The USGA and the PGA of America have joined to support the first Patriot Golf Day on Sept. 1, 2007. That day, each golfer at participating facilities will be asked to donate a dollar to support the Fallen Heroes Foundation and Wounded Warriors Inc., tax exempt non-profit programs awarding educational scholarships and counseling to families who have had a parent wounded or killed in Iraq or Afghanistan.

Patriot Golf Day is the creation of Dan Rooney, a 34-year-old USGA and PGA member who has served two tours of duty in Iraq as an F-16 fighter pilot. He got the idea as a way to remember our true heroes: those who have died in military service.

A native of Oklahoma, Rooney is a golf professional who struggled on the smaller tours and in 1997 tried unsuccessfully to attain his PGA Tour card through qualifying school. After that failed attempt, he and his father, John, bought Grand Haven (Mich.) Golf Club, a fixer-upper golf course along the shores of Lake Michigan.

He hopes to raise millions of dollars for the foundation, between individual and corporate donations.

"Patriot Golf Day is a call to action – a call to American citizens to help the children of our fallen heroes," Rooney said. "Its success depends on the patriots who support it. I humbly ask for the assistance of the great men and women in the golf industry to help our families in this time of war. We have a wonderful opportunity to make a difference."

A listing of participating facilities is available online at http://www.playgolfamerica.com/. For more on Patriot Golf Day, also contact http://www.fallenheroesfoundation.org/ or http://www.woundedwarriors.org/.