Romeo shoots 65 in junior golf event

Erie's Austin Romeo, playing what he called the best round of his young life, shot a 7-under-par 65 in the second round to help propel him to a fifth-place tie in the International Junior Golf Tour Tournament of Champions over the Memorial Day weekend at Grand Cypress Resort.

Playing in the 16-to-19 division, Romeo, 16, a sophomore at McDowell, had rounds of 76-65-70 for a 5-under-par 211 total, five shots behind winner Rodolfo Cazaubon of Tampico, Mexico.

The field of 92 played on the North-South Course on Saturday and Monday, while Romeo shot the low round of the tournament on the New Course on Sunday.

"I hit the ball solid on the first day, and I could not make any putts, but I still built some confidence,'' he said. "In the second round, I made a lot of putts and obviously I played very well. That was the best round of golf I've played in my life. It carried into the last round, where I played really solid.''

A Kahkwa Club member, Romeo finished 48th out of 132 players at an American Junior Golf Association Mizuno junior tournament in April at Innisbruck Resort in Palm Harbor, Fla.

Romeo credits working out and teacher Dave Smith for his strong play this spring.

"I worked real hard during the winter to build myself up and worked on my swing,'' Romeo said. "Dave Smith is an excellent teacher, and he's helped me with a lot of the little things.''

The top-five finish in the IJGT event earned Romeo three exemptions for AJGA tournaments this summer.

-Former Gannon University star Dave Patronik shot a 1-under-par 71 at Beechmont Country Club in Cleveland in a local U.S. Open qualifier to advance to a Sectional qualifier, likely in Columbus, Ohio, on June 8.

The U.S Open is scheduled for June 18-21 at Bethpage Black in Farmingdale, N.Y. Tiger Woods is the defending champion.

-At Salamanca, N.Y., Dwayne Randall, head professional at Peek'n Peak Resort, shot a 4-under par 68 to finish second Tuesday at the WNYPGA Seneca Allegany Casino & Hotel Pro-Am at Elkdale Country Club.

David Wedzik of Harborcreek tied for third with a 70, while Kahkwa Club assistant Shawn Adamczyk tied for seventh with a 73 and Tom Keenan of Dick's Sporting Goods and Erie's Pat Damore, head pro of Conewango, Country Club, tied for 11th with 75s.

Keenan's and Randall's five-player teams finished tied for second in the pro-am.

-At Gibsonia, Erie's Ron Coleman finished tied for 16th place at the Western Pennsylvania Golf Association's 24th Mid-Amateur Championship at par-72 Pittsburgh National Golf Club.

Coleman, a multiple EDGA champ, shot 76-80-156, 12-over par.

Fairview's Scott Simonsen had 81-83--164, and Erie's Marty Simonsen shot 87-79--166.

Sertoma Junior Tour Ready to Launch

There are two sure signs that it's just about summer in the Heartland.

One is the Memorial Day holiday and the other is the Sertoma Junior Golf Tour's annual adult/child tournament.

The Sertoma Junior Golf Tour, which is for junior golfers ages 5-18, is in its 15th year and is one of the best and most economical ways for boys and girls to hone their golf games, while getting plenty of exercise in the outdoors.

The adult/child tournament is being held Sunday at Sun 'N Lake Country Club with registration beginning at 11:30 a.m. and the 18-hole, alternate-shot format tees off at 1 p.m.

"We're looking for a good turnout because this is a great way for parents, grandparents or any adult to spend time with the kids on the golf course," said Sertoma Junior Tour director Andy Kesling. "The alternate-shot format makes for a lot of fun and keeps everybody involved in the round."

Entry fee for the adult/child tournament is $80 per team and includes range balls, trophies and a nice dinner after the competition.

"The adult/child tournament is a real fun event," said Kesling, who is an assistant professional at Sun 'N Lake Country Club, "We cap it off with a nice dinner and give trophies out."

The 40th annual Bagwell Junior Classic, which is not part of the Sertoma Junior Tour, is set for June 6-7 at River Greens golf course.

Even though the Bagwell is not part of the Sertoma Junior Tour, Kesling is encouraging all junior golfers to participate in the prestigious junior event.

