The Barracuda Championship prides itself on being the best possible golf tournament it can be; one that goes far beyond the fairways and impacts both individuals and communities all over the world. On multiple occasions over the past 26 years, we have been fortunate enough to have our hard-work recognized by the PGA TOUR. The following is a list of PGA TOUR awards the Barracuda Championship, its volunteers and its charity partners have won thanks to our shared dedication to service, philanthropy and excellence.
2021
Charity of the Year Finalist: Friends in Service Helping People
2021
Volunteer of the Year Finalist: Iris Shimabukuro
Iris was born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii and has lived in Northern Nevada for 30 years. She moved here to help a friend, loved the area and stayed. 23 years ago, a radio ad asking for volunteers for the inaugural Barracuda Championship inspired her to register. She started in Course Services,which we always laugh about because this is one of the most “in the sun” committees we have and Iris has an allergy to the sun. A couple years later Iris moved over to Walking Scorers, then Scoring Chair and is now the Gallery Management Chair. She continues volunteering “because this is soooooo good for Northern Nevada”. In 2019 Iris was so successful in her scoring chair role and she basically worked herself out of a “job”. We had a very big need to fill our Gallery Management Chair role and Iris agreed to the role. What she was also agreeing to was; a complete revamp of our Gallery Management committee. We were lacking in leadership, recruitment and positive attitudes in the Gallery Management area. The previous 5 years we ran short in the GM committee and it caused volunteers to pick up more shifts than they wanted and the return rate was dropping significantly.
2020
Volunteer of the Year Finalist: Michael Healey
All volunteers play an important role in the success of a tournament, especially for a smaller tournament such as ours where the staff of 5 relies heavily on our volunteers. Every tournament has a special few that go above and beyond, but none of them compare to our Michael Healey. Healey, as we call him, started volunteering for the Barracuda Championship in 2012 helping compile sponsor ticket packets and went on to help the operations team during the week of the tournament, and that’s all it took.
2019
PGA TOUR’s Best Use of Players
In 2019, the Barracuda Championship was honored by the PGA Tour at the TOUR’s Tournament of Meetings for “Best Use of Players.” This award is determined by how a tournament best utilizes players who are granted tournament and pro-am sponsor exemptions. The integration of the title sponsor in the Sponsor Value Program is important, leveraging player relationships for use in appearances such as off-site visits, emceeing tournament activities, hosting junior clinics and participating in Q&A sessions. It’s an honor to win, we’ve enjoyed connecting with the players and finding new way to introduce them to our community!
2018
PGA TOUR’s Volunteer of the Year
The 2018 PGA TOUR Volunteer of the Year award was presented to Henry “Skip” Monge, a longtime Barracuda Championship volunteer. The award was announced on Dec. 6, 2017 at the PGA TOUR’s Tournament Meeting, which recognizes tournaments from across the nation. The PGA TOUR and Barracuda Championship donated $5,000 to Monge’s charity of choice, My Hometown Heroes, a Reno-based non-profit that provides scholarships to young adult cancer survivors across the country.
2018
PGA TOUR’s Charity of the Year Finalist – Eddy House
In 2018, the PGA TOUR selected Eddy House as one of its finalists for their 2018 Charity of the Year Award. One of the Barracuda Championship’s newest charity partners, the Eddy House provides comfort, care and management services to at-risk youth in the Northern Nevada community. The Eddy House’s main goal is to end youth homelessness in Reno-Tahoe, one of the fastest growing issues in Nevada. Eddy House’s work is something the Barracuda Championship truly believes in and we are honored to help them achieve their goals however we can for years to come!
2017
PGA TOUR’s Best Promotional Idea/Ad-Campaign
In 2017, the Barracuda Championship was awarded Best Ad Campaign by the PGA TOUR for its promotion of the Patio on 18th Green – a public hospitality venue that boasts upgraded concessions, a Jim Beam Bar, lawn games, and shaded seating mere feet away from the 18th green action. The venue is open to all general admission ticket holders and has quickly become one of the most popular sites on-course. The Patio hosts multiple fan-first events throughout the tournament including the Great Clubhouse Cookout and Concert on the Patio.
2016
PGA TOUR’s Charity of the Year – Each One Tell One
In 2016, the PGA TOUR selected Each One Tell One as its Charity of the Year. Each One Tell One is a rapidly growing Northern Nevada nonprofit whose mission is to raise awareness, educate, and serve women of all ages surrounding breast cancer. Founded from a Facebook page, Each One Tell One quickly grew into the outstanding, nationally recognized organization it is today. The Barracuda Championship is honored to have partnered with such an amazing foundation and watched its growth from day one.
2015
PGA TOUR’s Volunteer of the Year Finalist – Steve Diamond
In 2015, one of our long-time volunteers Steve Diamond was selected as a finalist for the PGA TOUR’s Volunteer of the Year Award. Steve is currently our Volunteer Chair for Caddie Services and has served the Barracuda Championship in that role since the tournament’s inception in 1999! A loyal and hard-working man, Steve has become well known by fellow volunteers, the Barracuda Championship, and the PGA TOUR as “The Caddie Master”!
2015
PGA TOUR’s Charity of the Year Finalist – Veteran’s Guest House
In 2015, Veteran’s Guest House was selected by the PGA TOUR as a finalist for their Charity of the Year Award. This Northern Nevada nonprofit provides United States military veterans, and their families, with overnight accommodations and care services both during and after a veteran receives any medical treatment in the Reno-Sparks area. A trusted and steadfast charity partner of the Barracuda Championship, we could not be prouder of the amazing services this nonprofit graciously offers to our military veterans.
2012
PGA TOUR’s Charity of the Year – Children’s Cabinet
In 2012, the PGA TOUR selected the Children’s Cabinet as its Charity of the Year. Established in 1985, this Northern Nevada nonprofit’s mission is to keep children safe and families together by providing services and resources that address unmet needs through a cooperative effort between the private sector and public agencies in Nevada. The Children’s Cabinet has been one of the Barracuda Championship’s longest charity partners and we look forward to continuing the great work they do in our community together for years to come.
FISH Emergency Referral Services Program (also known as Friends in Service Helping) is a 501(c)(3) organization that was formed in May 1979 in direct response to the growing numbers of homeless and hungry residents in the Carson City community. Prior to the start of FISH, several organizations in Carson City had each been offering services to needy individuals and families. As the community need grew, these organizations decided to band together and work under one name. These visionary leaders and a dedicated VISTA volunteer, Lea Giffin, founded FISH. While FISH began as a small food closet, it soon began offering shelter services in Carson City when the organization merged with Friends of Citizens Under Stress (FOCUS). After the tragic death of a homeless man during a cold winter night, FOCUS renovated a deserted building in the Stewart Indian School complex and opened rural Nevada’s first homeless shelter; FOCUS House. FISH and FOCUS united in the early 1980’s to collaboratively serve the needs of the homeless and hungry in the community.