By RYAN ARENA

Sports Editor

On a sunny Monday afternoon at Belle Terre, a golfer shook Ed Reed’s hand and said, “Welcome back.” Others laughed and joked with him. He seemed like he was right at home.

And he was.

“This,” Reed said, “is what it’s all about.”

The second annual Ed Reed/Valero Golf Classic is in the books, and the former Destrehan Wildcat and current NFL star safety couldn’t have been happier with how it went.

“It’s just a great environment,” Reed said. “Year after year, we can have people come out, eat some great food, be stuffed at the end of the day, play some golf, and know they had a great time.”

The event took place all day Monday at the Belle Terre and Riverlands Country Clubs, and was capped by a dinner and a ceremony in the evening. 420 golfers participated in the event in all.

Proceeds from the event will go toward the Ed Reed Eye of the Hurricane Foundation, a charity that reaches out to worthwhile causes in the River Parishes.

$85,000 was raised this year, and the Foundation plans to build a park in the St. Charles community for the youth of the area.

“That’s really important to Ed,” said event spokesperson Bita Khorrami. “He grew up playing in those parks all day. He loves the idea of giving that back to the community.”

This year marked the first time Reed actively played in the tournament. While he admitted a bit of rust, he said his spirit remained high all day.

“I haven’t been golfing as much lately,” Reed said. “ButI’ve been surrounded by great people. It’s like being on a great team. When you’re around great people, success happens. When you’re down, someone picks you up.”

Valero spokesperson Taryn Miller shared Reed’s satisfaction with the tournament’s results.

“It went really well,” said Miller. “We had a successful day, and it’s all for a great cause.”

Reed brought some of his Baltimore Raven teammates from the NFL to the event with him – namely Corey ivy, David Pittman, and Ronnie Prude.

Chris McAllister, a fourth Raven, was set to join Reed for his football camp at Destrehan beginning Tuesday, something Reed hopes will be a similar success.

“Overall, it was another great golf classic,” he said. I’m glad Valero asked me to be a part of this last year, and now we look to build on it, and make it even better each year.”