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The Ally Challenge presented by McLaren 2025 Celebrity Event Announced

Posted on Monday, August 18, 2025

GRAND BLANC, Mich. – The Ally Challenge presented by McLaren announced today the return of one of the tournament’s fan-favorite events, newly renamed the Celebrity Sports Showdown. The reimagined competition will feature celebrity guests paired with two high school stand-out athletes to form six three-person teams that will compete in a rotational “Sports Showdown” to raise charitable donation prize money for the student athlete’s respective athletic booster programs.

The Celebrity Sports Showdown will take place on Saturday, August 23, following the final pairing of round two of The Ally Challenge. The charity event will be contested exclusively at the famed 17th hole at Warwick Hills Golf & Country Club.

The event will kick off with a musical performance by PGA TOUR Champions professional and recorded musician John Daly.

CELEBRITY TEAM CAPTAINS 

  • DUSTY MAY – University of Michigan Men’s Head Basketball Coach… lead the Wolverine’s to the 2025 Big Ten Tournament title… was named the CBS Sports National Coach of the Year (2022/2023)
  • TREY MCKENNEY – Flint native… 2024 Michigan Mr. Basketball… McDonald’s All American… and Five-Star guard recruit to the University of Michigan Men’s Basketball Program
  • KIM MOORE – Michigan native… U.S. Adaptive Female Golfer ranked No. 1 in the U.S. and No. 2 in the world… two-time champion of the U.S. Adaptive Open (2025 & 2022)
  • BRAYLON EDWARDS – Michigan native… 2004 All-American wide receiver for University of Michigan… the Wolverine’s leader in career receptions… eight seasons in the NFL most notably for the Cleveland Browns (2005-2009)
  • ANDREA BRIMMER – Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) Ally Financial… Forbes CMO Hall of Fame… former Michigan State University Soccer Star
  • JEANNA TROTMAN – Michigan native… accomplished sports broadcast journalist… renowned storyteller… former NCAA athlete


 PARTICIPATING HIGH SCHOOLS

  • Grand Blanc High School
  • Beecher High School (Flint)
  • Powers Catholic High School (Flint)
  • Fenton Community High School
  • Davison High School
  • Clarkston High School

The teams will compete in a total of four challenges. The first challenge victory by any team will represent a $5,000 donation. If a team wins more than one challenge, each additional win by that same team will equal a $2,000 donation. There will be one contestant per team, per challenge, and one winning team of each challenge event. All teams will go home with a donation to their school’s athletic booster program.

SPORTS SHOWDOWN CHALLENGES

  1. Closest to the Pin – Participants take one shot from the tournament tee box at the famous Par-3 Hole No. 17. The player whose shot finishes closest to the pin wins! Note: A ball must stay on the green to be counted.
  1. Golden Arm Challenge – Participants compete in a “Football Throw” using the Ally “A” Truth Mark as the target. Each participant receives :30 seconds to make as many attempts as possible. Challengers receive 2 points for every throw that lands into the center of the “A” and 1 point for throws that hit the Truth Mark but don’t find the center.
  1. Footgolf Challenge – Participants attempt a soccer kick to a ‘Pin Flag’ on the 17th hole. Each participant receives three kicks from approximately 40 yards. Closest to the pin is the winner. Note: A ball must stay on the green to be counted.
  1. “Half Course” Free Throw – Participants attempt a “Half Course” basketball shot from half court distance. Each participant receives :30 seconds to make as many attempts as possible. The challenger that successfully makes the most shots wins.

The Ally Challenge is a Regular Season PGA TOUR Champions event in 2025, which will give way to the Charles Schwab Cup Playoffs – a season-ending, three-tournament series used to determine the TOUR’s season-long champion. The 2025 PGA TOUR Champions schedule features 28 events and will conclude with the Charles Schwab Cup Championship in Phoenix, Arizona. The 2025 Season will have players competing for more than $69 million in total prize money, the highest in PGA TOUR Champions’ 45-season history.

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

Since its inception in 2018, The Ally Challenge presented by McLaren has donated nearly $8.4 million to support charity.  

For more information about The Ally Challenge, please visit www.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 $2.2 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 www.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 financial services company with the nation's largest all-digital bank and an industry-leading auto financing business, driven by a mission to "Do It Right" and be a relentless ally for customers and communities. The company serves customers with deposits and securities brokerage and investment advisory services as well as auto financing and insurance offerings. The company also includes a seasoned corporate finance business that offers capital for equity sponsors and middle-market companies. For more information, please visit www.ally.com.  

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

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

About McLaren Health Care
McLaren Health Care, headquartered in Grand Blanc, Michigan, is a $6 billion, fully integrated health care delivery system committed to quality, evidence-based patient care and cost efficiency. The McLaren system includes 13 hospitals in Michigan, ambulatory surgery centers, imaging centers, a 490-member employed primary and specialty care physician network, commercial and Medicaid HMOs covering more than 690,000 lives in Michigan and Indiana, home health, infusion and hospice providers, pharmacy services, a clinical laboratory network, virtual and retail care services 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 53 National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer centers in the U.S.  McLaren has 22,000 full-, part-time and contracted employees and more than 113,000 network providers throughout Michigan and Indiana.  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
The Ally Challenge presented by McLaren
Thomas P. Sprouse, Director of Communications  
E-Mail: tsprouse@hnssports.com           
Office: 614-889-6791               
Mobile: 614-519-1873


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