Past Internet Articles About Amy Grant

For 17 years, the legendary Legends Club in Franklin, TN has hosted LPGA tournaments, raising millions of dollars for local charities...

In its 18th year, the Franklin American Mortgage Championship (FAMC) was played to benefit the Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt Medical Center. It is therefore only natural that Vince Gill and Amy Grant, renowned for their generosity, returned to host this celebrated event for yet another year.

The week started on the evening of Saturday, April 29th with a party for all the people that would be volunteering at the tournament. Vince & Amy made a late and low profile appearance, showing up without even an introduction. They simply sat by the back door watching as people ate, drank & danced into the night, graciously greeting those that approached while Corrina slept on her daddy's lap.

The next few days were filled with practice and qualifying rounds, a junior clinic, and unofficial Pro-Am tournaments. On Tuesday night, Embassy Suites hosted the Pro-Am Pairings Premiere for the Official LPGA Pro-Am tournament to be held the next day. After she and Vince were introduced as tournament hosts, Amy spent most of the evening just sitting on the edge of the stage, back-to-back with Vince and the local sports reporter. She did, however, get the chance to tell me that, after Ft. Worth, she felt like the luckiest person in the world and that she and Vince were looking forward to using the gift certificate that some of you had given them. The night included a bountiful buffet, a silent auction for rounds of golf at some of the country�s most popular courses, and a live auction conducted by our very own Vince Gill. With typical humor he promised not to whip out his auctioneers chant as long as people were bidding. Well, when bidding stalled at one point he did, indeed, start rattling away, prompting the bidding to begin again, to which he quipped, �See, it works!� The evening ended with the amateur teams scrambling to choose their professional partners, and then the Gills slipped out as quietly as they had come.

Although it was raining when the sun rose Wednesday morning, the skies were clear and the sun bright by the time Vince and Amy teed off that afternoon. After warming up for a bit on the putting green, they made their way over to the first hole. Amy was pleasantly surprised to see that they had added spectator stands this year and posed for several fan shots before posing for the official LPGA photo with the rest of her team, which consisted of Vince, two Franklin American execs and professional Laura Diaz. Amy chatted with Laura�s caddy, who also happens to be her husband, for a while, watched as the other four players teed off and then, instead of hopping back on the golf cart with Vince, started out on foot with Laura. I�m not sure how many holes Amy ended up walking, but their team finished in 9th place, giving her and Vince just enough time to make it down to the Wildhorse for �Max It Out�.

�Max It Out� was started by Keith Urban four years ago in honor of a little boy named Max to raise money for the Children�s Hospital at Vanderbilt and has since partnered with the FAMC because of their shared cause. So, when they came out to thank everyone for their support, Vince introduced himself as Keith Urban and Amy as his future wife Nicole Kidman, explaining that he looks much shorter and thinner on television. He�s looking much thinner in person, as well, however, since he has given up Cokes and Krispy Kremes. Carolyn Dawn Johnson then took over as master of ceremonies, introducing a series of over 15 performers and celebrities that included Jim Brickman, the daughter of Linda Davis, and Nashville�s very own �Bachelor�, Travis Stork. Throughout the evening, several items � a custom chopper, guitars signed by all the performers, a coat worn by Keith Urban � were auctioned off by a real, and very entertaining, auctioneer. Vince and Amy came back out later to do a set, which included �Baby, Baby� and �Big Yellow Taxi� from Amy and �Whenever You Come Around�, �One More Last Chance�, and �Go Rest High� from Vince. Although they were both clearly tired from a long day of golf, they were still clearly enjoying themselves, especially when Amy invited Mitch Malloy to join them on stage. She explained, �The thing about Nashville is that you never know when your waiter is going to get the next big record deal� and while meeting Mitch backstage someone had mentioned what a great singer he was. So, Amy asked him to come do a song and just beamed while watching him, periodically glancing at Vince with intrigue and amusement as he started playing along. Mitch was a natural performer, hitting high notes reminiscent of Vince�s with ease, and as he left the stage Vince commented, �Singing that high isn�t going to get you anywhere.� Vince and Amy wrapped up their set and Keith Urban did, indeed, make an appearance to finish off the evening. When all was said and done, over $250,000 had been raised for Vanderbilt�s Children�s Hospital.

