It was a star-studded week at Oakland University’s Golf and Learning Center, beginning with the Tiger Woods golf clinic Sept. 13 and then the Ryder Cup Champions Invitational Sept. 16. And throughout the week, celebrities including Michael Jordan, Ahmad Rashad and Samuel L. Jackson played the courses.

The Ryder Cup Champions Invitational raised more than $250,000 and benefited local charity organizations including First Tee of Michigan, Covenant House of Michigan, Good Sports Foundation, Literacy Partnership of Southeast Michigan, The Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History and North Oakland Foundation.

Celebrity golfers included Detroit Red Wings Brendan Shanahan and Darren McCarty, Detroit Tigers Hall of Famer Al Kaline and new Pro-Football Hall of Famer Barry Sanders.

“It was an awesome and well attended event,” said Bill Rogers, managing director of the OU Golf and Learning Center. “The golf courses were received tremendously by the visiting dignitaries as well as people from the community who visited for the first time.”

A group of golfers from the Country of Wales also played at OU, including pro-golfer Brian Huggett, Europe’s Arnold Palmer. Wales is the host country for the 2010 Ryder Cup.

Events like this go a long way in positioning Oakland University as a world-class institution. Media from across the United States reported from OU, including the New York Times, the Associated Press and Prime Sports Network.

“The Ryder Cup events and the Tiger Woods clinic gave OU the opportunity to enhance its public image. It makes the entire community aware of the university and the programs it offers,” Rogers said. “These events bring heightened awareness to the university.”