Michael J. Kavanagh
SUNY-Albany

Because the first annual SIOPen golf outing was "snowed out" in St. Louis in 1997, the first playable one was held on Thursday, April 23, at the Chase Oaks Club in Plano, Texas. Fifteen teams competed in a four-person scramble format, with Team Big Dawg winning the coveted "Hugo Cup" with a score of 59. For those of you who are mathematically able, we know that 15 times 4 is 60, but there was one "no show," thus 59 golfers enjoyed the sunny Texas weather and companionship that is found in friendly competition.

The co-organizers Chuck "Chili Dip" Lance and Jos "Hosel" Cortina are to be thanked and congratulated for their efforts in creating and running this event. The course they selected was designed by Bruce Devlin and provided a severe challenge for all teams, particularly the signature 17th hole with its boulder-strewn fairway and water-protected green. Chuck informed us that the venue for next year’s tournament will be the Stone Mountain Course in Atlanta.

As mentioned, Team Big Dawg (see picture, below), consisting of Chuck Lance, Karl Kuhnert, Gay Kuhnert, and Mickey Kavanagh, came in first with a score of 59. The Fore Swearers team (Robin Gomez, David Baker, Val Arnold, and Chuck Brazik) placed second in a scorecard play off over the third place team of Stu Greenberg, Michael Jenkins, Pete Leddy, and Scott Harkey (The Fore Fathers). Wink Bennett won closest to the pin on hole 7, while Jay Finlinson won the long drive competition on hole 18.

The remaining teams and their members included (1) Team Ethnic Diversity–Jos Cortina, Ron Landis, Stephen Gilliland, and David Costanza; (2) III & J–Rowland Hanley, Jay Finlinson, Scott FInlinson, and Peter Chen; (3) Shanks–Jonathan Turner, Simon Bartle, Bryan Hayes, and Dave Hammel; (4) Boomers–Craig Russell, Robert Terry, Michelle Dean, and Craig Manley; (5) Fore Men–Mike Coovert, Wally Borman, Howard Weiss, and Phil Craiger; (6) Sod Movers (see picture)–Dave Woehr, Erik Day, Wink Bennett, and Paul Thayer; (7) Pothole Makers–Matt Redmond, Mark Nagy, and Derek Miller; (8) Rough Boys–Fred Smith, Steve Arneson, Reed Morrison, and Tobin Anselmi; (9) Least Preferred Coworkers–Dan Sachau, Todd Brickler, John Congemi, and Jason Miller; (10) Gang of Fore–Doug Haaland, Suzanne Farmer, Matt Such, and Jayson Shoemaker; (11) Upper Deck–Ken Griswold, Bob Berg, Mike Alterkruse, and Dick Gales, and (12) L.G.S.S.–Hodges Golson, Tim Courtland, Robert Guardiola, and Dan Lezotte.