"The Bagwell is a great tournament, it's been around a long time and is one that the junior golfers in the Heartland should support," Kesling said.

The first event on the Sertoma Junior Tour, which has weekly tournaments and runs through Aug. 16, is set for June 11 at the Bluffs in Arcadia.

There is a one-time registration fee of $30 per child and a $10-15 fee for each event.

The weekly tournaments attract between 50 and 65 youngsters and Kesling is hoping that even more junior golfers come out this year.

"We're looking forward to the summer," said Kesling. "The Sertoma Tour is not for beginning golfers, but for youngsters that have played and practiced some and want to improve their games.

"We're hoping a large number of kids come out and participate because competing on the Sertoma Tour is the best way to understand the rules and learn how to perform under pressure."

The Sertoma Tour, which Kesling played when he was younger, offers youngsters a chance to play a different course each week under competitive pressure.

"I know I learned a lot competing on the Sertoma Tour when I was growing up and getting over being nervous and seeing how you compare with the other golfers," Kesling said.

The Country Club of Sebring hosts the June 18 event, while Highlands Ridge North and South will be the site of the June 24-25 tournament.

Golf Hammock will host an event on July 2, Torrey Oaks in Bowling Green will be the site of the July 9 tournament, while Harder Hall will host on July 16.

The Bill Jarrett Match Play Championships are slated for July 22-23 with River Greens golf course hosting the two-day event.

Placid Lakes Country Club is the site of the tournament on July 30, while Lake Wales Golf and Country Club will host on Aug. 6.

The summer season winds up with the Sertoma Tour Championships at Sun 'N Lake Country Club on Aug. 15-16.

Out of the nine tournaments, the top five scores will be counted so that if youngsters miss some tournaments because of vacations or traveling, they still have a chance to succeed.

"We know everyone has vacation plans during the summer," said Kesling. "So we just take the top five scores from each player for the final point standings.

"That way if you miss a few events, you still have a chance to win your age group."

The Sertoma Junior Tour offers youngsters a great opportunity to play a different course each week for very little money.

"The Sertoma Tour is a great bargain," said Kesling. "That wouldn't be possible without the support and assistance we get from all the courses we play on and we can't thank them enough.

"The sooner youngsters are introduced to the game, the quicker they improve and we're looking forward to a great summer of golf."

For more information on the Sertoma Junior Golf Tour contact Kesling at 863-385-4830.

Mark Pinson can be reached at 863-386-5837 or mpinson@highlandstoday.com

Que keeps Malarayat crown

When it came down to a battle of guts and nerves, Angelo Que showed he’s got enough yesterday.

Que rolled in a pressure-packed par putt from six feet on the last hole to beat Thai Nanchok Tantipokakul by a stroke and successfully defend his title in the ICTSI Mt. Malarayat Championship here.

Que checked a putting skid early in the homeward trip to make two important birdies down his last five holes but that all-important par-saver from a 35-yard chip on the difficult final hole spelled the difference.

Claiming his eighth professional title, Que shot a 70 for a 276 aggregate, 12 under par over the Lobo and Malipunyo nines of the Mt. Malarayat Golf and Country Club.

Namchok Tantipokakul of Thailand birdied the last hole from 20 feet for a 68 to give himself a chance at a playoff with Que.

It didn’t happen.

“I was able to check my putting stance after the 13th and when I stood over that putt on the last hole, I was pretty confident,” said Que, who won $8,126 (about P380,000).

Richard Sinfuego, the leader of the first and third rounds, was in hot pursuit of his biggest ever title until his game ran afoul in the final three holes.

Sinfuego missed a three-foot birdie on the 17th that could have given him a one-shot cushion then double-bogeyed the final hole when he sliced his drive into the water.

Sinfuego settled for third spot after a 73 and 278, finishing in a tie with Thai Wisut Artjanawat (67) who was also on the winning track until a finish that was just as bad. Artjanawat lost his ball in the rough and took a double bogey on the 17th and then bogeyed the 18th.

Michael Bibat shot a 67 to tie Jerome Delariarte (70) at 279 to complete a strong Philippine showing in this third leg of the Mercedes Benz Golf Tour.

