Sandra Gal hosted her inaugural Driving Dreams Invitational at Sara Bay Country Club this past Monday, November 3.
Gal attributed the beginnings of her LPGA journey to receiving a scholarship to play at the University of Florida. That’s why her foundation supports two scholarship funds – the Marilynn’s Scholarship Fund from Golf It Forward and the Evans Scholars Foundation.
24 teams and professional athletes came out to support Gal and her mission. The day began with registration with gifts from sponsors like Callaway and Levelwear. The Holiday Inn Vacation Club was also a Gold sponsor of this event.
During breakfast, guests were able to preview some of the silent auction items, like a signed Nelly Korda staff bag from the 2025 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, a signed Masters flag and a signed Ryder Cup 2023 flag. After play, groups enjoyed lunch together and an awards ceremony for closest to the pin, longest drives and the top three winning teams. The winning score of the day was 16-under.
Among the guests were the recipients of the fundraising efforts, Debbie Waitkus, co-founder of Golf It Forward, and Jeff Harrison and Jim Feeney of the Evans Scholars Foundation.
Waitkus praised Marilynn Smith’s boldness in starting her scholarship fund. As an LPGA Founder, Smith faced adversity as a female player trying to play collegiately; this inspired her and her team to start a scholarship fund, aptly named Marilynn’s Scholarship Fund. Recipients are called Pearls because not only can you string pearls together to create something beautiful, but Smith also wore them on the golf course.
Waitkus said, “The scholarship awards help young women get an education, pursuing their dreams all while knowing there is someone who believes in them. In addition to receiving the scholarship funds, they become part of a mentorship community with access to business-life balance programs, mental coaching from Sandra Gal and opportunities to represent Marilynn’s legacy at events around the country.”
The Marilynn Scholarship Fund is awarded to U.S. and Canadian high school girls in their senior year who excel in golf, are actively involved in their communities and aspire to play collegiate golf.
Waitkus added, “The scholarship application portal is open through February 1st. If you know anyone who might have a high school senior in their lives who would like to play collegiate golf, please encourage them to have her apply.”
The Evans Scholars Foundation supports caddies who want to pursue a college education. They have supported 13,000 students since 1930, with 1,260 Evans Scholars currently enrolled at 27 universities. The Evans Scholarship covers tuition and housing for caddies in financial need. Applicants must have a proven record as a caddie, strong academics, financial need and excellent character.
Harrison and Feeney, the Senior Vice President of Education and the Senior Director of Development, respectively, are both alumni of the Evans Scholarship.
Feeney said, “The Evans Scholars Foundation, it’s not just a scholarship, it’s a lifetime commitment. It’s a family. It’s a way to give back and pay it forward.”
Gal raised over $170,000 for these two organizations. Gal said, “I’m so grateful and happy. We had lovely support from the membership, and I’m excited that there’s going to be a tradition that moves forward here.”
