Rory McIlroy, Denny Hamlin celebrate FedEx’s 50th birthday with putting contest

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – No better way to celebrate a milestone anniversary than with some miniature golf in a unique setting.

FedExCup champion Rory McIlroy and NASCAR driver Denny Hamlin competed in a four-hole competition Tuesday night as part of a celebration of FedEx’s 50th birthday. The venue for the event was The Puttery, which describes itself as a “modern spin on mini golf.”

“We’re all about celebrating competition at FedEx,” said Richard Smith, the President and CEO, Airline and International, at FedEx Express.

McIlroy is the only three-time winner of the FedExCup, while Hamlin, the driver of the No. 11 FedEx Toyota, has won 48 NASCAR Cup Series races. He also is an avid golfer, using the sport to escape the stresses of driving 200 mph.

McIlroy prevailed, but only after Hamlin’s three-putt at the final hole. Hamlin benefited earlier in the match from the sort of good fortune that illustrated the unique setting that The Puttery offers. For McIlroy, who is an investor in The Puttery, it offers a “less intimidating” way to introduce people to the game. The bar and lounge has two nine-hole courses: The Library, which winds through wooden bookshelves lined with classic titles, and the nature-themed Conservatory.

“I thought I was very fortunate just to be in the match,” Hamlin said. “I hit one OB, pulled one hard left on No. 2, ricocheted it off the house, off the back bumper of the car in the driveway and it came back in bounds and put me in a decent spot. I unfortunately didn’t capitalize on that break and, in the end, three-putted on the final hole to lose.”

McIlroy’s victory came with a $50,000 donation to the FedEx Founder’s Fund, an endowment created to honor FedEx founder Fred Smith and his legacy. The fund will benefit veteran entrepreneurs and non-profits selected by FedEx team members. PGA TOUR Commissioner Jay Monahan also announced a $100,000 donation to the FedEx Founder’s Fund at Tuesday’s event.

FedEx started by shipping 186 packages on 14 aircraft to 25 cities on its first night in 1973. Today, it ships 15 million daily packages on more than 700 aircraft to more than 220 countries and territories. The fuselages of the Dassault Falcon planes that FedEx used at its start would now fit inside the engines of the Boeing 777s that FedEx flies today.

“It’s been quite a journey,” said Smith. “We’re really proud of where we’ve been but we’re more excited about where we’re going.”

Commissioner Monahan called FedEx’s 50th birthday an “extraordinary milestone.” FedEx has been a partner of the PGA TOUR for 37 of those years, starting in 1986 with the sponsorship of the FedEx St. Jude Classic at TPC Southwind. The FedExCup was founded in 2007 and the FedEx St. Jude Championship is now the first of three FedExCup Playoff events, which culminates with the awarding of the FedExCup at the TOUR Championship.

“To work closely with FedEx since 1986, to be able to see their commitment to innovation, to reinvention, to customer service, to a maniacal focus on their people, it’s pretty obvious why they are the gold standard and continue to have the success that they have,” said Commissioner Monahan. “In a world where things move really fast and we are on to the next thing, what Fred Smith identified in 1973 and what he and the people of FedEx have delivered on is extraordinary.”

Shared common values have been the key to the long-standing partnership between FedEx and the PGA TOUR, which has resulted in $65 million in donations to the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

The relationship also has revolutionized the PGA TOUR. Commissioner Monahan calls the FedExCup “the hardest trophy to win in our sport” because it represents an entire season of competition.

“We are not only identifying a season-long champion but doing it in a way that celebrates all of our tournaments, every shot hit over the course of the year and has a positive impact on charity,” Commissioner Monahan said.

McIlroy said the FedExCup creates “a crescendo” to the TOUR season. He is the only player to win the FedExCup three times. “To do something none of my contemporaries have been able to do is pretty cool,” he said. “I view it as a big feather in my cap.”

As a player who also is keenly aware of history and the importance of creating a legacy, he also could marvel at FedEx’s milestone birthday.

“There’s been a lot of companies and businesses that have come and gone in the course of those 50 years,” he said. “It just shows that having high standards and working toward goals and having good principles, you can stay around for a long time.”

That is something worth celebrating.