The Ouimet Annual Banquet returns to Encore Boston Harbor on Monday, April 21, 2025 to honor the Ouimet Fund’s greatest donor, Dick Connolly.
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America's Largest Golf Dinner
Annual Banquet
It is with great pleasure that the Ouimet Fund is honoring Dick Connolly with the 2025 Francis Ouimet Award for Lifetime Contributions to Golf. The Ouimet Annual Banquet returns to Encore Boston Harbor on Monday, April 21, 2025!
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Due in large part to Connolly’s efforts, the Ouimet Banquet has become an annual tradition in New England, honoring golf’s most respected individuals who have made tremendous contributions to the game. We are thrilled to return to Encore Boston Harbor to honor the Ouimet Fund’s greatest benefactor and hear from our highly anticipated Student Speaker about The Fund’s impact.
Guests will enjoy a special sit-down discussion with Connolly, moderated by Golf Channel’s Rich Lerner. One of the most respected and recognizable voices in the sport, Lerner will make his third guest appearance at the Annual Banquet as our Fireside Chat Moderator.
This annual fundraising event is a critical factor in our ability to award need-based Ouimet Scholarships, which for the 2024-25 school year will be a record $3.4 Million to more than 500 Ouimet Scholars.
Join the golf community and several surprise guests as we kick off the season with our closest friends and supporters to honor Dick Connolly as the 2025 Annual Banquet Honoree!
2025 Honoree
Dick Connolly
In the 75-year history of the Francis Ouimet Scholarship Fund, nobody has meant more to our mission than Richard F. Connolly, Jr. As a Scholarship Alumnus, Director, Trustee, and President, Connolly has proudly served the Ouimet Fund for over 40 years. He is The Fund’s single greatest donor, including an endowed scholarship in his family’s name which continues to significantly impact Ouimet Scholars every year.
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Connolly was a driving force in transforming the Annual Banquet from a small affair into the largest golf dinner in the nation as the event’s lead sponsor. In 1997, he invited his financial services client and dear friend Arnold Palmer to receive the inaugural Francis Ouimet Award for Lifelong Contributions to Golf. As we approach the 25th Banquet since Palmer’s recognition, the annual event has raised more than $15 million to benefit Ouimet Scholars.
Dick started as a caddie as an 8-year-old at Woburn Country Club and then joined the course superintendent crew. He worked 15 years at the course and earned a Ouimet Scholarship to attend the College of the Holy Cross. He has never forgotten where he came from and the help he received at a young age, making a lifelong commitment to educational and philanthropic institutions with his wife Ann Marie.
Following last year’s Banquet, Connolly retired as the Managing Partner of The Connolly Group at Morgan Stanley. He enjoyed an acclaimed career as a financial professional, managing investment portfolios for more than 50 years as one of the top brokers in the country.
In recognition of his legacy, advocacy, and philanthropy in the world of caddying, Connolly was inducted into the Caddie Hall of Fame by the Western Golf Association in 2023.
Sponsorships
Please see below for sponsorship opportunities.
Sponsors
PRESENTING
Mickey & Bob Atchinson • John & Cyndy Fish • Peter Lynch & Family
2024 Banquet Recap
America’s Largest Golf Dinner returned to the Encore last March to honor seven-time major champion Juli Inkster, and to celebrate The Fund’s 75th Anniversary. The 2024 Banquet was the largest attended banquet since the 2013 Centennial Event featuring Arnold Palmer.
The night included a sit-down discussion with Inkster, which was moderated by her close friend and World Golf Hall of Famer Judy Rankin. Student Speaker Nate Ingram received a standing ovation following his speech about overcoming family adversity as a child and the loss of his father after high school.