Que’s victory was the first on the Mercedes Benz Tour this season and followed the trend of local players winning at home. The first leg in Singapore was won by Mardan Mamat and the second by Kiradech Aphibanrat in Pattaya, Thailand.

Szwejbka Shoots 78 In Senior Tour Play

The McDonald's Senior Golf Tour paid a visit to the lower course at Peek'n Peak Resort on Monday.

Jim Szwejbka topped the Flight A with a plus 8, Ray Glasow was second with plus 7 and Tony Kolo and Cork Weary tied for third with plus 2s. Szwejbka also had the low gross with 78.

In the Flight B, Walt Thurnau led with plus 13 and had the low gross with 83 while Bill Deuink and Randy Carlson were tied for second with plus 4 and Harold Johnson took third with plus 2.

Ron Juzdowski paced Flight C with plus 22, Doug Prey and Jim Wirges each had plus 13s and Bill Radack placed third with plus 12. Jim Rissel earned low gross honors with 81.

In Flight D, Nick Danielsen was on top with plus 13, Bob Barnes and Dan Orlando tied for second with plus 8 and Ray Cenni and Dennis Duffee were third with plus 7s. Orlando also had the low gross with 89.

Al Comstock led the Flight E with plus 16 and also grabbed the low gross with 86. Herb Hern, Tony LoGuidice and Joe Palermo each had plus 15s for the second spot and Bob Martin was third with plus 11.

In the Flight F, Harry Trippett was in first with plus 18 while Wayne Lund and Neil Cullen were second with plus 15s and Dave Chall and Doug Spoto tied for third with plus 14. Spoto and Tripett each shot 89s for low gross honors.

Don Armstrong rounded things out in the Flight G with plus 19, followed by Tom Gooch and Paul Hazzard taking second with plus 16s and Tony Barone, Dan Bolles and Terry Carlson were a stroke back with plus 15s. Armstrong also had the low gross with 96.

Closest-to-the pin winners were Juzdowski on No. 2, Glasgow on No. 8, John Ames on No. 11 and Prey on No. 16.

Jim Wirges also had an eagle on the sixth hole.

The tour moves to Cardinal Hills and Point Chautauqua on May 26 at 9 a.m.

It's easy to be fooled by appearances when you want to

Twenty-four years later, Al Vandekerkhove still remembers the sudden noontime summons to the Union Club. "Big problem," was all his lawyer said.

Some local heavyweights were waiting with the bad news: Frank Hertel, darling of the Victoria business world, was going down.

Of immediate concern to this group was that Hertel's International Electronics Corp. was bailing on its sponsorship of the Victoria stop on the Canadian pro-golf tour. It would be a major embarrassment to the city if the tournament imploded. The event had already suffered a near-death experience when its previous sponsor, Murray Pezim -- The Pez -- had walked away licking a $160,000 wound in 1984. Someone had to step up to rescue the day in 1985.

That someone was Vandekerkhove, owner of the Payless Gas chain.

"I said 'but I don't play golf,' " Vandekerkhove recalled yesterday. Never mind, they said, and that's how the Payless Open came to be. It cost Vandekerkhove $157,000 that year. The Times Colonist hailed him as a saviour (though we also managed to spell his name wrong).

The description was borne out by Vandekerkhove's long record of community service, but sometimes we in the media can be too quick to stick the hero label on people, particularly those whose flashy suits speak of financial wizardry -- right up until they get brought down by financial scandal. It happened with Pezim. I was among those who cheered the purported philanthropy of Ian Thow. As for Hertel, he was CFAX citizen of the year, a high-tech visionary whose IEC heralded a bright future in Victoria, where no one wanted wanted to abide a negative word about him (not until he skipped town for Venezuela, anyway).

That's what former CHEK news reporter Harry Maunu remembers about chasing the Hertel story. Few were keen to hear bad news. "Frank was the toast of the town. Everyone thought that Victoria was going to be the Silicon Valley of the north."

Maunu was doing a series of pieces on builders' liens when he first got an indication that Hertel's world wasn't as rosy as it seemed. A plumber told him: "I just put a $30,000 builder's lien on Frank Hertel's Wang building." Maunu went to the land titles office and found a bunch of other contractors had done the same thing with the Carey Road structure then known as the Wang building.

