When I think of courageous golfers one person who always jumps into my mind is Cindy Thomsen.
The Costa Mesa resident was one of thousands of women affected by breast cancer. Not once, but twice, and the tall, former collegiate volleyball player and avid golfer beat it back both times.
In celebration of that achievement, Thomsen started the Reds, Whites and Greens Charity Golf Classic in 2003. It was a way to mark the achievement, but also to raise money for breast cancer research.
The premise of the tournament was simple. Thomsen partnered with a local wine distributor to furnish wine at the tee boxes, giving golfers a taste of wines from around the world. She then incorporated wine and other prizes for raffles, silent and live auctions.
The charity event has raised more than $700,000 and all the money goes to the Susan G. Komen Fund for the Cure. Thomsen’s event is the biggest single outside charity fundraiser for the foundation. Last year the tournament donated $211,500 to the Fund for the Cure. This year it raised $240,351, the largest amount in the tournament’s history.
The tournament is now in its sixth year and was held recently at Mesa Verde Country Club. Golfers were greeted with a large pink rainbow balloon arch at the entrance of the Costa Mesa private club.
The work for Thomsen begins the first of the year and revs up by March, but Thomsen is constantly working on attracting more sponsors for the event. This year she had 11 new sponsors.
In between setting up the course for the event, finalizing details and riding around in a cart to thank the many sponsors she has recruited for the fundraiser, she was able to take five minutes and catch her breath.
“Five years ago we were thinking how can we get 144 golfers to play?” Thomsen said. “Now we are wondering how we can expand the tournament.”
Thomsen attracted sponsors and players from five states and she is a little surprised at the success.
“It’s exploded since that first year,” Thomsen said. “I never thought it would be this big. But I still think it can be bigger. I know we can raise a lot more money.”
Thomsen didn’t expect to be a part-time tournament director. Life was pretty simple for Thomsen before the tournament. She was working in marketing and communications, playing golf frequently and enjoying her life.
