'Have A Ball' Golf Tournament To Raise Thousands For Cancer

DANVILLE, CA — Danville will host one of the large privately held golf tournaments in the nation Monday to benefit cancer research.

On Monday from 8 a.m to 10 p.m., the Crow Canyon Country Club will host the 18th annual “Have a Ball” golf tournament to raise money for over 20 different cancer organizations. The tournament, founded by cancer survivor and Danville resident Bob Hammer, has raised over $4.25 million for cancer since it started in 2005.

In 2021, various tournaments hosted 596 participants, 58 corporate sponsors, and raised over $310,000. The organization plans to host another tournament on Sep. 12.

Hammer, a two-time testicular cancer survivor, founded the Have a Ball Foundation after finishing 26 rounds of chemotherapy and participating in Lance Armstrong’s “Ride for the Roses” bike race in Austin, Texas.

“As a tribute and to give back to organizations such as the Livestrong Foundation, who without their help my son would not be here, I started the ‘Have a Ball’ Golf Tournament,” Hammer said, noting that he met Lance Armstrong’s oncologist at the race, who told him he did not need to have a surgery he was scheduled to have. Shortly after, his 19-year-old son Josh was conceived naturally.

The Have a Ball Foundation can point to many accomplishments including:

• Sending over 100 children with cancer to attend Camp Oziku, a camp for kids with cancer in Novato.
• Creating and awarding eight oncology nursing grants through Sequoia Hospital and the UCSF nursing program.
• Donating over $325,000 to the Livestrong Foundation
• Donating over $50,000 to five different cancer organizations.

In 2016, Hammer was honored as the Danville Citizen of the Year. See here for a full list of awards.

For more information, visit haveaballgolf.com.