Dan Rooney: The Sponsor’s Exemption Experience
By Tom Lang
Some would call it irony.
Lt. Col. Dan Rooney would more likely call it providential.
But it was not lost on the F-16 fighter pilot who is the only one in the country with the dual title of PGA of America professional that after two rounds of playing in the Ally Challenge at Warwick Hills in late August, that he was 13-over par.
The number 13 is the number of folds in an American flag when it’s presented to the family of a solider who dies in service to our country. And it’s those 13 folds that Rooney used as inspiration for creating the Folds of Honor organization to give scholarships to the children and spouses of those perished soldiers. Rooney, a sponsor’s exemption into the Ally Challenge, is also the developer of the American Dunes Golf Club in Grand Haven.
“For me it’s so clear – and the fact that I’m at 13 over and Ernie Else is 12 under (through two rounds) – that this is a divine echo,” Rooney told me in a post-round talk. “Your life is based on what you put out in the world, and God echoes it back. We’ve helped about 74,000 kids and spouses (through Folds of Honor scholarships) chase their dreams – and God echoed my dream back to me – which was teeing it up with the big boys.”
Rooney played college golf in Kansas and always had dreams of playing on tour, and the PGA Tour Champions allowed that vision to happen with an Ally sponsor’s exemption for the 2025 event. The tournament went one step further when it did like many others do – including the Rocket Classic in Detroit in July – by participating in the Folds of Honor Friday ceremonies.
“It’s not lost on why I’m out here and watching everybody come together with Folds of Honor Friday and bringing the National Anthem into the game we love – and doing a lot of good outside of the score we shoot,” Rooney said.
In the final round, he finished last out of 78 golfers at a total 24-over par. Stuart Cink successfully defended his 2024 title. Cink won it for the second year, this time in a playoff over Ernie Els, after they tied at 15-under par. But that 39-stroke difference from where Rooney landed meant little in the long run.
“It sounds a little corny, but I’m super proud of myself for having the courage to put myself in this situation,” Rooney added. “At dinner last night Cory Paven asked me if I have even been playing golf (this year). I have played two competitive rounds, and I’ve played 15 total rounds. So, to go out and have the courage to not worry about yourself – people worry about themselves way too much and worry about what people think and about be exposed – there’s nobody to phone a friend our here. The greens are like ice skating rinks. Go putt on a wood floor, down wind and downhill. Putting on the greens; that’s about all out here that has cooked my psyche,” Rooney said in reference to how he thought he played the game under circumstances he’s never experienced before – like never playing before a crowd since college at Kansas, and that was mostly family and friends.
At Kansas, Rooney helped the Jayhawks to a second-place finish at the 1995 Big Eight Championships and fifth overall in the 1996 NCAA Finals. He completed three combat tours of duty in Iraq and is a decorated aviator.
“Then out here you roll up on 17 (the famous par 3 at Warwick), everybody’s cheering, the bustle. I loved that. The best shot I hit all day was there, and it was long, which is absolutely death (leaving a fast downhill putt). But it’s all a blessing. Like I said we all take ourselves too seriously. I love golf. I’d love to play like I used to play. But the whole thing with golf is, we keep chasing it. We’re all trying to get better.”
Rooney said he never expected to feel so welcome at a professional event like he was by fans and players alike.
“These are just unbelievable guys (on Tour). The support I have felt is like I never would have expected. I’d say 40 percent of the guys in the field have (sought out and) found me and said ‘it’s so cool to have you out here.’
“All these guys just coming up (like Els and Padrig Herrington) and saying they wish me nothing but the best. It’s so cool. One of the guys said it was so cool to see a sponsor’s exemption go to something that’s meaningful. They’re not saying ‘oh my gosh this guy is out here 13-over and shouldn’t have played.’
“Just the opposite. The response from fans, from Veterans, from first responders … my rounds are very different than the average Tour guy out here, people are coming up to me and sharing their stories and balancing that piece.
“But that’s why I’m on Earth (to learn about and support others). It’s all awesome.”
