John Mullen Pro Am is more than just a golf tournament

Once a year something magical happens at the Heritage Hills Golf Course in McCook. Bernie and Nona Mullen return to stage and participate in the Mullen Pro Am golf tournament, a tournament started 21 years ago by them in honor of their son John, a former assistant pro at Heritage Hills, who died of cancer in 1986. Monies generated from the tournament go to the Community Hospital Health Foundation.

The three-day weekend begins with the horserace between the 27 competing pros, beginning at 4 p.m. on Friday and is followed by a two-day tournament consisting of 27 teams of amateurs with a pro playing in each group. The course is in great shape thanks to the hard work and dedication of course superintendent Bill Bieck and his crew; all of your golf needs can be taken care of by Club pro Ron Cash, and the tournament will run seamlessly as always thanks to the scores of volunteers who give up their time and dedicate their energies to ensure that the Mullen is always a success.

Those are the details and facts of the tournament. But that doesn't really tell you what the Mullen is all about. The Mullen is about hope and optimism. It's about charity. It's about honoring a loved one. It's about community. It's about fun, enjoyment, and having a good time with like-minded friends. It's really about America and so many of the things that makes America what it is.

Good friends of mine Jim and Carol Lemon have a home on the 12th hole of the golf course and this is where everyone converges on Friday afternoon during the horserace for the final few holes. Jim, Carol and a few invited friends wait on the patio for the scores of golf carts to arrive carrying more friends who will follow the players through to the end. Refreshments are plentiful and a good time is always had by all.

Jim and I play golf every weekday morning at the Hills and this year we've rented the "Shuttle" six-seater golf cart from Blaine Budke to follow the pros around the course on. For those of us who love golf, the most humbling thing is to watch the excellence of these guys' games, the power and precision of their shots and then realize that the pros on the PGA tour play at an even higher level. It certainly puts our own golf games in proper perspective.

I know many readers have never been to the horserace and it's probably one of those things you should do once in your life, even if you're not a golf fan, because of the camaraderie, fun, and friendship generated on Friday afternoon that carries many of us through the rest of the year.

I've never participated in the actual pro-am that follows on Saturday and Sunday because my golf game frankly isn't that good but those that have tell me the enthusiasm and enjoyment that begins on Friday carries through the entire weekend.

Sometimes when we get caught up in an event, we forget about the reason the event is being held in the first place. Yes, it's about golf but it's also about a lot more than that. It's about a son who was snatched from his parents, family and friends much too soon and those of us who have lost children know and understand the hole in the hearts of Bernie and Nona Mullen that can never be filled. But in the immediate aftermath of their son's death, they decided to do something positive to keep not only his memory alive but to also contribute significantly to the fight against cancer that perhaps one day will lead to a cure and prevent others from having to endure the tragedy they faced twenty three years ago.

I hope many of you who have never been to the Mullen Pro Am before will go out and support this cause and, in doing so, honor the memory of John Mullen.