even Claudio Suarez -- trying to hit a ball, which is pretty funny," Kljestan said. "I think it's a good thing for our foundation to raise some money for some things we believe in so it's a good day for everybody at Chivas USA."
Some players, such as Kljestan and Jonathan Bornstein, are avid golfers who took the opportunity to hone their burgeoning skills. Others, such as Suarez and Alex Zotinca, are relative novices to the sport but still took the opportunity to shoot some holes. Others such as Rodrigo Lopez, Sam Reynolds and Erasmo Solorzano soaked in the atmosphere by surveying the course on golf carts.
"We get a little time off from soccer," Bornstein said. "Obviously we were playing golf today and it was fun. You get to relax and have a good time, mingle with your teammates, mingle with some fans maybe. It's a time to get away and just have some quality time."
The Gold Cup and Copa America veteran was accompanied by girlfriend Danielle Spangler, who mixed in a few wayward strokes with some solid drives. She said she enjoyed being around the team and on a golf course.
"We should come out and do this more often," she told Bornstein.
"That was the best thing she could have told me," Bornstein retorted.
Kljestan and Bornstein took turns spraying fairways with long drives. Though on the soccer field the duo works well with the rest of their teammates, such is not the case on the golf course. While Kljestan and Bornstein played the roles of Sergio Garcia and Tiger Woods, the less-experienced Zotinca nevertheless paired up with his golf-savvy teammates with little success.
"When Zotinca tries to hit it, it's funny when it goes further to the right than it does go straight," Kljestan said. "It's always funny to mess with the guys but I'm sure there are other sports he'd crush me at too."
The first-year event went off smoothly and gave the club a strong foundation from which to prepare for future golf ventures.
"We definitely want to do it again next year," Mendoza said. "And every year it's only going to get a lot better."
Luis Bueno is a contributor to MLSnet.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Soccer or its clubs.
