B.J. Novelty Present The Marvin Lewis Golden Tee Live - Closest-to-the-Pin Challenge!
Sponsored by Budweiser

Reid Somori Wins Charitable GT Face-Off
Against Cincinnati Begals’ Head Coach
 

When the coach of a NFL team raises money for charity, it gets noticed.  Silent auctions, golf outings and charitable drives are wonderful events for worthy causes.  But when the coach of a NFL team decides to compete on his favorite video game for charity, it’s for more than just the good of the cause – it’s business.

Coach Marvin Lewis of the Cincinnati Bengals might be the biggest Golden Tee fan in the NFL outside of star Chicago Bear linebacker, Brian Urlacher. On March 20^th, Coach Lewis teed-off on Golden Tee LIVE at Keefer’s Pub in Covington, KY to raise money for the Marvin Lewis Community Fund, who’s mission is to empower, educate and inspire individuals in the greater Cincinnati area.

Presented by Jeff and Kama Reed of B.J. Novelty in Covington, KY, The Marvin Lewis GT LIVE Challenge consisted of 40 Golden Tee players who qualified in Closet-to-the-Pin contests at their local bars throughout the winter months.  The qualifiers competed at Keefer’s in a nine-hole Golden Tee contest for the honor to complete Coach Lewis’ foursome in the Championship Round. 

The Coach Came to Play

Coach Lewis was so concerned with his performance in the final round that he recruited three-time Golden Tee National Champion, Steven Sobe, to be his personal tutor prior to the event.

The Coach and Sobe spent over an hour at an off-site bar near Paul Brown Stadium going over GT form and strategy.  “Coach Lewis was surprisingly good,” Golden Tee’s official ambassador said about the coach’s skills.  “He just needed a little work on his game.  His putting was very strong!”

This past year, Coach Lewis spent most of his video golf hours on a Golden Tee Fore! Complete in the Bengals’ locker room and began playing nothing but LIVE once the Golden Tee charity event was announced.  His time on the newest LIVE courses was limited, so Sobe made sure to show the Coach all of the necessary shortcuts and shots to hang with the group awaiting at Keefer’s.  

The Big Event

The championship was open to the public for a $10.00 donation to the Marvin Lewis Community Fund.  Nearly 100 spectators came out to meet the coach and cheer him on in the final match.  Every attendee also had the chance to compete in a charitable Closest-to-the-Pin competition for cool Coach Lewis autographed items.

The official Coach Marvin Lewis Golden Tee LIVE Challenge event began at 6:00 PM.  The 40-qualifiers shot a nine-hole qualifier to determine who advanced to face the coach.  Sonu Khatri of Dayton, Ohio, and Cincinnati based players Reid Somori and Chris Litzinger, topped the 40-man field for the honor of playing the 2005 AFC North Division Champion’s head coach! 

The Championship

While the foursome teed-off on Kangaroo Trail, Keefer’s largest television screen displayed all of the Golden Tee action for a packed house of excited video golf fans.

Considering that Litzinger, Somori and Khatri are in the upper echelon of Ohio’s Golden Tee player community, Coach Lewis had his work cut-out if he were to top the talented trio.

After a few small mistakes, the Coach quickly fell behind the group with a –8 after nine holes.  He shot great on the back nine until he approached the “Roo’s” treacherous 17^th.  The coach was –13 coming into the tough par 3, when he missed the green for a nasty triple bogey.  But hole #18 proved to be the coach’s game-killer after he narrowly missed a hole-in-one and followed it up with a score-busting 10-stroke limit, leaving him with the disappointing score of    –4.

Reid Somori took home the top honor in the Marvin Lewis Golden Tee Challenge after dropping an amazing –27 on the group.  Litzinger and Khatri tied behind Somori with a pair of –25’s.

Despite his score, Coach Lewis played very well in the contest and had tons of fun for a good cause.  The event was not only a tremendous success for his Community Fund, it was also an exciting experience for a bar full of football and Golden Tee fans 

The final trio all received a gift package from the coach complete with a bundle of autographed Cincinnati Bengals paraphernalia.

With his newly found GT skills, the Coach said that he couldn’t wait to start practicing on Golden Tee LIVE for next year’s tournament.  Coach Lewis was proud to tell Sobe that he was still the best Golden Tee player in the Cincinnati Bengals locker room.
 

3-time National Golden Tee Champion Steven Sobe explains the ins-and-outs of Golden Tee to Coach Marvin Lewis of the Cincinnati Bengals	Sobe celebrates with the coach for earning Great Shot Points
Sobe approved: After an intense tutoring session, Coach Lewis was ready to play Golden Tee LIVE!	Coach Lewis presents Reid Somori with the GT Championship Cup after winning the first-ever Marvin Lewis Golden Tee LIVE Challenge!
A packed-house of Bengals fans came out to support Coach Lewis and all of the GT Championship competitors	Coach Lewis congratulates Sonu Khatri of Dayton, Ohio
Hometown ace Chris "Cincinnasti" Litzinger accepts his prize from the coach	The coach poses for a shot with Golden Tee's biggest Bengals fan, Scott Zollars
They're serious about their football and Golden Tee in Cincinnati	The final foursome: (L to R) Coach Lewis poses for a shot with Somori, Khatri and Litzinger after an exciting 18-holes of Golden Tee LIVE.
The coach stayed most of the night to hang out and sign autographs for everyone at Keefer's in Covington, KY.	Event promoters Jeff and Kama Reed of B.J. Novelty celebrate the event's success with Coach Lewis

Congratulations to Reid Somori and all of the
Coach Marvin Lewis Golden Tee Championship Challengers!

Special Thanks to Jeff and Kama Reed of B.J. Novelty and Keefer’s Pub in Covington, KY!

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