CATALINA FOOTHILLS, Ariz. (KGUN) — The Cologuard Classic by Exact Sciences, a professional golf tournament dedicated to raising awareness for colorectal cancer, wrapped up its 9th year Sunday at La Paloma Country Club in the Catalina Foothills.
Fans had an extra reason to root for their favorite golfers.
This was the second year of the Birdies for Survivors initiative which happens at the 15th hole. A birdie is one shot under par, and for every birdie $1,500 was donated from tournament proceeds to help more cancer survivors attend next year's event. On Sunday, the amount increased to $2,500 to reach the goal of $55,000, $5000 more than in 2025.
Blair Brophy, associate director for Exact Sciences, says combined with Birdies for Survivors and Sponsor a Survivor, 50 colorectal cancer patients and survivors were able to come to this year's event and Brophy is excited to bring even more next year.
Exact Sciences is the maker of Cologuard, a noninvasive, effective and affordable at-home colon cancer screening test that requires no prep.
The Cologuard test detects 92% of colon cancers, even in the early stages.
Brophy says the Cologuard Classic has built a great community.
"We had over 36 states and two countries and over 400 colorectal cancer survivors, patients, and their loved ones here at the tournament," Brophy said.
Silas Jones, a 12-year-old boy who lost his dad to colon cancer a year ago, helped out at the tournament. If a golfer made a birdie, Silas was there to change the amount on the board.
"So when I started, it was $37,000, I think. And we made it to $55,000 in one day," Jones said. "It’s an insane amount of money raised in what four hours, five hours."
The goal was to make it to $55,000, and by the end of the tournament, the job was finished. Silas wanted to help where he could because losing his dad has been hard, and he wants to make a difference.
"It feels like I’m really turning my pain into purpose and I’m very proud of that because it means nothing if you sit there and do nothing," Jones said. "I know he would be very proud of me that I'm doing this, and he was also very brave, and he fought cancer really well."
Steven Alker, a Phoenix resident, won the tournament for the second consecutive year. He played in memory of a man who lost the fight to cancer in 2019.
"It means a lot, you know, as I said, it just feels like you're playing for someone else and what the tournament means and what they're doing here is super special. It doesn't happen every week," Alker said.
The mission of the Cologuard Classic stands strong on why early detection is so important.
"Many adults with early stage colon cancer don't actually have symptoms, so the only way to find it is through screening when it's so much more treatable," Brophy said. "And so right now, colorectal cancer is actually the deadliest cancer for adults under age 50. So we're really, really passionate about raising awareness about this disease and what we can do to stop it."
The Tucson Conquistadores are the tournament management team that oversees the operations and the sales arm of the PGA Tour Champions’ Cologuard Classic by Exact Sciences. Since their inception in 1962, the Conquistadores have contributed more than $37.8 million to local and national charities.
Page Repp, Conquistador member and assistant tournament chair, says the Classic is an opportunity to give back to the community and make Tucson a better place.
"And specifically give to our mission, which is, you know, helping fund youth athletics in Southern Arizona," Repp said.
In 2025, about $673,000 in charitable proceeds was raised, over 40,000 people were in attendance, and $25 million is the estimated local economic impact.
If you would like to get involved, you can Sponsor a Survivor next year or request an at-home Cologuard test.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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Vanessa Gongora is KGUN 9's Westside reporter.. Vanessa fell in love with storytelling by growing up in sports. She was fascinated by how sports reporters go beyond the x's & o's to tell players' stories, and how sports bring people together, inspiring Vanessa to provide the same impact as a journalist. Share your story ideas and important issues with Vanessa by emailing vanessa.gongora@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook, Instagram, and X.
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