Ray Bourque to tee it up in Memorial Hospital Open Thursday

A full field of more than 230 golfers, including former Boston Bruin captain Ray Bourque, will tee it high and let it fly Thursday in the 27th annual Memorial Hospital Open Golf Tournament at Wentworth Golf Club in Jackson.On what figures to be a perfect day for golf, the field will be divided into a morning (8 a.m.) and noon start, playing a best ball, four-person scramble. Bourque is slated to play the morning session where he will be teamed with 14-year-old named Christian Fournier from Newbury, Mass., who had the top bid to "Play with Ray" this year. Fournier's mother, Erin, outbid other contenders so she could win the $650 spot for her son, who she says is "Ray's biggest fan." Christian's grandparents have a home in Jackson, and he not only spends time up here but is also a member of the Wentworth Golf Club for the summer.In his 20-year stint with the Boston Bruins, Bourque led the team in scoring on five different occasions and became one of three NHL defensemen to have scored over 300 goals. He became only the sixth defenseman in NHL history to score 30 goals in a season, accomplishing the feat in the 1983-84 season and became only the fifth player to notch 1,000 assists in the 1997-98 seasonThe Memorial Hospital Open receives major support from businesses and individuals throughout the Mount Washington Valley, as well as around the state and New England. Founded in 1980 by former congressman Bill Zeliff and the late Lee Harmon, the tournament over the years has raised over $500,000 which has been used to purchase medical and diagnostic equipment for every area of the hospital. Proceeds this year, according to community relations director Sharon Malenfant will go towards purchase of surgical instrumentation for the operating room. "We hope to raise over $25,000," she said. "And most importantly the weather forecast calls for a really nice summer day!"Presenting sponsor is the Tolley Group, and DiGiorgio Associates/Monitor Builders are sponsoring the famous "Grazing on the Green" dinner buffet after the tournament.