On Friday, the March of Dimes and Diverse Power hosted a golf tournament fundraiser at The Fields Golf Club.

The money raised by the annual tournament go toward research on causes of premature birth and infant mortality. According to organizers, the local tournament raises thousands of dollars for the cause each year.

“We are all about preventing birth defects and premature birth and infant mortality for babies, and we have a walk each spring where we get great support, but not always golfers,” said Carla Starling, the development manager for Southern Georgia March of Dimes. “So, this is just another way to reach out to the community and let people know our mission and be involved in something that they enjoy.”

About half a million babies are born premature or with birth defects in the U.S. each year, and causes that the March of Dimes has advocated over the years have focused specifically on known causes of infant death. The group has advocated heart screenings, polio shots and other preventative measures.

Diverse Power has sponsored the tournament locally since 2009 and is credited with making the annual event possible.

“We sponsor a lot of different things in the community, but March of Dimes is one that we feel very strongly about,” said Scott Sawyer, the marketing services coordinator for Diverse Power. “We have a very good relationship with Carla (Starling) and what she does in the community. Diverse Power has been a community member, and community members own our company. They are out in this community, and we want to be a big part of it.”

The team from Longhorn Steakhouse won first place. Diverse Power was second, and Mike Patton Auto took third. The final amount of money raised by the tournament had not been announced Sunday.