Mark Setzer of Salisbury, a full-time resident of the Baddour Center in Senatobia, Miss., has earned the right to play this weekend in the ninth annual Special Olympics National Invitational Golf Tournament in Florida. Setzer and a teammate from the Baddour Center, a residential community for mild to moderately intellectually challenged adults, have been selected for a roster of 203 golfers playing in the national tournament at the PGA Golf Club in Port St. Lucie, Fla.
The tournament will feature Special Olympic golfers and, in team play, their non-Special Olympic partners from 24 states competing in one of five levels of competition.
A resident of the Baddour Center since 1994, Setzer, 35, has been playing Special Olympics golf four years. He will be playing Level III competition, Unified Sports team play, which pairs Special Olympics and Unified partners of similar ability for an 18-hole competition.
Setzer previously played only nine holes in Special Olympics tournaments in Mississippi and Tennessee but has been training for the longer venues.
The national tournament will tee off with the Olympic-style opening ceremonies Friday.
The three competitive golf rounds will be played Saturday through Monday. Award ceremonies for the golf competition will take place immediately following the final round.Setzer’s Salisbury family includes his parents, David and Barbara Setzer, and a sister and brother-in-law, Dana and Buddy Curry.