Morning came early on Thursday, the National Day of Prayer. Hundreds gathered at the Nashville Convention Center to pray for our nation and its leaders, marking Tennessee�s 32nd Annual Prayer Breakfast. A string quartet and the Nashville children�s choir each performed several pieces, while Amy was the morning�s featured entertainer. Will was there to play with her �Because,� she explained, �Vince, like most musicians, doesn�t realize there are two 7 o�clocks in a day.� She went on to share about a conversation she had had with the husband of professional golfer Laura Diaz the day before. As both her husband and caddy, Amy asked him if he was also her instructor �Because most of the time when a husband tries to teach his wife, she ends up wanting to wrap a club around his head.� He explained that it was Laura�s father that had always taught her, and so now her father was teaching him so he could teach her the same way. Amy said this got her to thinking that it takes a lot of trust to accept instruction from someone, left that hanging there for a while, and then sang �Carry You�. Next, Amy said that in all her years of meeting people, the one thing that she�s found to be true is that �Blessed people bless and hurt people hurt.� She went on to say that we all make mistakes and that we�re all human, �But that forgiveness is what turns the whole ship around,� and then did �Out in the Open�, ad-libbing �Don�t be afraid of the arms of love� at the end.

When Amy was done, Franklin Graham, the morning�s featured guest, spoke on the four wars that we are fighting�terrorism, HIV/AIDS, culture, and for the souls of men�reminding us that prayer is the only way we can win. Amy finished off the morning with �Thy Word�, and although she was clearly tired, in a morning filled with elaborate prayers, readings and speeches, was still able to bring a characteristic touch of simplicity.

Thursday, which carried with it the threat of rain and thunderstorms, was also the first round of tournament play. Fortunately, the rain held off and at the end of the day Beth Bader and Angela Stanford led the field at �7. Friday began much like Thursday, but by afternoon most of the clouds had cleared. Vince was there by himself for a while, fulfilling some of his hosting duties, and then left for what we thought was the day. I decided to stick around a bit longer and was pleasantly surprised when he came back with Amy and Corrina a short time later. They hopped in Vince�s golf cart and he took them for a spin around the course, and then the parking lot, before they headed home. In tournament play, Angela Stanford took the lead at �12, with Patricia Meunier and Sophie Gustafson close behind at �11 and �10 respectively. After the bottom 70 players were cut, Saturday was a much shorter day, and neither Vince nor Amy made an appearance at the club. Vince did, however, make an appearance on the Opry stage that evening, a fact that they highlighted the next day on ESPN. Sunday was cool, cloudy and windy, and, at �18, Angela Stanford was guarding a commanding lead. Amy watched the final round of play from a hospitality suite on the 18th green, while Vince provided some guest commentary at the ESPN booth. As the day progressed, Angela�s lead slipped away and with a five-under-par round of 67, it was Cristie Kerr that emerged as the tournament champion with a �19. Vince and Amy presented her with a teal guitar that read �2006 Champion � LPGA Rocked Music City� and Vince sang along as she strummed a few chords.

And on that note, Franklin�s 18th annual LPGA tournament came to an end. Vince and Amy were such gracious hosts, with both their love for golf and generous spirits evident throughout the week. I enjoyed the opportunity to observe them in their element, and also enjoyed getting to watch people meet Amy for the first time. The impression that they repeatedly shared was how down-to-earth Amy seemed, which made me proud to be a fan all over again. It was a full, yet fully enjoyable, week, and I am already looking forward to the LPGA�s 19th tournament in Franklin, TN.