Two kickers to be hosts for the 29th annual Kevin Turner Golf Tourney
Former Alabama placekicker Michael Proctor will be one of two guest hosts for the 29th annual Kevin Turner Golf Tournament on May 11 at the RTJ at Capitol Hill. (Photo courtesy of the Paul Bryant Museum)
By TIM GAYLE
PRATTVILLE – Former University of Alabama placekicker Michael Proctor and current Auburn University placekicker Alex McPherson will be the guest hosts for the 29th annual Kevin Turner Golf Tournament on May 11 at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail at Capitol Hill, Prattville YMCA officials announced.
Proctor, a Pelham High graduate, came to the Crimson Tide in 1992, a year after Turner was drafted by the Patriots. But he still remembers the Prattville native’s infectious personality that resonated with teammates.
“I had heard about the tournament through the years,” Proctor said. “It’s a big deal. Kevin is a big deal. When he was playing here, and even after his unfortunate passing, he’s well remembered and respected. Anything I can do to help anything in his name, I would be willing to do.
“I met him when I was there. He came back, obviously knowing people on the team that he had played with. Anything I can do for his name … I’m sure anybody at Alabama is willing to do. Or anybody that knew him. You’d be willing to do anything for him because he would do the same for you.”
McPherson, a Fort Payne High graduate, came to Auburn in 2022, weathered an inflammatory bowel disease that sidelined him in 2024, and is now preparing for his fifth year as the Tigers’ kicker. And even though he never knew Turner, he’s looking forward to the tournament.
“I’m honored,” McPherson said. “I heard what the tournament was about, Kevin and his story. I heard that one of the former Alabama kickers was going to be in the tournament and that they would love to have a kicker from Auburn, that I would be a great fit.”
Proctor was recruited as one of the nation’s top prep kickers and went through a high school and collegiate career where he made 184 of 185 extra points. He kicked a then-record 60-yard field goal at Pelham and nine of his 26 field goals were longer than 50 yards. He finished a four-year career as the Crimson Tide’s second leading scorer with 326 points, earning All-America honors in 1993 and 1994 after winning a national championship in 1992 and returning as the Southeastern Conference’s top kicker a year later.
McPherson was recruited as one of the nation’s top kcikers and kicked a record 61-yard field goal in high school before joining the Tigers. Like Proctor, his breakout year came as a sophomore (in 2023) where he made 13 of 13 field goal attempts and 40 of 40 extra point attempts in becoming a Lou Groza Award semifinalist.
“We are so excited to have two kickers serve as hosts this year,” said YMCA development director June Dorough. “One from the past and one who currently kicks. Michael is one of Alabama’s all time greats and Alex is heading the same direction at Auburn. This is also the first time we have had a current player serve as host.”
Turner, a Prattville native who starred at Alabama in 1988-91 and in the NFL for eight years at New England (1992-94) and Philadelphia (1995-99), loaned his name to the tournament after participating in sports at the YMCA in his early years and attended the event before his battle with chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, led to his untimely passing in March, 2016. He made a brief appearance at the 2015 tournament with guest host Gary Hollingsworth, a former Alabama quarterback and teammate of Turner. After Turner’s death, the Turner family was honored as the second guest host.
Since then, the tournament has had former Turner teammates as guest hosts, including Siran Stacy (2017), Antonio Langham (along with Andrew Zow in 2018), Sherman Williams (2019), Martin Houston (2020), Roger Shultz (2021) and Preston Gothard (2022). Former Auburn running back and coach Carnell Williams was the guest host in 2023, former Alabama punter Chris Mohr was the 2024 guest host and quarterbacks Jake Coker of Alabama and Jeff Burger of Auburn served as guest hosts in 2025.
Proceeds from the tournament help fund the Coach a Child Campaign which provides financial aid to make YMCA services available to all persons regardless of their inability to pay. The Prattville YMCA has provided financial aid to more than 3,300 individuals, many of them children, at a cost of more than $400,000. This year, the goal is to raise $285,000 for the Coach A Child Fund Campaign, part of which is funded with proceeds from the golf tournament.
“Kevin loved the Prattville YMCA, and he loved all the things that the Y was able to do,” Dorough said. “And he wanted to make sure that nobody was turned away due to their inability to pay, so we started this tournament to raise money for the YMCA Coach A Child Scholarship Fund. The Prattville YMCA was a big part of Kevin’s life. He wanted others to have the same enjoyment he had, growing up and coming to the Y. This tournament is one of the things that makes the YMCA possible for everyone.”
The golf tournament is in its 11th year at RTJ Capitol Hill after spending the first 18 years at the Prattville Country Club. The tournament will feature a morning flight and afternoon flight on both the Legislator and Senator courses. Eighteen teams will play on each course in the morning and again in the afternoon.
Several sponsorship levels remain available. All teams will be provided lunch, beginning at 11 a.m., with the morning teams also receiving a light breakfast and the afternoon teams receiving snacks at the conclusion of the tournament. For more information or to sign up your team to participate in the tournament, contact Dorough at (334) 358-9622 or e-mail her at jdorough@prattvilleymca.org