April 28 (UPI) -- Former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo will compete in a golf tournament in Texas with the proceeds going to full-time caddies who are unable to work due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Tournament officials informed Golf Channel and ESPN of the details for the 54-hole Maridoe Samaritan Fund Invitational. The field will include Dallas-area professionals, top amateurs and club members. Golfers will tee up Tuesday through Thursday at the Maridoe Golf Club in Carrollton, Texas.
"Maridoe is thrilled to host the Maridoe Samaritan Fund Invitational and to set and represent the new standard in tournament performance while keeping our players safe and in good health," Maridoe Golf Club owner Albert Huddleston told Golf Channel.
The tournament will be played without fans. It will likely be one of the largest fields for a golf tournament since the PGA Tour suspended play in mid-March due to the pandemic.
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Players and officials will review social-distancing guidelines before play. There will not be any bunker rakes, carts or caddies used at the tournament. The tournament's $270 entry fee will go toward the club's caddies, who are out of work. Players will also compete for a $27,000 prize purse.
The field also includes PGA Tour pros Viktor Hovland, Scottie Scheffler and Harry Higgs. Former NBA star Deron Williams and college golfers Pierceson Coody, Parker Coody, Austin Eckroat and Cooper Dossey are also in the field.
PGA Tour star and Texas native Jordan Spieth is expected to attend the tournament. Romo has played in four PGA Tour events after his NFL career.
The tournament tees off at 9 a.m. EDT Tuesday. It will not air on TV but fans can follow for live scores at GolfStat.com.
"We're a caddie-only club, and our caddies have not been working because of COVID-19,'' Maridoe Golf Club managing member Alison Morrison told ESPN. "We thought, why don't we have a little bit of a match, so to speak, sharpen our blades, put on a 54-hole, social distancing event. Leave the pins. No rakes in bunkers. Let's play for them, basically. And within a day, I had 24 members who said yes.''
The PGA Tour season is also scheduled to resume in Texas with the June 11 Charles Schwab Challenge at Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth.
