On August 18, celebrities, athletes and community leaders will converge at Pine Hollow Country Club for the Big Daddy Celebrity Golf Classic & Gala, a star-studded charity tradition hosted by Rich “Big Daddy” Salgado, founder of the Big Daddy Golf Classic, icon of the sports management industry and his business partner Anzhelika Steen-Olsen, CEO and founder of SHER and co-founder of the Big Daddy Celebrity Golf Classic. The evening’s gala, held at the storied Oheka Castle, will cap a two-day event benefiting the Tunnel to Towers Foundation.
For Salgado, the event is more than just a golf outing, it’s an extension of his personal brand, Big Daddy, and his life’s work.
A Maryland native and University of Maryland football alum, Salgado has built a national reputation as one of the sports industry’s most trusted insurance brokers, advising NFL stars, coaches and media personalities.
His relationships with star athletes and celebrities like Michael Strahan and Justin Tuck have helped turn his charity events into must-attend gatherings.
“I am a Maryland guy, proud through and through,” Salgado said. “To bring something like this and have a partnership with a national charity like Tunnel to Towers — it’s gratifying, it’s rewarding. You’re supporting first responders, people who have been tragically killed, and their families. The charity comes in and takes care of them.”
Steenolsen, a philanthropist, entrepreneur and founder of The SHER Group — a women’s empowerment network — joined Salgado in reviving the Golf Classic after a pandemic hiatus.
Salgado serves as the first male ambassador for SHER, helping amplify the group’s work through his connections in sports and entertainment.
The origins of the Classic trace back to Salgado’s life-threatening brain aneurysm in 2008. During his recovery, a doctor asked if he would help with a fundraiser.
“We pulled off the first one in like four months; it was 24/7 for four months straight until we got the event off the ground,” Salgado said. “It just seems to get momentum. Everyone wants to be a part of it.”
Since then, the event has raised millions for causes ranging from St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital to autism programs.
Steen-Olsen added her own touch, hosting a women’s luncheon alongside the tournament.
“Every single penny goes to the charities,” Steen-Olsen said. “It’s become a chance to make real change through a platform that touches athletes, veterans, families, kids — you name it.”
Now in its 10th year, the Golf Classic supports the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, founded in honor of FDNY firefighter Stephen Siller, who ran through the Brooklyn Battery Tunnel on September 11, 2001, to reach the Twin Towers, where he gave his life.
Today, the foundation builds mortgage-free homes for Gold Star families, constructs smart homes for injured veterans, combats veteran homelessness and provides support for first responders.
The 2025 schedule features a private Sunday night reception for celebrities and VIPs at Oheka Castle, followed by Monday’s tournament at Pine Hollow Country Club, cocktail hour, dinner, live auction and musical performances back at the castle.
Past attendees have included NFL legends, sports media personalities and entertainers, with Salgado’s sports ties ensuring a star-powered guest list.
For Salgado, success isn’t measured by fame, but by impact.
“The legacy I’d like to leave is one that I did things the right way, I treated people fairly, equally, and I’ve been put in a position to be blessed to have these relationships and contacts. ” Salgado said. “You don’t use a platform to build your name, to take advantage of other opportunities and other people. That’s not why Anzhelika and I are doing this.”
Although it may appear to outsiders as just another celebrity golf event, for those involved, it represents something much deeper: a commitment to community, legacy, and genuine impact.
“When the cameras go down and the event is over, what stays is how you make people feel,” Steen-Olsen said. “That feeling should be hope, that feeling should be connection — and let’s keep going.”
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