Broadhurst Wins Invited Celebrity Classic

Paul Broadhurst captured a one shot victory over 2011 Colonial champion David Toms at the Invited Celebrity Classic presented by Choctaw Casinos & Resorts at Las Colinas Country Club. This was Broadhurst’s first PGA Tour Champions victory since the 2018 Ally Challenge.

“You never know when your next win is going to be,” Broadhurst said. “My last win was 2018. I did win in Europe on the Legends Tour in ’21, but to win out here again is really special.”

On the 30th anniversary of the 1994 GTE Byron Nelson Classic that became known as the “Half Nelson” due to being shortened to 36 holes due to storms at nearby TPC Las Colinas, the third edition of the Invited Celebrity Classic was also plagued by rain with Saturday’s second round being completely washed out due to heavy rains in the DFW area. The call was made to shorten the tournament to 36 holes.

The tournament’s unique format that pairs PGA Tour Champions players alongside celebrity participants had Broadhurst playing alongside the NFL’s all-time leading rusher, former Dallas Cowboys Super Bowl champion Emmitt Smith and comedian Larry the Cable Guy.

“I like to get in between the ropes with other pros, and I like to compete, like to challenge myself and see how well I can maneuver the ball around,” Smith said. “To play in a competitive environment like this on a golf course that we’re playing on with the greens the way that they are, I’m ecstatic right now.”

Notables in the field included 2009 PGA Championship winner Y.E. Yang (-8, T3), Vijay Singh (-6, T6), two-time U.S. Open champion Retief Goosen (-4, T20), two-time Colonial champion Kenny Perry (-4, T20), two-time Colonial champion Corey Pavin (-2, T35) and two-time major champion John Daly (+9, T77).

Former ATP star Mardy Fish won the Celebrity Division of the event for the second time in the event’s three-year history after finishing second last yer to former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo. Fish secured the victory with a birdie on No. 18 to top FOX Sports baseball analyst John Smoltz by one point in the Modified Stableford format.

Notables in the celebrity field include World Golf Hall of Fame member Annika Sorenstam (+65, 5th), Ray Allen (+56, 15th), Greg Maddux (+48, 22nd), Emmitt Smith (+44, T29), Pudge Rodriguez (+40, 31st), DeMarcus Ware (+31, 37th) and Larry the Cable Guy (+26, 39th).