— Photo by Tony Lattimore
Miles Teller isn’t just an actor (he portrays “Maverick’s” flight partner Goose’s son in the much-anticipated “Top Gun” sequel), but he’s a darn good golfer, as he proved at Rivals United for a Kure’s Second Annual Rivals Cup golf tournament benefiting Kure It Cancer Research.
Winning Men’s Longest Drive at 307 yards, Teller was all-smiles as 165 golfers and friends gathered at Pelican Hill Golf Club for a day of golf and the awards dinner.
When Teller offered four tickets to opening night of “Top Gun: Maverick,” due to premiere June 26, 2020, bidding went crazy with Kure It board member Drew Hoeven scooping up two tickets and Karen Jordan and Lourdes Nark the other two for $9,000 each.
Another hot ticket in the live auction, led by fast-talking television host/auctioneer Matt Rogers, was the LA Basketball Legends Dinner for 12 people prepared by Chef Amar Santana with Bill Walton and Jamaal Wilkes the featured guests.
— Photo by Tony Lattimore
Burton Young, who returned with wife Linda as tournament chairs, won the bid for $15,000.
Getaways to top golf retreats drew frenzied bids to Pinehurst (sold twice to Linda Young and Bo Patel for $7,500), Monterey Peninsula (sold twice to Tyler Leeson and Miles Teller for $10,000), and the granddaddy of them all, the 2020 Masters Tournament in Augusta, was won by Drew Hoeven for $11,000.
In lieu of no hole-in-one winners for an Aston Martin or a Rolex watch, Howard Chapman’s $500 bid was pulled from a hat to win a weekend driving opportunity with the car from Aston Martin Newport Beach location, and Kure It board member Julie Alai was the winning bidder at $9,000 for the Rolex watch.
— Photo by Tony Lattimore
Kure It Board Chairman Todd Perry spoke about the late Barry Hoeven’s founding of Kure It Cancer Research in 2007 for underfunded cancer research after he was diagnosed with kidney cancer. He said a large part of the fundraising activities have occurred with the bringing together of longtime rivals, the UCLA Bruins and the USC Trojans, for Kure It’s Rivals United for a Kure campaigns.
Perry introduced representatives from the tournament’s Title Sponsors, UCLA Jonsson and USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Centers, who he said will both be receiving Kure It grants this year for $275,000.
The nice ending to the story is that raising funds for cancer research puts aside any serious rivalry feelings. This year, the Rivals Cup trophy was won by USC, with net proceeds reaching $125,000 for cancer research.
— Photo by Tony Lattimore
Other sponsors included US Storage Centers, Sperry Equities, Briggs Electric, The Nahin Group, Crevier Family Foundation, Snyder Langston, MidFirst Bank, Arrimus Capital, NPV Advisors, Aston Martin Newport Beach, Rolex, PGA Superstore, Hing Wa Lee Jewelers, San Juan Capistrano Rotary Club, Allen Packaging, The Leeson Group, Main Electric Supply, Walter’s Wholesale Electric, Commercewest Bank, Apollo Electric, First Foundation Bank, and Elite OC Productions.
Kure It’s annual gala, this year themed “Let’s Save Lives,” is scheduled for Nov. 9 at the City National Grove of Anaheim.
— Photo by Tony Lattimore
Kure It, Inc. is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit providing funding for translational research projects focused on kidney cancer and other underfunded cancers. The funds raised through Kure It directly support groundbreaking research at leading cancer centers.
Founded by Barry Hoeven in 2007 after his diagnosis with kidney cancer, Kure It expanded to support all underfunded cancers when the vast disconnect between the number of people afflicted with cancer and the amount of funding available for research became apparent.
To date, Kure It has raised more than $8 million for cancer research and holds strong to the belief, “Together we Can Eradicate Cancer.”
For more information, visit KureIt.org.
