[ Back ]

Did you see those pants?
Sabbatini wears camouflage for a cause
By Dave Weissman
Photographs: By Kyle Auclair ©insidetheropes.com

The talk around the course at Muirfield Village was the pants that early first round leader Rory Sabbatini was wearing. The camouflage pants stood out when he was in the fairway but could not be seen when viewed against a tree…just kidding on the latter.

When asked if the public could find them in the pro shop, Sabbatini showed his comedic side. “Not this one,” he said. “I'm sure eventually somebody might have some out there. No, these are I custom make these.”

Seriously, the pants are part of drawing attention to his charity foundation, Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund. The charity raises funds for the families of men and women that were killed in action over in Iraq and Afghanistan.

There is no personal connection to him and the family other than his wife’s father was a soldier in Vietnam. The idea struck him and his wife while reading an article in an airline magazine. “We had been looking for a charity that really meant a lot to us,” the pro said. “When I read this, both of us really felt strongly about it and it was something we could really understand and we could understand the feeling of loss for them, and it's something that really just touched us deeply.”

Sabbatini credits his wife, Amy, with the idea. “My wife brought the clipping and said, "you need to look at this."

“Every year we pick a charity and this year,” his wife Amy said. “We thought about all that was going on in Iraq it would be a great way for Rory to promote the charity by wearing the camouflage pants and donating for every birdie and eagle.

Sabbatini donates $250 for every birdie and $1,000 for every eagle he cards this year. “So far, including today, we have donated around $35,000,” she said.

You can find out more about the fund through Sabbatini’s website, http://www.RorySabbatini.com or the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund site at http://www.fallenherosfund.com/