There are rounds where the score is the focus, however, this round was all about the fun and the memories
I went out with a group I've known since high school, Chuck Kelly, David Boggs, and Jeff O'Keefe Jr., to play in the Daniel Triplett Day Charity Golf Classic, a tournament hosted by Community Pharmacy to honor our friend Dan and carry forward the cause he poured himself into: St. Vincent de Paul. I wasn't thinking about birdies. I was thinking about Dan.
Dan never needed people to know what he was doing. He just showed up.
That was Dan.
For years, he gave his time to St. Vincent de Paul, helping people going through a tough stretch and needing a hand. Sometimes it was food or clothing. Sometimes it was help keeping the lights on. And sometimes it was probably just having someone show up who cared.
Dan cared.
And when you lose a friend like that, you look for ways to keep a little piece of him around.
That’s really what this tournament is about.
Community Pharmacy helped bring it together, but at the heart of it, it’s a bunch of people who knew Dan, miss Dan, and want to spend a day together remembering their friend while supporting something that meant a lot to him.
I think Dan would have liked that.
There’s something about seeing those names together on a scorecard.
We started on No. 12 that morning. And we played pretty damn well, too. Shot a 60. Didn’t win anything, but that really wasn’t why we were there.
It was one of those hot, South Mississippi days that makes you glad to be outside. The course was in good shape, the weather cooperated, and somewhere along the way the golf became secondary.
We started telling stories.
Some about Dan. Some about growing up. Some probably better left on the golf course.
There was a lot of laughing.
I couldn’t help but think Dan would have loved seeing all of us out there together.
And maybe that’s the best part of this tournament. Once a year, Dan still has a way of getting the guys back together.
This isn’t a little golf outing that a few old friends threw together.
Over the years, it has grown into something pretty special. There are lots of cool prizes, and many businesses and people around the Gulf Coast step up every year to sponsor it.
And yes, there are mulligans. We bought ours. We needed them.
But behind all of that is the reason everyone is there.
The tournament raises real money for St. Vincent de Paul and the work Dan cared so much about. Long after the last putt drops, the prizes are all distributed, and everybody heads home, that money is still helping somebody who needs it.
That’s what makes this day matter.
Standing on a tee box with guys you grew up with, wearing a shirt with Dan’s name on it, you can’t help but think about why we’re all there.
Somewhere nearby, somebody is getting a little help when they need it most. And that’s something Dan cared about long before there was a golf tournament with his name on it.
I think that’s why so many people keep coming back.
We miss our friend. We enjoy being together. We tell the same old stories, laugh at each other, play a little golf, and probably take it more seriously than we should.
But we also get to keep supporting something that mattered to Dan.
That makes it a pretty good day.
If you knew Dan, I think you understand. And if you didn’t, spending a day at this tournament would probably tell you quite a bit about the kind of man he was.
If you’d like to play next year, sponsor a hole, or help support the cause, you can reach the team at Community Pharmacy at 228-374-9097 ext. 305 or danieltriplettday@communitypharmacy.com.
We’ll be back next year.
I have a feeling Dan will get the guys together again.