Celebrities Confirmed for 2019 Mitsubishi Classic

Officials of the Mitsubishi Electric Classic announced that the annual Cologuard® Celebrity Challenge will be returning to the prestigious PGA TOUR Champions event at TPC Sugarloaf.  This special charity event will be held on Saturday, April 20, with celebrity athletes Peerless Price, Kent Bazemore and Vince Carter.

The Cologuard Celebrity Challenge is a unique event that places celebrities in the heat of the action during the second round of competition at the Mitsubishi Electric Classic. The celebrities compete against each other for the Cooper Cup and to benefit local charities.     

Celebrities will tee off Saturday, April 20, on the recently renovated TPC Sugarloaf and will be competing alongside the professionals. This year, the thrilling competition will feature former NFL wide receiver Peerless Price, current Atlanta Hawk players Kent Bazemore and Vince Carter.

“The Cologuard Celebrity Challenge is always one of the highlights of the week at the Mitsubishi Electric Classic,” said Tournament Director Monte Ortel. “We are thrilled to have Cologuard join us as the title sponsor of the Celebrity Challenge, and we can’t wait for our fans to watch these three incredibly decorated athletes compete against each other at TPC Sugarloaf.”

Peerless Price is a former wide receiver for the NFL, who played for three different teams during his nine-season career. Price was drafted in the second round by the Buffalo Bills in 1999, and he also played for the Atlanta Falcons for two years and the Dallas Cowboys for one season.  A standout player at the University of Tennessee, Price helped lead the Volunteers to two SEC Championships and the 1998 National Championship, in which Tennessee finished a perfect 13-0 against Florida State. In the Fiesta Bowl, Price caught four passes for 199 yards and the game-winning touchdown. For his efforts, Price was named the co-MVP, as Tennessee won their first national championship in 47 years and first-ever BCS title. 

Kent Bazemore, a leader on and off the court in Atlanta, is currently in his fifth season with the Atlanta Hawks and seventh season overall in the NBA. Bazemore twice this season has put up a career-high 32 points, while averaging nearly 12 points per game. In college, Bazemore led the Old Dominion Monarchs to an automatic berth in the 2011 NCAA Tournament, the same season he was named the CAA Defensive Player of the Year and received the Lefty Driesell Award as the National Defensive Player of the Year. In 2016, Old Dominion retired the star shooting guard’s No. 24 jersey and inducted him into their Ring of Honor.

Vince Carter, the 20th-leading scorer in NBA history, is one of five players in league history to compete for 21 seasons. “Vinsanity” began his professional career in 1998 as the fifth overall pick of the Golden State Warriors. Carter was traded on draft night to the Toronto Raptors, where he remained for six seasons and quickly began establishing himself as one of the most electric players in the league. NBA Rookie of the Year and eight-time NBA All-Star, Carter also won an Olympic gold medal at the 2000 Summer Olympic Games in Sydney. Currently playing for the Atlanta Hawks, he is one of six players in NBA history to average at least 20 points, four rebounds and three assists per game for 10 straight seasons. Prior to entering the NBA, Carter led the University of North Carolina to consecutive Final Fours and was named First-Team All-ACC and second-team All-American. 

In addition to playing for bragging rights, the celebrities will be vying for the coveted Cooper Cup trophy. The Cooper Cup and Cooper’s Crew were created in memory of Cooper O’Brien, who lost his battle with a rare form of cancer on July 5, 2014 when he was just 14-years-old. Cooper was on the 2014 Celebrity Challenge winning team with Former Georgia Bulldog and NFL star Kevin Butler.

The 2019 Mitsubishi Electric Classic is scheduled for April 15-21, 2019 at TPC Sugarloaf. The public may purchase tickets online. Kids 16 and under can attend for free with a ticketed adult, and daily tickets start at just $20. For more information on the tournament, visit: www.mitsubishielectricclassic.com  A