The Roseburg Country Club filled up with professional sports celebrities Monday. The Josh Bidwell Celebrity Golf Classic kicked off for the first time in Roseburg, Oregon, on April 17. It was the first of what will hopefully be an annual event. Punter Bidwell is currently playing for the NFL's Tampa Bay Buccanneers.

But it wasn't without its share of delays. Rainy weather stopped the golfers from starting on time and the sprinkles continued throughout the day, but they eventually braved the course. Featured were celebrities from the world of professional sports, golfing for the benefit of local junior high and high school sports programs in Douglas County, where Bidwell grew up. He is a 1994 graduate of Douglas High School in Winston.

"My performance is about the same as it is every single round," said Bidwell of his golf game. "I hit a great shot and everyone high fives me. Then I go out and hit a hollow rocket somewhere, so I'm doing all right. We have a good group and we're having a lot of fun."

The event concluded with a dinner and auction. Bidwell was impressed with some of the items being auctioned off, many of which he didn't know about.

"I knew I was going to bring a lot of stuff from some of my football buddies, but we have George Bush and George W. Bush-signed golf balls up there, with signed photos and everything," said Bidwell. "There's also some Arnold Palmer stuff up there. I don't know where we got it but it's up there waiting to be auctioned off."

In recent years, funding for school sports has taken a downward turn in Bidwell's home town of Winston, as well as other towns and schools in Douglas County. His plan is to do the charity golf tournament yearly to raise money for these programs, which he says helped him reach his potential as a youngster.

"We are going to set aside a little bit of money and hopefully this will grow each year as we play it," said Bidwell. "This is for Douglas County athletics. I know school funding for athletics has been suffering a bit lately. So this is really big on my heart because, obviously, athletics has been a big part of my life."

Among the athletes in attendance with Bidwell were pro bowler Bryon Smith, the NFL's Chad Cota and Ryan Longwell and many others. Also playing were members of the local media, including KPIC's Dan Bain and KVAL (Eugene) sports anchor Tom Ward. Pittsburgh Steeler Troy Polamalu, who is also from Douglas County, was scheduled to golf but was unable to make it to the event.

23 teams golfed and raised close to $30,000 at the event.

Bidwell Celebrity Golf