A star-studded lineup of athletes and celebrities gathered at the Floridian National Golf Club in Palm City, Florida, for the inaugural Jim Crane Celebrity Classic charity tournament on Monday. Hosted by Houston Astros owner Jim Crane, the Astros Foundation, and rapper 50 Cent's G-Unity Foundation, the event aimed to raise over $1 million for various nonprofits. Attendees included MLB and NFL Hall of Famers, with proceeds supporting youth sports, education, childhood cancer initiatives, and efforts to combat homelessness and domestic violence.
The tournament drew an impressive array of talent, leaving even seasoned athletes like Astros Hall of Famer Jeff Bagwell feeling starstruck. "It’s a little humbling," Bagwell said. "There’s a lot of guys you see on TV and you haven’t met before, but once you meet everybody, they’re just normal people."
Crane, who purchased the Floridian National Golf Club in 2010, organized the event to benefit causes close to his heart. He anticipated raising more than $1 million, emphasizing the Astros Foundation's commitment to substantial contributions. "We try to stay focused on those things and make big contributions, in the millions, at times when something needs to get done," Crane said.
Curtis Jackson, known as 50 Cent, co-hosted through his G-Unity Foundation and praised the Astros Foundation as one of Houston's strongest charitable organizations. Having lived in Houston since 2021, Jackson highlighted the importance of partnering with effective nonprofits. "The idea is to partner with people so my time wasn’t being misused, that I would be with the right organizations," he said. "I’ve made donations to other nonprofit organizations since 2003, but not all of them are successful foundations in actually making a change."
Several checks were presented during the weekend events, including $25,000 to the Nicklaus Children’s Healthcare Foundation, accepted by golf legend Jack Nicklaus. At 86, Nicklaus lauded Crane's efforts: "Jim doesn’t have to do this, but he does. People benefit from it, a lot of people that can’t benefit any other way, and it’s really kind of neat."
Among the participants were MLB figures like Ken Griffey Jr., Mike Piazza, Andruw Jones, Albert Pujols, Roger Clemens, Gary Sheffield, Michael Brantley, Kyle Tucker, and Cam Smith, alongside NFL stars Jim Kelly, Marshall Faulk, Ray Lewis, Eric Dickerson, and Barry Sanders. For young Astros outfielder Cam Smith, it was his first major golf event. "This is my first real [golf] event, and I look to my left and right and see everybody from TV, just people I’ve always looked up to," Smith said.
Kyle Tucker, recently signed to a four-year, $240 million deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers after seven years with the Astros, commended Crane's philanthropy. "Jim’s awesome," Tucker said. "He really cares about the people he’s around and that he wants to give back to, especially in the city of Houston."
Crane appreciated the warm Florida weather and the participants' generosity. "This is the warmest place in the country right now," he noted. "Everyone likes to give back. They all do that in their own way, and this is just one way to show up and help us raise some money." The event also supported local groups like Martin County North Little League and Big Brothers Big Sisters of Palm Beach and Martin Counties.
