The Kristi Fry Charity Golf Tournament put about $11,000 into the coffers of the Oklahoma School for the Blind (Parkview) before the golfers teed off Friday.

By the end of the tournament, the winning teams added another $1,400 sparked by the challenge of the first-place team in the A flight.

During the awards ceremony, Phoenix Publisher Larry Corvi announced that Mike Ross of the M. Ross Inc. team turned its $800 team prize over to the school and challenged other team winners to do the same.

The other winners met that challenge, pumping up the total to the school to approximately $12,400.

“It’s awesome that we would exceed everybody’s expectations the first time,” said Vickie Fry, the widow of longtime Phoenix executive editor Kristi Fry. “Just the whole atmosphere of the day was unbelievable.”

When the tournament ended, golfers rallied at the back of Muskogee Country Club to see how they finished and pick up door prizes.

David Wright of Stigler, playing with Cross Telephone, won a bracelet — the perfect gift for his wife who just gave birth Wednesday to their third child, Gatlynn Beau.

“I love playing golf,” Wright said.

Mike McLamore of Muskogee thought his Black and Decker drill was a great door prize and the perfect end to a “beautiful day.”

Tim Payne’s door prize — a watch. He liked it, but said he’d been hoping to get “that fragrance package from Dillard’s — my wife would have loved that.”

Even before Vickie Fry knew the final total going to the school, she said: “I’m overwhelmed with the turnout — all the sponsors, the players and all the volunteers.

“I’m proud of everybody and grateful it was a success. And it’s for such a worthy cause. It’s just a great day.”

Kristi’s brother from South Carolina, Stephen Fry, Kristi’s oldest son Jarrod and one of Kristi’s nephews and a niece formed a team for the tournament.

Sherry Holder, outreach coordinator for Oklahoma School for the Blind, was ecstatic about the tournament and its results.