The 10th annual MB Invitational partnered with the organization Driving Out Cancer (DOC) to host a Pro-Am golf tournament and cancer fundraiser at the Huntington Club in Huntington Beach.
The MB Invitational included a tournament, a Long Drive event as well as a concert.
The Long Drive event featured celebrities teaming up with pro golfers. Among the celebrity golfers were Showtime Laker Norm Nixon and former USC football player Jake Olson. Every celebrity was put in a group with an open division and women’s division player.
During the Long Drive event, the teams of three took turns hitting a long drive, the furthest hit would be their score for the round. Nixon was in a group with Mary Driscol and Sean Johnson.
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“They were excited to play with me, I was excited to watch them hit the ball,” Nixon said. “Sean Johnson I think was the only guy that hit it about 400 yards.”
“Stormin’ Norman” Nixon helped the Lakers win their 1980 and 1982 NBA Championships; he also played for the San Diego/Los Angeles Clippers from 1983-1989. He enjoyed competing to help fight cancer and spending time with pro golfers.
“It was just nice being out there watching how those guys prepare,” Nixon said. “You walk on a golf course and it’s the most beautiful property wherever you go.”
Olson, a native of Huntington Beach, battled and survived cancer in his youth. He ultimately became a long snapper at Orange Lutheran High School and became the first blind college football player in history.
Olson was in a group with Kelly Rudney and Josh Koch. Olson noted how different competing in the Long Drive event was from a typical round of golf.
“In Long Drive, you get this whole crowd behind you and the speakers bumping music and it’s very energized,” he said. “It really was this experience that you don’t have on a golf course ever.”
Olson plays golf at the Huntington Club frequently; he was happy to garner support from the crowd when he was competing in the Long Drive event. He also enjoyed hearing the pro golfers hitting the ball.
“Anytime you’re with a professional at that level, that’s mastered a craft at that level, it’s humbling,” Olson said. “There’s an athletic dynamic to it, athleticism and how these guys are built, but there’s also a work ethic and a mindset, everything that goes into high performance.”
