Twenty-seven Special Olympics Texas athletes teed off alongside twelve company teams at a San Antonio Topgolf this month, part of a nine-event Texas tour that organizers call the largest day of unified golf in the world. The tournament, known as the Unified Fore Joy ProAm, brought local businesses and community groups together with athletes, blending competitive golf with a statewide fundraising push.
The event was held in partnership with Topgolf and brought together Special Olympics athletes, local companies, community organizations, law enforcement, and other supporters, according to WOAI. Special Olympics chapters nationwide hosted the Unified Fore Joy ProAm, with Texas alone accounting for nine of those stops. The San Antonio leg drew twenty-seven athletes and a dozen company teams to the bays, per the same report.
A Statewide Partnership Rooted in Corporate Golf Bays
Money raised through the ProAm supports local Special Olympics athletes and programs, the station's report notes. Chad Eason, executive director of the south region for Special Olympics Texas, said the event unifies athletes with community members and creates employment opportunities. Eason was appointed to the South Region post — overseeing San Antonio and Laredo — in February 2026. He joined Special Olympics Texas in 2016 and guided Statewide Games and competitions, according to PR Newswire, which also noted he previously received the Special Olympics North America Voices of Victory Sports Award.
The tournament format traces back to a 2023 global partnership between Special Olympics and Topgolf that made Topgolf a sanctioned, medaled Special Olympics Unified event in 2023, as detailed by Special Olympics. Topgolf venues use Toptracer tracking technology, letting athletes log stats and compete across locations worldwide.
From Corporate Entry Fees to Athlete Programming
Nationally, the inaugural 2024 Unified Fore Joy ProAm raised nearly $560,000 across 21 locations with more than 660 teams, according to a Special Olympics press release. In Texas, corporate or community teams compete alongside Special Olympics athletes, per event details published on GoFundMe Pro.
A Denton Independent School District event involved 47 students, according to Denton ISD.
Law Enforcement's Long-Standing Role in the Fundraising
The Law Enforcement Torch Run has an exclusive division at some ProAms. A Dallas County fire truck tug-of-war, documented in Dallas County's fire truck tug-of-war, raised over $42,000 for Special Olympics.
Special Olympics Texas serves children and adults with intellectual disabilities statewide, offering athletic training and competition in various sports, according to data compiled for North Texas Giving Day. Money raised through local fundraisers like the San Antonio ProAm supports that work.
