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The late San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee was a tireless fan, participant and advocate for sporting events and their role in building healthy communities and vibrant economies. He was all the more enthusiastic when events such as his San Francisco Mayor’s Cup Golf Tournament, which ran from 2012 to 2017, could also benefit charities dear to his heart. Last Saturday, Boxer & Gerson Partners John Harrigan and Gary Lee (no relation to the mayor), along with Lee’s wife Lisa Oyama paid homage to Ed Lee’s memory in the best way imaginable: by taking active organizing and sponsorship roles and then playing in what has been renamed the Mayor Ed Lee Legacy Golf Tournament following Lee’s unexpected death last December at age 65.

With the fabled TPC Harding Park course where the mayor often played in Saturday morning foursomes as the welcome backdrop, Boxer & Gerson sponsored the always popular Beverage Cart to slake the thirst and salve the wounds of golfers negotiating the always challenging municipally-owned course. Harding Park has played host to multiple PGA Tour events and many others since its debut in 1925. 

Gary Lee and Oyama also served on the tournament’s Organizing Committee and as individual tournament sponsors. Their own involvement in the tournament actually stretches back to its roots in 1994 as the Asian Law Caucus (ALC) Golf Tournament (aka “Caucus Classic”). That event was a fundraiser for the nonprofit ALC, whose mission includes promoting the legal and civil rights of Asian Pacific Islanders communities, with a special focus on addressing the needs of low-income, immigrant, and underserved persons. The Caucus Classic later became the Mayor’s Cup, with a list of beneficiaries that included not only the ALC but also First Tee San Francisco, the San Francisco Mayor’s Women’s Golf Council, and others.

Ed Lee, keeping his eye on the ball at his own Mayor’s Cup in 2013

Although the Boxer & Gerson contingent pictured above reported a fine and enjoyable outing, in the interests of traditional golfing modesty, reports on their individual scores were not made available at press time, nor were they expected to be at any time in the future.

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(Photo credits: trio on top of page courtesy of Richard Alcantara; Ed Lee photo courtesy of San Francisco Public Golf Alliance)