Join Women's Golf in Supporting Folds of Honor
8/23/2019 9:08:00 AM | Women's Golf
Tiger Team Will Honor Fallen Soldier This Season With Mizzou Ties
The University of Missouri Women's Golf Team is excited to announce its new partnership with Folds of Honor for the 2019-20 season. The Tiger team will pay tribute this season and celebrate the life of 1st Lieutenant William Anthony Edens, a Mizzou grad who was killed during service in Iraq on April 28, 2005.
Throughout the course of this season, a designated member of the Tiger lineup will carry a special golf bag embroidered with Lt. Edens' name. The team asks that fans consider pledging a dollar amount for every birdie made this season by the Tiger carrying Lt. Edens' bag (one-time flat donations are also certainly welcomed).
Mizzou will play in as many as 12 tournaments this season, with three rounds per tournament, for a potential total of 36 rounds in all. One Tiger will carry Lt. Edens' bag each tournament, and will likely average 2-3 birdies per round, meaning the bag could potentially collect anywhere from 60 to 100 or more birdies.
"We are very excited and honored to do this for the season, and we really hope our fans will jump in and get involved in a meaningful way," said Head Coach Stephanie Priesmeyer. "Lt. Edens was a Mizzou Tiger, he grew up in St. Louis and attended Mizzou and was part of our Army ROTC program, so being able to honor him really means a lot to our program, and to his family as well. Partnering with the Folds of Honor organization is a great way for all of us to say thank you to the men and women who sacrifice so much to allow us our everyday freedoms," she said.
Here is more information about 1st Lt. Edens:
William Anthony Edens was born Aug. 22, 1975, in Portland, Tenn., and moved with his family to St. Louis, Mo. in 1983. Wil was a graduate of the University of Missouri in 2003 with a degree in Russian Studies. He was a member of the B Battery, 128th Field Artillery, MOARNG, while enrolled in Army ROTC.
As a cadet, Wil's performance was unmatched. He served as a captain of the Cannon Crew, captain of the Ranger Challenge Team, and won the Ranger Buddy Challenge twice with his classmate, Matt Molly. After graduation, Wil served as a Gold Bar Recruiter until Oct. 2003. He was married to Christy in August of 2003.
After attending the Armor Basic Course, Wil was assigned to the Stryker Brigade Combat Team of the 25th Infantry Division in Fort Lewis, Wash., and was later dispatched for Iraq in Oct. 2004.
Lt. Edens was killed on April 28, 2005 in Tal Afar, Iraq when a roadside bomb struck his Stryker. He was awarded the Bronze Star Medal and the Purple Heart. He is laid at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetary in St. Louis.
The Mizzou Women's Golf program thanks everyone who will consider participating in this program for the season, which gets underway at the Minnesota Invitational on Sept. 9-10 in Woodbury, Minn. The Tigers will play in five fall tournaments before winter break, with the spring competition schedule resuming in late February.
To make a donation or a pledge for the season, please visit here, or direct your browser to www.MUTigers.com/FoldsOfHonor
