Atlanta Living category interest

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - This week 78 junior golfers from around the world competed in a tournament at Pinetree Country Club honoring the life of the late Gene Siller.

In 2021, Siller, who was working as a golf pro at the club, approached a pickup truck that had driven onto the course and was shot. He was an innocent bystander following what prosecutors later called a “drug deal gone wrong.”

Bryan Rhoden was arrested and charged with Siller’s death and the murder of two other men. He pleaded guilty in February and was sentenced to life in prison.

“A lot of grief is done behind closed doors. But with events like this, it’s all about celebrating and honoring his legacy,” Gene’s wife Ashley Siller said.

Following his death, Ashley helped create the Gene Siller Memorial Grant, which provides financial assistance to junior golfers in Georgia to help them learn, play and compete. Since his passing, Ashley says they’ve raised over $700,000 in his name.

Proceeds from the tournament will also be put towards that fund.

Gene was a father to two young boys and was passionate about teaching kids how to play his favorite sport.

“I think if people can see that you turn wounds into wisdom, or something really negative into a lot of goodness, I think people really respect that and it builds something that people want to get behind and propel forward,” Ashley Siller said.

In Gene’s memory, most junior golfers in the tournament wore red pants or skirts. That was Gene’s signature color and the color he was wearing the day he died on the course.

“I think after hearing his story, it impacted me a lot. To think wow, I’m not only playing this tournament for my own benefit, but I’m playing it because it was someone else’s dream to promote junior golf and I feel like I’m advancing someone else’s goals. And I think that makes me feel pretty good,” junior golfer Sophia Hong said.

Another tournament is planned in his honor in August.