Record Number Of Golfers Brave Winds, Raise Record $$$ For VGCC Scholarships
For the first time in the 18-year history of its Endowment Fund Golf Tournament, Vance-Granville Community College had to turn away teams that wanted to participate in the May 14 event.
The record 200 players who made it into the morning and afternoon rounds at Henderson Country Club braved high winds and bore with good humor the renovations under way to the clubhouse and grounds.
When the day ended, Vance-Granville Community College had added nearly $27,000, a record high for the tournament, to its Endowment Fund. The proceeds will fund more scholarships for deserving students at the college, announced President Robert A. Miller.
“I am really pleased with the results of this year’s golf tournament,” Miller said. “We didn’t know what to expect this year, due to the unstable economic times and the work going on at Henderson Country Club.
“The overwhelming response of the 200 golfers who played and the companies who joined us as sponsors proves once again that the four-county Vance-Granville service area is wholeheartedly behind the college’s efforts to educate our people,” Miller said. “It is continuing support like this that makes it possible for us to award about 400 scholarships each year and provides the opportunity for so many people to further their educations who would not otherwise be able.”
Despite a howling wind that blew almost all day, the teams turned in some very low scores on the par-72 HCC course. In the morning, three teams scored net 60. After matching cards, the team representing Georgia-Pacific and composed of Gary Garner, Kathy Garner, Eduardo Herrera and Mike Green took home the first-place trophy.
Second in the morning went to the team of Michael Mahan, Kurt Mull, Mark Ellwanger and Roy Garrison, out of Oxford, and the Henderson team of Ray Pegram Jr., Jim Beck, Danny Guin and Julian Pernell took third.
The Henderson team of Buddy Finch, Donald Seifert Sr., Dick McIntyre and John Norwood was all alone at net 61 to take the first-place trophy in the afternoon round. Matching cards was required to determine the other trophy winners as three teams turned in net 62 scores.
Taking home trophies for second place were Bob Taylor, Travis Ross, Jim Beck and Burt Long, all of Henderson, while third-place trophies went to Ronnie Ellington, Gene Edmundson, Mark Hicks and John Winston of Oxford. Also shooting net 62 were Charles Royster, Pat Royster, Byron Leu and Don Scott of Oxford.
Wendell Davis hit the longest drive on Hole 1 in the morning round, and D.D. Douglas had the long tee shot for the afternoon. Donald Wimbrow put his tee shot closest to the pin on Hole 9 in the morning, and Regina Ellis had the close tee shot on No. 9 after lunch.
In addition to the companies and individuals who paid to play golf during the tournament, President Miller thanked numerous companies who participated as sponsors. Platinum Sponsors for the 18th VGCC Endowment Fund Golf Tournament were CP&L-A Progress Energy Company, Classic Foods/Henderson Coca-Cola and Selectron of Creedmoor. Gold Sponsors were Alaris Medical System of Creedmoor, The Athlete’s Foot of Henderson, Bandag of Oxford, Boyd
Chevrolet-Buick of Henderson, Boyd Olds-Pontiac-Buick-GMC Boyd Ford/Boyd Honda of Oxford, Brooks Appraisals Inc. of Oxford, Canteen of Raleigh, Century 21/Country Knolls Realty of Henderson, Corporate Express of Henderson, Dove, Knight & Whitehurst, Architects, P.A., of Rocky Mount, Granville Paving & Granville Ready Mix Concrete of Oxford, Jennifer P. Hunter Insurance, Jeffco of Advance, Southern Caterers of Henderson and Sprint of Vance, Granville, Franklin and Warren Counties.
Appreciation was expressed to Classic Foods for providing lunch and dinner for the golfers, and to Southern Caterers for cooking breakfast. Miller also thanked the companies who provided items for door prizes and for the golfers’ gift bags, including Revlon, The Peanut Roaster, Georgia-Pacific, Sprint, Americal, MBS Textbook Exchange, Custom Molders, Wal-Mart of Oxford and Harris Inc.
NUMBER 1 IN MORNING – The Georgia-Pacific team took home the first-place trophy for the morning round of the 18th Annual Vance-Granville Community College Endowment Fund Golf Tournament on May 14. Shooting a net 60 for the top prize were, from left, Eduardo Herrera, Mike Green, Kathy Garner and Gary Garner.
MORNING RUNNERS-UP – After posting a net 60 and matching cards, the team of, left to right, Mark Ellwanger, Roy Garrison, Kurt Mull and Michael Mahan took second place in the 18th Annual Vance-Granville Community College Endowment Fund Golf Tournament May 14 at Henderson Country Club.
THIRD IN A.M.– A net score of 60 earned third place for the Henderson team of Ray Pegram Jr., Jim Beck, Danny Guin and Julian Pernell, left to right, in the 18th Annual Vance-Granville Community College Endowment Fund Golf Tournament May 14.
AFTERNOON CHAMPS– Maybe it’s because they play the course all the time, or maybe they’re just that good, but the team of Buddy Finch, Dick McIntyre, John Norwood and Donald Seifert shot a net 61 to win first place in the afternoon round of the 18th Annual Vance-Granville Community College Endowment Fund Golf Tournament on May 14.
SECOND IN AFTERNOON – Runners-up in the afternoon round of the 18th Annual Vance-Granville Community College Endowment Fund Golf Tournament was the team of Bob Taylor, Jim Beck, Travis Ross and Burt Long, left to right.
WINNING ATTITUDE – A young man used to winning, basketball point guard Chris Duhon of the Duke Blue Devils, accompanied the team that took third place in the Vance-Granville Community College Endowment Fund Golf Tournament. Left to right are Ronnie Ellington, John Winston, Duhon, Mark Hicks and Gene Edmundson. Duhon, who did not play in the May 14 event, said he is just taking up golf but his main focus remains on the hardwood.
