookie in Red Wings history to lead them in goals (23) and the first since Mike Foligno scored 36 in 1979-80. He was also plus-11, scored five game-winning goals and took 221 shots on goal. Larkin became the first teenager since former Red Wings forward Steve Yzerman in 1984-85 to score goals in four consecutive games (Nov. 16-21, 2015). He finished November with seven goals and 10 points in 13 games and was named NHL Rookie of the Month.

At age 22, Larkin became the fifth-youngest player in Red Wings history to lead them in scoring with 63 points (16 goals, 47 assists) in 2017-18, behind only Yzerman (18 years, 10 months in 1983-84), Mark Osborne (20 years and seven months in 1981-82), Marcel Dionne (20 years, seven months in 1971-72) and Dale McCourt (21 years, two months in 1977-78). Larkin is in the midst of a five-year contract with Detroit he signed on Aug. 10, 2018. 

ANTHONY DIRRELL
Nicknamed “The Dog,” Dirrell has been near perfect inside the boxing ring. But, the 37-year-old from Flint, Mich. has faced challenges outside the ring that would keep most down for the count. Dirrell has survived non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and fought his way back from a motorcycle crash that left him with a broken arm and leg.

Dirrell boasts a professional record of 34 wins, two losses, two draws, with 25 knockouts. He claimed his world championship in 2014 with a victory over Sakio Bika and his second title in 2019 over Avni Yildirim.

Dirrell comes from a boxing family. His brother Andre won a bronze medal at the 2004 Olympic Games, and the siblings trained under their grandfather, Leon Lawson Sr., and uncle, Leon Jr. The elder Lawson was a former sparring partner for Muhammad Ali.

KIM MOORE
Moore, 41, won the inaugural United States Golf Association (USGA) Adaptive Open in dominating fashion last month with an eight-shot, wire-to-wire victory at Pinehurst No. 6 in North Carolina.

The Portage, Mich. native grew up playing multiple sports, including golf and basketball, despite being born without a right foot and with a case of spina bifida. Moore was a member of the varsity golf team at the University of Indianapolis, and is currently Western Michigan University’s women’s golf head coach. Prior to becoming a Bronco in 2020, Moore spent seven years at St. Mary’s College (Notre Dame, Ind.), where she coached the Belles to two NCAA Division III Team Championship appearances.

JALEN ROSE
Rose, 49, is a studio analyst appearing on a variety of ESPN shows, including First Take and Get Up. He is a co-host of the popular podcast and afternoon TV show, Jalen & Jacoby, and since 2012 has been a studio analyst for ABC and ESPN’s pre-game show, NBA Countdown. Rose also provides NBA analysis for ESPN News, SportsCenter and ESPN Radio.

Now in its eighth year, the Jalen & Jacoby podcast first began as a passion project. As the podcast developed into a hit, it grew to include a YouTube show, which then led to an opportunity to host a national ESPN radio show. From the radio show, Jalen & Jacoby grew – yet again – into a late-night TV show before making this most recent progression into the 4 p.m. ET time slot on ESPN.

Previously, Rose served as an analyst on men’s college basketball game coverage and on College GameDay – the eight-week Saturday college basketball studio program originating from the site of ESPN’s Saturday Primetime telecast. Rose joined ESPN in 2007 as a regular contributor to the network’s NBA coverage.

While still playing in the NBA, Rose began working for Fox Sports Net’s Best Damn Sports Show Period, including his own lifestyle-oriented Jammin’ With Jalen segment. Shortly after retiring in 2007, Rose joined ESPN and also created Three Tier Entertainment (TTE), a Los Angeles-based production and management company. TTE produces commercial projects with a worldwide mass appeal for film, television and the web, including ESPN Films’ The Fab Five.

The Detroit native attended the University of Michigan, helping the Wolverines reach two NCAA Title games (1992 and 1993), finishing as national runners up each year. The 1992 Michigan squad became the only team in Final Four history to start five freshman. Rose was a part of Wolverines Coach Steve Fisher’s legendary 1991 recruiting class, dubbed the “Fab Five.” Playing point guard, Rose led the group in scoring his freshman year, averaging 19 points per game, and set the school freshman scoring record with 597 total points. He currently has a scholarship endowment in his name at Michigan.

