July 22, 2015

KORBEL Events Are Toast of Tahoe Tournament

KORBEL® California Champagne was right in the center of the action July 16-19 at the American Century® Celebrity Golf Championship in Lake Tahoe, Nev. The star-studded weekend featured two popular KORBEL-sponsored events.

Former NFL® quarterback Mark Rypien earned the title of KORBEL Celebrity Spray-Off champion July 16, popping a KORBEL California Champagne cork a whopping 87 feet. Retired Olympic speedskating gold medalist Dan Jansen placed second, and 10-time LPGA® major winner Annika Sorenstam came in third.

They were among the 34 sports and entertainment celebrities who competed in the ninth annual KORBEL Celebrity Spray-Off, including NBA® forward Shane Battier, retired big-league pitcher Roger Clemens and TV star Alfonso Ribeiro. Pop superstar Justin Timberlake won style points as he soaked the crowd with bubbly after launching his cork.

For his expert spraying skills, Rypien won $5,000 from the KORBEL Toast Life® Foundation for the Zak Foundation, which serves children who are battling cancer.

Duck Dynasty star Willie Robertson took aim and fired off the winning drive July 17 at KORBEL’s fourth annual Closest to the Pin Challenge. He beat out 12 other sports and entertainment celebrities – including comedian Larry the Cable Guy and NFL legend Joe Theismann – with a shot that landed just 12 feet 1 inch from the pin. Golf Channel® host Lisa Cornwell came in second, while retired big-league pitcher David Wells placed third.

In honor of Robertson’s win, the KORBEL Toast Life Foundation donated $5,000 to Lake Tahoe Wildlife Care, which cares for orphaned and injured wild birds and animals in and around the Lake Tahoe basin.