Annual Mezquite Golf Tournament Returns for 13th Year
July 31, 2023 - Dorene DiNaro
Golfers hit the links on Friday, Aug. 11 for UNM students.
The University of New Mexico is once again teaming up with El Mezquite Markets owner, Sergio Bermudez, to host the annual Mezquite Golf Tournament at Isleta Golf Club. The tournament—known for its food, fun atmosphere, and stellar prizes—has been raising money for UNM student scholarships for the past 13 years. To date, the tournament has raised upwards of $250,000.
Vice President for Student Affairs, Dr. Eric Scott, is grateful for Bermudez’s kindness, contributions, and leadership on behalf of the UNM community.
“Sergio is a great campus partner, whose generosity has impacted countless Lobos for more than a decade,” he said.
Each year, teams of four pay sponsorship fees ranging from $1,000 - $5,000 to compete for bragging rights, and the opportunity to take home one of the coveted burrito, frijole, or taco flight trophies. The annual tournament consistently sells out due in part to major sponsors including UNM Division of Student Affairs (DSA), H&R Foods, Pepsi, and Premier Distributing Company, but most because of Bermudez’s reputation in the community.
Natalie Brigance, executive assistant to the vice president for Student Affairs who leads the tournament’s planning committee, said finding participants is the easy part. “Sergio is well-known and well-liked in the community which makes my job pretty simple—this tournament basically sells itself,” she said.
A volunteer team made up of DSA staff, UNM students, and previous Mezquite scholarship recipients help on tournament day driving golfers to and from holes, assisting with tournament contests, and basically ensuring things run seamlessly.
Raffle tickets ranging from $10 to $50 are sold giving participants a chance to win anything from electronics, outdoor gear, grills, coolers, tailgating tents, golf bags, and more. Bermudez always has a few surprises—previous winners have taken home signed guitars, tandem bikes, baseball glove chairs, and Star Wars coolers. Raffle ticket proceeds are added to the scholarship fund.
Throughout the day, participants are treated to the popular Sonoran hot dog lunch, snack-filled golf carts, and other goodies such as ceviche, capped off with a buffet-style dinner, with scholarship recipients sharing some of their personal educational journey stories.
“This tournament is one of the most fun and lively opportunities to support scholarships and makes a tremendous difference in the life of the student recipients,” Scott said.
The date for this year’s tournament is Friday, August 11, at 11:30 a.m. Visit the Mezquite Golf Tournament page for more information.