Just having a cash-flow problem -- it will be straightened out in a couple of weeks, Hertel told Maunu. Better have your facts right, he added, which Maunu took as a threat of a lawsuit. Some subcontractors were also urging Maunu to hold off. "They were afraid Frank Hertel's kingdom would fall like a house of cards and nobody would get paid."

So Maunu sat on the tale for a couple of weeks -- only to hear Alan Perry break the builder's lien story on CFAX. Aarrgh.

It took a while for the story to play out. Hertel wasn't charged until 1986, managing to actually avoid arrest until plucked from a plane at Heathrow Airport last week. Former CHEK cameraman Dennis Moore recalls being with Maunu on the top floor of the Carey Road building, where Hertel and friends spoke German among themselves while smiling pleasantly at the TV crew. They didn't know Moore had lived in Germany and knew a bit of the language. "They said, 'Be careful what you say. This could be very dangerous to us.' "

At the heart of Hertel's success was the use of scientific research tax credits. He wasn't alone in taking advantage of a practice that made paupers rich, Maunu said. "Overnight, virtual nobodies became millionaires." One guy went from riding through Oak Bay on a bicycle to driving a powder blue Mercedes, Maunu recalls. A Vancouver parking lot attendant ended up living on Beach Drive, just a few doors from Hertel's own Humber Road home. The Hertel house itself was a stunner. "I remember him telling me that he had the windows brought in from Germany," Maunu said.

The house was so impressive that it could only be filmed properly from the water. It was also cleaned out by sheriffs acting on behalf of the taxman in 1985. Turned out that Hertel's mansion really was a house of cards -- a reminder, yet again, of how easy it is to be fooled by appearances, particularly when we're willfully blind.

Men's golf tour tees off Sunday

The top male golfers in Niagara are ready to battle for bragging rights Sunday at Peninsula Lakes.
In action at the Fonthill course will be 37 exempt golfers and the 38 qualifiers looking to grab one of 15 to 18 open spots on the Nevada Bob’s Men’s Tour. The tour’s first tournament and spring qualifier are being held together for the first time.
“We’re pleased with the numbers that we have,” tour chairman Bernie Bodogh said. “That’s a very healthy thing for the tour.”
The list of exempt players is made up of returning players from last year’s top 30 points race, a few personal or injury exemptions, 10 qualifiers from the fall and the top player from the junior tour moving forward (Adam Briggs).
Returning players include defending champion Jim Briggs (public player), defending senior champion Tony Ravenda (Thundering Waters) and 2008 rookie of the year Jon Odegaard (Queenston).
Among the players expected to contend for the overall crown are old guard Briggs, Bodogh, Ravenda and Bob Goss and up-and-comers Kyle Smith (Sawmill), Stew McEachern (LochNess Links), Odegaard, Gord Henderson (Bridgewater), Rob Reimer (Niagara-on-the-Lake) and Matt Bosela (St. Catharines).
In addition to being a good player, Bosela has done a masterful job of redesigning the tour website (www.niagaramenstour.com).
Briggs is three-time defending points champion while other past champions include Randy Arrowsmith (2001), Goss (2002), Bodogh (2003), Jim McNeil (2004) and Jamie Culp (2005).
Briggs also leads the tour with 10 career wins, followed by Bodogh with five and Steven Billyard, Culp and Ken Robertson with three apiece.
This year’s schedule includes Peninsula Lakes (May 3), Grand Niagara (May 24), St. Catharines Golf and Country Club (June 7), Twenty Valley (July 19), LochNess Links (Aug. 16) and Whirlpool (Aug. 29).
“We have probably the top lineup that we’ve had,” Bodogh said. “We have full support of all the golf courses and they want to be a part of the growth of our tour.”.
Other than different courses being played, there are no changes to the tour this season.
Plans are in the works next season to finish the tour with a 36-hole Saturday and Sunday tour championship.
The non-profit tour was started in 2001 to give Niagara’s best amateur players a chance to improve their games in a competitive atmosphere with a reasonable price.