Pink Out II at Colonial lets golfers, fans help cause

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Fans wore pink in droves at Colonial C.C. on Saturday.

MORE: Photos from Pink Out II | How you can help | How the event was organized

FORT WORTH, Texas -- From coral to fuchsia to John Daly's hot pink pants, all the appropriate hues were represented Saturday. Sometimes on the same shirt, too, as sweat beaded up in the 96-degree heat and created a variety of darker splotches of vibrant color.

The smoldering temperatures notwithstanding, "Pink Out II" at the Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial to benefit Susan G. Komen for a Cure was a big success.

Real men wore pink everywhere. So did their wives and girlfriends and children of all ages. And if you couldn't find any pink in your closet, volunteers were ready to hand out stickers with the symbolic ribbons for your chest or your collars or the bill of your cap.

No one could walk far around Hogan's Alley without being reminded that Saturday was a day to promote breast cancer awareness as well as watch the best players in the world play golf. And just by plying their trade, the PGA TOUR pros were helping -- along with Crowne Plaza which had pledged $100 for every birdie and $500 for the eagles made.

The final tally was 311 birdies and 11 eagles -- for a total of $36,600 as one part of Crowne Plaza's "Hit it Big" summer promotion to benefit Komen for the Cure. Fans can continue to donate at www.pgatour.com/pink as well as by texting KOMEN to 90999.

There were pink ribbons tacked on scoreboards and signposts, as well as sticking out of the flowerbed by the 18th green. No one, though, wore more ribbons than Colonial volunteer Renee Allen, who was working as a marshal by the ninth fairway.

She estimated that she had 30 ribbons pinned to her white Crowne Plaza Invitational cap. She wore ceramic pink ribbons as earrings and had two more painted on each cheek. Her long blonde hair was pulled back and tied with -- you guessed it -- a pink ribbon, as well.

"Someone told me the other day, I don't have anything that's pink; well, I don't have anything that's not pink," Allen said. That is, except for the gold shirt and khaki pants the volunteers had to wear. "They don't know that's not my color."

Allen takes vacation time and has volunteered at the Crowne Plaza at Colonial for the past two years. She's an avid golfer and has been working to raise funds for the Komen for a Cure Foundation for three years now, personally raising at least $2,300 and participating in a three-day, 60-mile walk each year.

"I did the Komen for the Cure race and there was a little boy, about eight years old, who was walking in memory of his mother. and it just broke my heart," Allen said. "No kid should have to do that. So it was kind of like, what can I do to help.

"I got involved with the three-day walk, then we started volunteering out here. I thought if I could bring two things that I love together, why not? The more attention, the more people look, the more they talk, the better off we are."

Allen first became involved with Komen for a Cure because her niece was interested in doing something to help. Allen's sister-in-law had lost her grandmother and mother to breast cancer. And it really is a family affair -- Allen's husband, Larry, was also adorned in ribbons as he volunteered by the ninth tee.

"If he had his way, he'd be wearing pink, too," Allen said. "He is the world's greatest supporter."

Allen says she got plenty of comments on Saturday. Some people jokingly told her she still had room for some more ribbons. Others just wanted to thank her for helping to bring awareness to the disease.

"It just lets people know others fighting for your cause," Allen said. "Even if you have breast cancer or you're a survivor, you're not in it alone and you're not just there with other survivors. There are a lot of us doing what we can do."

A look around Colonial Country Club on Saturday showed how true those words were.