Golfer Billy Hurley III is one of a kind.
In 2016, Hurley won the Quicken Loans National at Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Maryland. That set him apart as the only graduate of a U.S. Military Service Academy — in Hurley’s case, the U.S. Naval Academy — ever to win on the PGA Tour.
That same year, Hurley, who played in 179 events on the PGA Tour from 2006 to 2020, took another important step. He launched the Billy Hurley III Foundation, a nonprofit that recognizes and honors military families that share his passion for golf.
“I’m just a guy who served my five years [on active military duty] and got out,” said Hurley who grew up in Leesburg, Virginia, and had an extended deployment in the Persian Gulf during his naval career.
Hurley explained that years in uniform and long separations from loved ones required by his service came at a cost to his family.
“Everyone you know from spouse to infant in a family unit is affected by military service,” he said.
Athletes often embrace causes that hit close to home by launching public charities or private foundations. Former Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps’ foundation raises money for water safety. Former Washington Nationals’ baseball star Ryan Zimmerman directs money raised through his public charity to help those diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, a community that includes his mother.
Hurley’s pivot from a military deployment to professional golf began in 2009 when he began a transition from “being in the middle of the Indian Ocean” to a professional golf career.
Golf was a highly successful second act. Hurley played in all four golf major championships — the Masters, British Open, U.S. Open and PGA Championship — and finished in the top 25 at the 2016 PGA Championship. His career earnings on the PGA Tour exceed $5 million.
Establishing his foundation, Hurley said, “was the culmination of having a big enough platform to do something meaningful.”
According to public filings, Hurley’s foundation raised nearly $39,000 in 2023. Revenues in 2022 were more than $64,000.
Former Washington Commanders player Anthony Lanier II is another pro athlete who found inspiration for his charity work in his personal story.
Lanier heads Undefeated Warrior: the Anthony M Lanier II Foundation, Inc., which supports youth in his hometown of Savannah, Georgia. The foundation has sponsored events for children, including an Annual Turkey Drive at Thanksgiving, football camps and a cooking class where the instructors include his mother.
Lanier, who spent the 2016-17 seasons with the Washington Football Team and recently for the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League, said his hometown and the people in his neighborhood “raised me for who I am.”
“[I want to] teach them a little bit more about the nature and patience of life,” he said.
Hurley’s foundation relies heavily on an annual fundraising event: the Billy Hurley III and the Brave Golf Tournament hosted at the U.S. Naval Academy Golf Course. The two-day tournament gathers 18 active-duty military members who play golf with Hurley. With their families, they also take part in a cocktail party and VIP dinner supported by corporate sponsors.
“We’ve had some families who were living apart because of service, the sailor is in Florida and the family is in Mississippi. They’re able to meet up and spend three days together,” Hurley said.
“The neat thing was hearing about people from different backgrounds,” said Jeff Servello, who participated in the Brave Golf Tournament in 2021 and served aboard some of the same ships as Hurley. “We were all just relatively capable golfers out having a good time.”
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