The Port Arthur News
May 26, 2009 09:35 pm
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Dallas Cowboys head coach Wade Phillips was once again a big hit both on and off the course at the 32nd annual Babe Didrickson Zaharias/Holiday Inn Beaumont Plaza golf tournament over the weekend in Beaumont.
Phillips signed scores of autographs on about everything imaginable, posed for photos with young and old Cowboys fans, was a major player in the fund-raising sports auction, produced the winning ticket in a raffle drawing for a $500 Conn’s gift certificate and, for good measure, helped partner Walt Voigtman of Silsbee win Third Flight.
Among Wade’s contributions to the sports auction was four tickets to Dallas’ Nov. 1 game with Seattle in the new Cowboys’ Stadium and purchasing two items. He paid $600 for a hotel/golf package at the Four Seasons Resort in Dallas and $500 for a Lamar University Red Room party that includes 20 tickets to a Cardinal basketball game.
Phillips, despite having picked up his golf clubs only a couple of times this year, also authored one of the most impressive shots in the tournament. His drive on the 300-yard, par 4, 5th hole wound up 10-feet past the cup. Voigtman rolled in the putt for an eagle 2.
The sports auction netted $9,235.25 for the Babe Zaharias Foundation. Top selling items were the four Cowboys tickets and four tickets to the 2010 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach. Tournament chairman W.L. Pate Jr. paid $950 for the football tickets, while Steve Willis paid $950 for the U.S. Open tickets.
Format for the golf tournament, which was played at Brentwood Country Club, was a two person best ball the first day and two-person scramble the second. Bob West-Grayson West won First Flight with a 124, Ronnie Wardwell-Claude Cleveland took Second Flight with a 136, Voigtman-Phillips claimed Third Flight with a 133 and Rusty Laberentz-Larry Tidwell won Fourth Flight with a 147.
CHIP SHOTS: Port Arthuran Brian Guidry scored the first of two aces reported at Babe Zaharias last week when he sank a 7-iron on the 156-yard, 12th hole. Guidry’s witnesses were his DogFight Team of Bill Hanley, Jobie Irvine and Ron Overstreet. Thanks to his ace, they won by one point (22&5) over the runnerup team of Mike Hebert, Dave Colten, Wayne Matthews and Sheldon Arnaud (21&5). Other closest to the hole winners were Ed Hetzel (No. 2), Wayne Matthews (No. 7) and Dave Evans (No. 15) . . . Kyle Keith of Port Neches authored the second ace at Zaharias. Keith used a 7-iron on the 155-yard, 7th for his hole in one. Witnesses were J. Stafford and Nick Brocato . . . The team of Shane Trahan, Chris Oliver, Vic Trahan and Kevin Michalak shot a 59 in a Florida Scramble format to win the inaugural Mosquito Open played at Belle Oaks. Placing second with a 61 was the fourosome of Bobby Stringer, Don Stringer, Rocky Kennedy and Kenny Andrews. Closest to the pin winners were Kurt Jodie (No. 3) and Kenny Andrews (No. 8). Belle Oaks superintendent Bryan Jackson, who now has his watering system up and running, plans to use proceeds from the tournament toward a mosquito fogging machine . . . The team of Ron Hebert, Larry Padia, Boyd Herndon, Paul Martin and Gary Wagner finished 19&4 to win the Bayou Din DogFight. There was a tie for second between the team of Cole Lee, Harry Green, Ed Hetzel and Don Smith (17&10) and the team of Glen Judice, Hank Harris, Ed Watson and Charles Huckaby (17&4) . . . There was a tie for first in the Belle Oaks DogFight. The team of Mitch Priddy, Rick Pritchett, Larry Stansbury and Charlie Huckaby finished 16&6 as did the team of Richard Briggs, Butch Cross, Doug LeBlanc, Ron Sciarilla and Leonard Hendrickson . . . The team of Charles Heider, Adam Noel, Pat Waite, Gene Harrison and Dave Campbell scored a front nine-back nine sweep in The Patch Senior Game. Playing a 3-ball format, they took the front in minus four and the back in minus three . . . The Seniors at the Babe featured 9 holes of best ball and 9 holes of scramble. Jim Jordan-Ron Theriot won First Flight at six under. Tied for second at minus five was the team of G. Robinson-Mike Hess and the team of R. McClelland-E.T. Robicheaux. In Second Flight, Jim Cooper-Bill Allen won at minus five. Tying for second at minus two were the teams of Harrell Guidry-Bob French and Dennis Frazier-Guy Van Cleve. Third Flight finished in a tie at plus three between Bob Frazier-Tommy Linder and Paul Bourgeois-Jim Stroud. Closest to the pin winners were James Bolton (No. 2, No. 15), Tommy Linder (No. 7) and Harrell Guidry (No. 12) . . . Norm Shannon and Norm Pasch shot next 68s to tie for first in the Monday Seniors at Belle Oaks. Pasche was closest to the hole winner on both No. 8 and No. 15 . . . Rufus Mier shot a net 68 to win the Friday Seniors at Belle Oaks. Four players tied for second at 69. Closest to the pin winners were Jim Brown (No. 8) and Raymond Rice (No. 15) . . . The Patch is hosting a Par 3 Tournament on Sunday. Entry fee is $25 for MGA members and $35 for non MGA members. There is also a flight for juniors with an entry fee of $15 . . . Kelly High School golf coach Don Keen, who is a PGA professional, is hosting a Junior Golf Camp for boys and girls ages 7-15 at Bayou Din. Separate sessions are planned for June 9-12, June 23-26 and July 7-10. Fee is $100 for four days of instruction with a student to teacher ratio of 5/1. The daily sessions run from 9 a.m. top 10:30 p.m. Call 796-1327 to register.
Golf news should be e-mailed to rdwest@usa.net or faxed to 724-6854.
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