Several big golfing events slated

Several big golfing events slated

August 11, 2001

A $1,000 CHECK was donated to the Escalante Shrine Club from proceeds of the Ute Mountain Oil Classic. Attending the ceremony were (back row, left to right) Tom Weaver, Pete Peterson, Fred Petit; (front row): Gordon Milligan, Merit Carter, and Ute Mountain members Jim Milligan, Darrell Mott, Allen Van Riper, and Tonya Yates.

BY JIM THOMAS
Journal Sports Editor

Golf certainly is in full swing at Conquistador Golf Course.

Some big events are on tap for this next week.

The second jewel of the three major tournaments of the season will be held this coming Tuesday, Aug. 14. The annual Mesa Verde Tee Cup Invitational is slated. Women golfers from all over the Four Corners compete participate in the this day-long 18-hole tourney and luncheon event. The group’s final major, incidentally, is the CWGA’s Club Championship, a 36-hole stroke-play event, is set for Sept. 11-12. Shelley Earl of the CWGA, a recent move-in from San Diego, will be one of the top challengers for the medal-play title. Sandy Gates of Farmington should also be among the leaders.

Then the men hit the course for the granddaddy of them all, the Pinto Bean Classic, which will be held Aug. 18-19. Look for Jack Jacobson, who recently won the Cortez Men’s Golf Association title, to be a contender this year.

September may bring a nip to the air and leaf color changes, but it doesn’t mean golf season is over. The Dean Hanson Memorial is set for Sept. 8. The Cortez Senior Championship will be held Sept. 22-23 and the Job’s Daughter’s Tournament will close the tournament schedule Sept. 29.

In other news, the annual Totah Festival Four-Man Scramble Golf Tournament will be held Aug. 17 at Pinon Hills Golf Course in Farmington. There will be a shotgun start at 8 a.m. Awards and door prizes will be handed out. The cost is $65 per play or $260 per team. The fee includes green fee, half-cart, continental breakfast, lunch and some range balls to hit. Registration has been extended to 5 p.m. Monday, Aug. 13. For details, phone (505) 327-9673 or 599-1174.

The dates for the 2001 36-hole Colorado Golf Association’s Medal Play Tournament will be Sept. 29-30 at Dalton Ranch Golf Club located in the Animas River Valley north of Durango.

Players representing Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona will play for some of the highest paying tournament stakes in the area. All players must have a current GHIN number and a USGA handicap. The tournament, sponsored by Touchstone Energy and the Durango Rotary Club, benefits the local chapter of the American Cancer Society and combines a Colorado Golf Association sanctioned event with social events and other fund-raising endeavors.

For sponsorship packages and other information regarding the tournament, phone Fal Wood at 247-8774.

The Montezuma-Cortez High School boys golf team gets ready to hit the links this coming week. They get started this coming Monday at Bookcliff at Grand Junction. They play Tia Rado at Grand Junction the following day and then head to Rifle on Wednesday, Aug. 15. They will take a week off and then host their annual Cortez Invitational on Aug. 23 at Conquistador. Jacobson is the new head coach for the team.

The date for the annual Dean Hanson Memorial Golf Tournament will be Sept. 8 at Conquistador. The format will be a five-person scramble with two shotgun starts: 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. Each team must have at least one lady member and can only have one "A" player (0-13 handicap) or two "B" players (14-17) with no "A" player.

Entry fee is $45 plus green fees and cart. A dinner for all contestants will be held following the tournament. Additional meal tickets are available for $12 per person. Local Realtors, affiliate members of the Cortez Area Association of Realtors and businesses are sponsoring holes which will be used to the fund the scholarship. In addition, local businesses are providing door prizes and a vehicle from Southwest Auto Center will be up for grabs for a hole-in-one on no. 7.

For more information, phone head pro Micah Rudosky at 565-9208, Carol Click at 565-2000 or Bob Whitcomb at 564-5146. Entry forms are available at the Pro Shop or from most real estate offices.