Beth Smith was revered by her hometown community of Peru, Indiana. Her commitment to the local schools, YMCA, church and other organizations was admired and appreciated by those she touched, and now in the event of her passing, that community, as well as many others is finding a way to give back to Beth’s family.

The inaugural Beth Smith Memorial Tournament will be conducted August 7 at The Legends of Indiana Golf Course in Franklin.

“Mac Fritz (Titleist tour representative) and I played golf with our wives on Sunday and we sat down afterward and said ‘We have to put together an outing for Chris Smith’s family,’” said Ted Bishop, director of golf at The Legends. “So we started putting together all of the details and I tell you the amount of support has just been unbelievable.”

Beth Smith, the wife of PGA Tour player Chris Smith, was killed in an automobile crash on I-69 near Angola on Father’s Day. Their two children, Abagail, 16, and Cameron, 12, were critically injured and hospitalized for several weeks at Fort Wayne’s Lutheran Hospital and later St. Joseph Hospital. Both have returned to their Peru home.

“Both of our children are out of the hospital and at home resting for next week’s services,” Chris said in a release issued by the PGA earlier this week.

The visitation service for Beth will be held Monday from 4 to 8 p.m. at Eikenberry-Eddy Funeral Home in Peru, while her funeral service will be Tuesday at 1 p.m. at the Main Street United Methodist Church in Peru.

The memorial tournament is meant to be an annual show of support for the Smith family and what they’ve meant to the golfing community of this state and beyond.

The proceeds will go toward financially assisting the Smith family through this ordeal.

“Chris being a (PGA Tour) player is an independent contractor,” Bishop explained. “He won’t be playing for the rest of this year (because of the need to stay home and care for his children) and if he’s not playing, he’s not making any money.”

The tournament kicks off with a shotgun start at noon and is open to anyone who wishes to attend. You may register for the “Florida Scramble” as a foursome or by yourself and will be placed in a group.

The $250 entry fee will cover the golf, cart, drinks, dinner and a Titleist cap and a dozen Pro VI golf balls. However, the accompanying silent and live auctions of memorabilia will be of even greater interest to attendees than perhaps the great day of golf.

Throughout the past several weeks, both the PGA and Nationwide Tour players have demonstrated a show of support for the Smith family by the wearing of black ribbons at the recent PGA Travelers Championships, as well as caddies wearing bibs with ‘Chris Smith’ on the back and players wearing Smith’s lucky number ’15’ at the Nationwide Tour Players Cup. In the wake of this tragic incident, once again the golfing community is showing their support for the Smith family, this time by donating a plethora of gear and equipment for auction.

“It is clear that Beth has touched many lives as the kind thoughts and fond memories that we have shared with others since her passing have been truly overwhelming,” Smith said in the release. “We also can’t say enough about the entire golf community which continues to be so supportive of our family.”

Items have been pledged by the top ranked golfers in the world including Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Zach Johnson and Davis Love III. Also being donated are Vokey wedges, Titleist drivers, Cobra drivers, Mizuno drivers, golf bags, Nike Wedges, Bridgestone Wedges, Taylor Made R9 drivers, many of which will be autographed by the top PGA Tour players.

Passes for foursomes to play the PGA’s Tournament Players Clubs around the country are being auctioned off, as well as a day of golf for three with PGA veterans Steve Stricker and Kenny Perry. A late addition to the auction list also includes a round for four at the renowned Bethpage State Park Black Golf Course, which recently hosted the U.S. Open.

Also made available are hole sponsorships ($500) which include tee signage, tournament logo golf shirt and a complimentary round of golf at Smith’s home course of Rock Hollow Golf Club in Peru. That course has been lauded as one of the finest in the nation by Golf Digest.

“The nice thing is (The Legends of Indiana) has 27 holes, and if the first 3 or 4 days are any indication, we are going to blow (27 sponsors) out the door,” Bishop said.

For the non-golfer who would also like to contribute, Bishop said the donations “of any amount” will be accepted, as well as dinner tickets “for those who maybe just want to go to the auction” are available for $50.

“It’s unbelievable,” Bishop said of the response so far from people around the Midwest. “We are set up for a total of 216 players and we may have to go to two shotgun starts (to accommodate everyone).”

What:1st Annual Beth Smith Memorial Tournament

When: Friday August 7th, 2009 Legends of Indiana Golf Course 12 p.m.
Cost: $250

To donate or register: Make checks payable to:
The Legends of Indiana Golf Club
c/o Ted Bishop, PGA
The Legends of Indiana GC
PO Box 39
Franklin, IN 46131

For more info: Log on to www.legendsofindiana.com, call Bishop at (317) 736-8939 or e-mail him at tblegends@aol.com.