RANCHO MURIETA, CA (MPG) - A revival of the famous golf tournament that first put Rancho Murieta on the map decades ago returned for its sixth edition at Rancho Murieta Country Club on Aug. 7 and 8. 

The centerpiece of the Gold Rush Classic – “Where the Stars & Guitars Shine” – was the celebrity Pro-Am golf tournament, featuring 20 stars including Sacramento Kings player Malik Monk, retired football great Tim Brown and retired baseball standout Greg Vaughn. 

However, the star attraction was former Sacramento Kings player Scot Pollard. Although he has played in past Gold Rush Classic tournaments, this year’s event marked only his third time on the golf course since undergoing a heart transplant a year ago. His journey was recently featured in the ESPN documentary “Heart of Pearl,” which aired on Father’s Day. 

The two-day event also featured a range of major attractions, including a celebrity draft party, a $1 million hole-in-one contest, an awards ceremony and a community concert headlined by the country band Moonshine Crazy. The concert took place at the Adkins Family Vineyards stage in Sheldon and was open to all residents. 

Most of the funds raised went to two life-changing charities: Jordan’s Guardian Angels and Pearls of Life. 

Jordan’s Guardian Angels, the primary beneficiary since the first Gold Rush Classic, is a Sacramento-based foundation leading a large-scale research effort to understand and treat Jordan’s Syndrome, a rare genetic disorder in children. The condition has also been linked to Alzheimer’s disease, epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease and even cancer.

Dawn Pollard founded Pearls of Life in 2024 while her husband was awaiting a heart transplant. The nonprofit is dedicated to raising awareness about organ donation and supporting families facing the emotional and financial challenges of the transplant process.

The event also raised funds for Make-A-Wish, First Tee of Sacramento, and local youth sports and community programs in Rancho Murieta. 

The organizer was longtime resident John Jacobs, who works to make the Gold Rush Classic better every year. 

“It was the best one ever,” he said. “We had our best field of celebrities, including Scot Pollard and Tim Brown, and other friends; some have been returning for five years.” 

Jacobs recruited 20 celebrities to play in the golf tournament. All of the athletes were retired from professional sports except Sacramento Kings player Malik Monk. 

Football was well represented, with Tim Brown, Pete Shaw, Mervyn Fernandez, Dwight Hicks, Mike Meriweather, Anthony Miller, Ron Fellows, Mike Sherrard, and Mike Shumann in the lineup.
 Basketball players included Scot Pollard, Monk, Bobby Jackson and Kenny Thomas.

Baseball stars were also in attendance, among them Kyle Draper, Jerry Royster, Ray Durham and Greg Vaughn, who divides his time between Sloughhouse and Las Vegas and is a member of the Rancho Murieta Country Club.

Jacobs said the 10 a.m. tournament moved at a good pace, with all participants back at the clubhouse by 4:30 p.m. He was especially pleased to see young fans on the course seeking autographs from the celebrities. 

He added that it was great to see the community come out to enjoy the event, particularly the hole-in-one contest. 

“I wish even more would come out and see it,” he said.

The Gold Rush Classic relied on the generosity of its many sponsors. 

“Without our sponsors, we wouldn’t be here,” Jacobs said. 

He gave special thanks to title sponsor Karen Hoberg of Rancho Murieta Homes & Land, Envision Realty Services, as well as Planned Solutions, Adkins Family Vineyard, the Sheldon Inn and Elk Grove Honda. 

Jacobs said the event would not have been possible without the help of many volunteers. Twenty-three served as ambassadors at various holes, providing players with food and drinks and offering tips on how to approach the next shot. An additional 28 volunteers assisted in various capacities.

He credited his top assistant, Sherri Evpak, for her vital role in making the event a success. 

“If I am the 1, then she is the 1A,” he said. 

A highlight of the event was the awards ceremony following the tournament. First place went to the team led by Malik Monk, which included Jake Adkins, Ryan Winther, Isaac Sanchez and Jesse Cesares. 

Mike Shumann won the celebrity shootout, edging out Greg Vaughn in a playoff.

The event wrapped up on Friday with a community concert headlined by the country band Moonshine Crazy, which was returning for a second year. Held on the stage at Adkins Family Vineyards in Sheldon, the concert drew about 250 attendees, who traveled to and from the venue by bus. 

Jacobs welcomed the return of Scot and Dawn Pollard. 

“Scot was so instrumental in getting this off the ground. He was one of the first celebrities to tell me yes,” he said. “He and Dawn have been so supportive ever since.” 

Before the shotgun start, Pollard spoke about their new charity. He was the first to address the crowd after radio broadcaster Frank Larosa gathered the 20 celebrities on the hill across from the pro shop for introductions and a briefing on the tournament rules. 

“It’s called Pearls of Life. It’s named after my dad, Pearl. He died waiting for a transplant, which would never come, because he was a giant, and in 1991, transplanting a giant was impossible,” Pollard said. “To this day, I’m still the tallest person who has ever had a transplant.”

Pollard explained that Pearls of Life encourages people to consider becoming organ donors. “We are not trying to shove it down your throat,” he said. “Please just educate yourself.”

He thanked attendees for their support that day, saying it would enable Pearls of Life to make a donation to the Joe Baretta Heart Foundation in Nashville, Tennessee, where he had undergone his transplant. 

“They are building a house for people who have to travel for a transplant, like we did,” he said. “We were just going down to Nashville for three days of testing to see if they would put me on the transplant list, and it turned into three months.”

Pollard noted that his wife, Dawn, serves as president of the charity, while he is the volunteer spokesman. 

“We are going to try to keep helping other people with whatever time I’ve got left with this gift,” he said.