Press Release

President George W. Bush Announces the Bush Institute Warrior Open at the AT&T Byron Nelson

New partnership highlighting service and sacrifice of military members begins in 2018

President George W. Bush announced today that beginning in 2018, the Bush Center’s two-day Warrior Open golf tournament will be held immediately following the Salesmanship Club of Dallas’s AT&T Byron Nelson tournament at Trinity Forest Golf Club in Dallas, Texas. This support will further amplify and draw attention to the service, sacrifice, and resilience of post 9-11 warriors and their families, particularly the issues they face in making a successful transition to civilian life, including employment and addressing invisible wounds.

“One way to better serve post-9/11 veterans as they transition from military to civilian life is to address the challenges they face when they come home,” said President Bush. “This partnership between the Bush Institute and the AT&T Byron Nelson introduces more Americans to the Team 43 members playing in this tournament. They represent the millions of resilient service members who served their country honorably and now lead their communities in new and meaningful ways as civilians.”

The Warrior Open will last two days. It will occur on the Monday and Tuesday following the AT&T Byron Nelson and will include a Pro-Am.

“We are honored to support the Bush Institute’s Warrior Open by providing the full PGA TOUR experience for these community heroes,” said Alan Friedman, President of Salesmanship Club of Dallas.  Salesmanship Club of Dallas is a nonprofit service organization of more than 600 volunteers dedicated to building and repairing social emotional health for kids for over 97 years through the programs of Momentous Institute. The organization also engages an additional 1,000 community volunteers to operate the AT&T Byron Nelson.

The Bush Institute’s Warrior Open began in 2011 for United States military personnel seriously wounded or injured since September 11, 2001. Since 2011, more than 140 warriors have participated in the Military Service Initiative’s Team 43 Sports, which include the Warrior Open and the annual W100K bike ride. Many of them are featured in President Bush’s recent book and corresponding exhibit at the George W. Bush Presidential Center, Portraits of Courage: A Commander-in-Chief’s Tribute to America’s Warriors.

This year’s Warrior Open will be played at Prestonwood Golf Club in Dallas on Monday, May 22 to honor alumni of Team 43 who have participated in previous Warrior Open tournaments.

The Military Service Initiative within the Bush Institute honors the service and sacrifice of all post-9/11 veterans by ensuring that they and their families make successful transitions to civilian life, specifically in addressing the challenges of employment and overcoming the invisible wounds of war. Core programs of the Military Service Initiative include an employment partnership with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce called the Veteran Employment Transition Roadmap, and the Warrior Wellness Alliance, which connects peer-to-peer veteran networks with best-in-class health care providers for post-traumatic stress and traumatic brain injury.

To learn more about the work of the Bush Institute’s Military Service Initiative and the Warrior Open, please visit www.bushcenter.org.

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About the George W. Bush Institute

Housed within the George W. Bush Presidential Center, the George W. Bush Institute is an action-oriented, nonpartisan policy organization with the mission of developing leaders, advancing policy, and taking action to solve today’s most pressing challenges. The work is achieved through three Impact Centers – Domestic Excellence, Global Leadership, and our Engagement Agenda – by which the Bush Institute engages the greater community with its important work.

About the Salesmanship Club of Dallas

Founded in 1920, the Salesmanship Club of Dallas is a nonprofit service organization of more than 600 business leaders dedicated to building and repairing social emotional health for kids for over 97 years through the programs of Momentous Institute. The Salesmanship Club of Dallas is the host of the AT&T Byron Nelson.

About the AT&T Byron Nelson

The AT&T Byron Nelson is hosted by the Salesmanship Club of Dallas and has been a premier PGA TOUR event for 49 years. The tournament has raised more than $150 million since its inception in 1968, making it the most financially successful charity event on the PGA TOUR. All proceeds benefit Momentous Institute, the nonprofit operated by the Salesmanship Club for over 95 years. The organization focuses on social emotional health and serves 6,000 kids and family members directly each year through education, mental health, research and training. The AT&T Byron Nelson is one of North Texas’ biggest sports attractions and most anticipated social events of the spring.