Normally this is the time of the year when I use this space to nudge local golfers to play in the John P. Williamson Memorial Golf Tournament, which raises money for the Robeson County Human Society. The 22nd edition will be played on Saturday, March 23, at Pinecrest Country Club.

While the purpose today is to garner support, it is not necessarily to encourage entrants. Although the tournament is five weeks away, the field is stuffed with 60 three-man teams — the maximum because of cart availability — that have committed and a still-short waiting list in case some of the teams drop out, which is inevitable.

I might get corrected here, but I know of no other tournament in this county that boasts a field of 180 golfers, and I have three theories on why this happens.

Golfers get tired of me harassing them to play and simply surrender.

Golfers want to support the effort to provide comfort for homeless cats and dogs while preventing the births of more of them.

It’s a really fun tournament with a great format and lots of cool prizes.

In truth, it is probably a combination of the three.

If any golfers want to call me and add their team to the still-short waiting list, that can happen. The entry fee is $255 — $85 a player — and includes a raffle ticket, entry into a 50-50 and a mulligan so you do not have to dig again into your pocket when you arrive, although we hope you do.

Teams will be pre-flighted based on handicaps into four 15-team divisions, and there will be $6,000 worth of gift certificates awarded to the top three finishers in each division, meaning 20 percent of the field will get more than their money back.

There will be shotgun starts at 8 a.m. and 1:30 p.m., with a hot meal served in between. There will be plenty of beverages, adult and otherwise, for the players.

Even if you are not a golfer, there are ways to contribute to the effort. There are sponsorship opportunities that range upward from $100 to your children’s inheritance, which is really the key to the success of the tournament. I want to publicly thank county Commissioner Tom Taylor for contributing $5,000 of his discretionary money to help pay for the gift certificates, as well Commissioner David Edge who contributed $1,000 and every member of the Lumberton City Council who chipped in to the tune of $1,500.

But we need more.

We also need raffle items donated such as gift certificates to local restaurants, artwork, apparel, anything a golfer might covet. After I started writing this and before it was finished, Al Locklear, who owns Lumber River Ace Hardware, hooked us up with more than 50 items for the raffle that retail for more than $500. Totally unexpected but appreciated.

A final way we will raise money that day will be through a silent auction that will feature a number of golf packages that have been assembled with the help of well-connected friends. The list is still growing, but as of now we have secured golf packages mostly for four players at the following golf courses: Mid-South; Talamore; a pick of either Pine Needles, Mid-Pines or Southern Pines; Finley Golf Course; Lonnie Poole; Legends Golf and Resort; Belmont Lake; The Vineyard; The Bayonet; Fairmont Golf Course; Bald Head Island; and eight rounds at Grand Dunes or any of about 20 other courses in that group.

Sally Austin, a former player and golf coach at UNC, former member of the LPGA, and a golf instructor at Pine Needles has donated to the silent auction golf lessons for as many as two players.

There is even an authentic Kansas City Chiefs helmet for the auction, although it has Hank Stram’s signature, not Travis Kelce’s or Taylor Swift’s. We are considering forgery.

Anyone who is interested but not in the field is invited to come out that day, buy a raffle ticket, enter the 50-50, make a bid on the silent auction and hang out. If you do so, a burger and beverage will be on us.

The idea is to grow the tournament each year, and when this year’s is complete, the board will look at ways to expand the field even further for 2025.

If you would like to do a sponsorship, contribute a raffle item, get on the waiting list for the tournament, or even bid on a silent auction item, give me a ring at 910-374-9317. Hope to hear from you.

The cause is worthy.