Military vets find community at Liberty Cup golf tournament

Craig Thomas didn’t know what to expect when he arrived at Liberty National Golf Club for the first time two months ago.Thomas, a Marine Corps veteran from 1982-86 and the head golf professional at Metropolis Country Club in White Plains since 2007, was competing in the first Liberty Cup, a unique tournament that features all five branches of the military — the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force and Coast Guard.In celebration of the nation’s 250th anniversary, Liberty National Golf Club in early May hosted the event, founded by its owner, Dan Fireman, to be aired on the Golf Channel from 3 to 5 p.m.on July 4.“I’ve played a lot of golf in a lot of tournaments, and I hadn’t played with many players this good,’’ the 63-year-old Thomas said, marveling at the talent in the Veteran Golfers Association, from which the field of players was made.

“There was this young man named Travis Bryant who I was paired with.I hadn’t played with anybody who was that good, and hit it as well as him who wasn’t already on tour.’’Bryant served as an Army combat veteran for five years and was on one of the last planes out of Afghanistan and is now a golf professional.“The Liberty Cup is more than a golf tournament,’’ Josh Peyton, president and CEO of the VGA, said.

“It is a celebration of the men and women who have served our country and the bonds that continue long after military service ends.’’The idea for the event was hatched by Dan Fireman, whose father, Paul, who founded and developed Liberty National, served in the Army.“He was always proud that he did his duty and did his service,’’ Dan Fireman said of his dad.“The idea was to focus on America’s 250th anniversary and use this event as a way to tell the story of the military and also tell the story of golf.”Liberty National has hosted PGA Tour events, LPGA Tour events, a Presidents Cup and has the BMW Championship coming in 2027.And Fireman called his experience hosting this event “th...