In 2000, Rose established the Jalen Rose Foundation/Charitable Fund to create life-changing opportunities for underserved youth through the development of unique programs and the distribution of grants to qualified nonprofit organizations. More than $1.2 million personally donated by Rose has been distributed since the foundation’s inception. In 2011, Rose’s hometown of Detroit awarded him with a Spirit of Detroit Award in recognition of his exceptional achievement, outstanding leadership and dedication to improving the quality of life. Additionally, the Detroit News named him Michiganian of the Year in 2013.

In 2011, he established the Jalen Rose Leadership Academy (JRLA). The open enrollment public charter high school in Detroit gives students a leadership-focused education based upon real-world, project-based experiences within the career context of sports and entertainment. Rose also serves as the President of the Board of Directors.

The Ally Challenge will be one of the premier Regular Season events on the PGA TOUR Champions in 2022, which will give way to the Charles Schwab Cup Playoffs¾a season-ending, three-tournament series used to determine the TOUR’s season-long champion.

All three rounds of The Ally Challenge presented by McLaren will be broadcast on Golf Channel.

For more information about The Ally Challenge, please visit theallychallenge.com. For the latest Ally Challenge news and updates on social media, follow the tournament on Twitter and Instagram at @AllyChallenge and on Facebook at Facebook.com/AllyChallenge.

 

About The Ally Challenge presented by McLaren

The Ally Challenge presented by McLaren is an official event on the PGA TOUR Champions owned and operated by Tournaments for Charity, a Michigan non-profit corporation. This 54-hole stroke play golf tournament features 78 PGA TOUR Champions professionals competing for a $2 million purse at the historic Warwick Hills Golf & Country Club in Grand Blanc, MI. The event is designed to showcase the best golf on the PGA TOUR Champions for the enjoyment of spectators and to benefit local charities in the greater Flint area. All three official rounds will be internationally televised on the Golf Channel.

For more information about The Ally Challenge presented by McLaren, please visit theallychallenge.com. For the latest Ally Challenge news and updates on social media, follow the tournament on Twitter and Instagram at @AllyChallenge and on Facebook at Facebook.com/AllyChallenge.

 

About Ally Financial

Ally Financial Inc. (NYSE: ALLY) is a digital financial services company committed to its promise to "Do It Right" for its consumer, commercial and corporate customers. Ally is composed of an industry-leading independent auto finance and insurance operation, an award-winning digital direct bank (Ally Bank, Member FDIC and Equal Housing Lender, which offers mortgage lending, point-of-sale personal lending, and a variety of deposit and other banking products), a consumer credit card business, a corporate finance business for equity sponsors and middle-market companies, and securities brokerage and investment advisory services. Our brand conviction is that we are all better off with an ally, and our focus is on helping our customers achieve their strongest financial well-being, a notion personalized to what is important to them. For more information, please visit www.ally.com and follow @allyfinancial. 

For more information and disclosures about Ally, visit https://www.ally.com/#disclosures.

For further images and news on Ally, please visit https://media.ally.com.

 

About McLaren Health Care

McLaren Health Care, headquartered in Grand Blanc, MI, is a $6 billion, fully integrated health care delivery system committed to quality, evidence-based patient care and cost efficiency. The McLaren system includes 15 hospitals in Michigan and Ohio, ambulatory surgery centers, imaging centers, a 490-member employed primary and specialty care physician network, commercial and Medicaid HMOs covering more than 588,000 lives in Michigan and Indiana, home health, infusion and hospice providers, pharmacy services, a clinical laboratory network and a wholly owned medical malpractice insurance company. McLaren operates Michigan’s largest network of cancer centers and providers, anchored by the Karmanos Cancer Institute, one of only 51 National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer centers in the U.S.  McLaren has 28,000 full-, part-time and contracted employees, and more than 90,000 network providers throughout Michigan, Indiana and Ohio.  Learn more at www.mclaren.org.

 

About HNS Sports Group

HNS Sports Group is a Dublin, Ohio-based LLC founded in 2000. The company offers over 125-plus years of collective experience and is committed to providing professional, efficient and effective client representation in the categories of sponsorship consultation, event management, hospitality management, sales representation and tournament operations within the golf market. To learn more about HNS Sports Group, visit www.hnssports.com.

 

Media Contact

Thomas P. Sprouse     

Director of Communications,     

The Ally Challenge presented by McLaren 

E-Mail: tsprouse@hnssports.com               

Office: 614-889-6791 

Mobile: 614-519-1873


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