The Brenham golf program received significant community support on Sunday at the annual Friends of Golf Tournament at the Brenham Country Club.
Sunday’s tournament gathered 30 teams for a four-player scramble event with various activations throughout the course helping Brenham golf further than just the tournament entry fee.
“Mother Nature helped with weather we ended up getting today,” Brenham coach Earl Hathaway said, noting Sunday’s clear skies and seasonable temperatures.
Each four-player team teed off and used the best ball on a given shot. Each team then took a shot from that location and continued on each hole until any member of the team holed out.
Teams could donate additional money throughout the course in exchange for various fun advantages. Brenham golfers offered their expertise to take tee shots on the 12th and 14th holes, teams could buy a closer putt for a better score on the 18th green and teams could move closer to the hole following their tee shots on the seventh based on a dice game played before teams teed off, among other activations.
The team of Janie and Ellie Rieger, Sara Garcia and Marty Mosher took first place with a score of 50. Rudy Garcia, Tim Mittasch, Scottie Ring and Kyle Merten teamed up for a second-place finish with a score of 52. Third place went to Derrell Krebs, Chance Wilkerson, Janie Krebs and John Gillespie with a score of 54.
Seven other teams were one stroke behind the top three and combined to finish in a tie for fourth.
Among the teams tied for fourth were representatives from the Brenham Independent School District. Superintendent Clay Gillentine and Brenham ISD Board of Trustees president Jared Krenek teamed up with board members Shawn Koonce and Justin Colley. Brenham baseball head coach Chase Wheaton along with assistant coaches Seth Spivey and Cullen Joswiak played with John Joswiak.
“It is great for our board members to be here,” Hathaway said. “Of course, the superintendent’s son plays (Holton), but it is great for people like that to come out and know that we have got support within our system.
Closest to the pin challenges also were available on the fourth and 12th holes. Branham won the fourth-hole challenge, coming within 10 feet, 4 inches of the pin. John Gillespie won the challenge on the 12th hole with a tee shot coming with 9 feet, 3 inches of the hole.
Skin games were conducted on three holes, with the team winning the hole earning a skin containing a monetary prize. All three skins were donated back to the program, though.
Teams also had the option to buy $10 raffle tickets for a Turtlebox outdoor speaker before playing the 16th hole. Carl Prihoda won the raffle.
All 30 teams walked away with a prize, but the Brenham golf program was the big winner with the funds raised from entry fees, hole activations and sponsorships. Sunday’s event attracted 31 platinum sponsors and 23 hole-in-one sponsors.
Hathaway said it will take time to figure out how much money the Brenham golf program raised from Sunday’s event. However, he noted that the funds raised are already having an impact.
“We are getting some golf simulators for a room we have had done,” he said. “Matter of fact, we are getting them in a couple of weeks now, now that we had such a good day.”
The Brenham golf program continues its spring season this week, starting on Tuesday with the Cubettes going to Sand Hill Farms in Waller for a one-day tournament. The Cubs will play at the Campus Course at Texas A&M in a two-day event on Friday and Saturday.
