By Evan H. and Gabe L.
186 golfers teed off in the second annual Fallen Heroes Golf Tournament held at the French Woods Golf and Country Club on September 6, 2009.
100 hungry other guests joined the tournament for the barbecue and chicken dinner, which combined with the donations, netted over $8000 for the Patriot Award and the Cameron Hall Scholarship Fund.
To start the Captain and Crew (best ball) tournament on the misty Sunday morning, eleven veterans honored the fallen heroes of all wars with a traditional 21-gun salute and the playing of Taps. This ceremony set the tone for the tournament.
The Family Foundation School foursome consisted of JT H. and Evan H. from Mann House, Gil M. from Lake House, and Sid Parham who is the FFS Vice-President of Academic Affairs.
“I enjoyed playing golf with the kids; I don’t often chip in [on hole 1],” said Parham. Although they did not win and finished with a score of two over par, they all had a good time.
“The golf tournament was challenging but rewarding and I had a great time hanging out with my friends: Sid, JT, and Evan,” said Gil. On hole 11, a sharp dogleg left, Gil teed off with a 250-yard drive “that did exactly what it was supposed to do,” said Parham. From there, Parham finished the hole with a 17-yard putt for birdie which earned him the nickname “Sid the Kid,” from JT for his youth-like celebration. This putt brought the team back to par.
Every golfer was given a chance to receive a custom-made golf club from Warrior Custom Golf. Also, there were a number of competitions scattered all throughout the course, including longest putt won by Jamie Dibble and a sniper shot (long-distance drive closest to a bull’s-eye painted on the fairway) won by Dennis Dowton. The winning team, consisting of Jamie Dibble, Jay Kelly, Craig Bisbee, and Catherine Resti won with a score of 13 under par. Along with winning the tournament, Jamie Dibble shot a hole in one on hole 14!
According to Chris Evanitsky, “This tournament is the biggest event in the summer for the county. Next year, we predict that it will only get larger.”
“I had a great time and it was an excellent experience,” said JT.
