By ROBIN SHANNON

L’Observateur

LAPLACE – Although scores of participants showed up with clubs in hand ready to play in the annual Rudolph G. Dinvaut Athletic Foundation’s golf tournament last Friday, rainy conditions kept golfers off the links at Belle Terre Country Club, and organizers were forced to reschedule for this Friday at noon.

The wet weather, however, did not deter the spirits of those who signed up to play, as a full slate of participants showed up on schedule,” said Bonnie Dinvaut-Irving, one of the daughters of the tournament’s namesake.

“We had a full course, they just couldn’t get going,” said Dinvaut-Irving. “Everyone seemed to take it in stride. We were all hoping it would blow over. Everyone stuck it out until we had to make a call to postpone.”

Among those who stuck it out through the rain were former West St. John High School and LSU athletes Quinn Johnson and Tyson Jackson, who both returned home during the NFL offseason to participate.

“Growing up in Edgard, you hear a lot about him,” Jackson said of Dinvaut. “He’s like the ‘Babe Ruth’ of the west bank. He was a legendary figure for a long time.”

Johnson said this was the third year that he and Jackson have come back home in support of the event. He said he and Jackson, who grew up together and remain close even though they play on different NFL teams, try to get home often to give back whenever they can.

“It is a great thing to see this level of support for the community,” Johnson said. “It feels great to be a part of it. It’s always good to see people you haven’t seen in a while.”

Jackson and Johnson both said they came out to give support as best they can and added that they would be leaving the golf playing to the rest of the field.

“I think we are both here to ride around and give moral support,” Jackson said. “I’ve never swung a golf club in my life.”

Dinvaut-Irving said in the eight years the tournament has been around, it has grown from a small fundraiser into a large social event that has brought in more than 140 participants. She said her father, a former coach at West St. John/Second Ward High School, started the tournament for the benefit of WSJ athletics and scholarships.  

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