FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - The "Vendors FORE Education" golf tournament, sponsored by Wal-Mart vendors, raised $2,500 for student scholarships in the Center for Retailing Excellence, Sam M. Walton College of Business, University of Arkansas.

The tournament was held at Stonebridge Meadows Golf Course, Springdale, on Friday, July 19. Russ Heithoff, Bayer Consumer Care, and Erick Wolff, HJ Heinz, organized the event. A student in the Walton College, Lindsey Garman, won $100 in the student competition to name the annual tournament with "Vendors FORE Education."

Claudia Mobley, managing director of the Center for Retailing Excellence, said, "We are very grateful to these vendors for their support of and interest in our students. The scholarship will go to business students with an interest in retailing. The recipient will be chosen based on need, academic standing and area of interest. These companies have a great concern in helping students who may be potential future employees."

Eighteen teams participated in the four-man scramble. Prizes, donated by many of the vendors, were awarded to the top teams and to the closest to the pin, longest drive and straightest drive.

Mobley added, "This group has been holding the golf tournament for six years. This is the first year they have contributed the proceeds to a charity, and they plan to continue to sponsor the scholarship from now on."

The Center for Retailing Excellence was established in the Walton College in 1998 with a portion of the $50 million endowment from the Walton Family Charitable Support Foundation Inc. The Center was created to bridge the gap between university faculty, students and the retail industry. Members of the Center’s executive board include representatives from ACNielsen; Bridgestone/Firestone; Bristol-Myers Squibb; Coca-Cola; ConAgra Frozen Foods; Crossmark Inc; Energizer; Fortune Casuals; General Mills Inc.; Information Resources Inc.; Pepsi-Cola Company; Quaker Oats and Beverage Company; Sun Microsystems, The Scotts Company; ThompsonMurray; Spectra; VF Jeanswear; Walgreens; and Wal-Mart Stores Inc.

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Editors: A print-quality JPEG of (l. to r.) Russ Heithoff, Bayer Consumer Care; Claudia Mobley, Center for Retailing Excellence; and Erick Wolff, HJ Heinz, is available at http://pigtrail.uark.edu/news/