Event raises $23,000 for football program

Published in the August 31, 2015 edition

BEVERLY —  The 11th Annual Warrior Club Golf Tournament was held on Monday, Aug. 3 at the Beverly Golf & Tennis Club in Beverly.

THE WAKEFIELD Warrior Golf Club tournament champions (from left to right) are Bob Sardella, David Cullen and George Hurley.

THE WAKEFIELD Warrior Golf Club tournament champions (from left to right) are Bob Sardella, David Cullen and George Hurley.

For the second year in a row, the tournament sold out with 121 golfers — each excited to enjoy a great day, with great friends, for a great cause — supporting the 2015 Wakefield Memorial High School football program.

The weather could not have been better and the conditions led to success on the course and in the Warrior Club’s fundraising efforts. After the last putt was made and the final silent auction item won, the event yielded over $23,000 for the benefit of Wakefield student-athletes in the football program.

The day began with the golfers being met as they drove into the golf club by members of this year’s varsity team. Led by co-captain Tighe Beck, the players greeted the golfers with a smile, welcomed them to the event, thanked them for their support and transported their clubs to their golf carts. From there, golfers checked in at registration where a team of two dozen amazing volunteers checked them in, assisted them with raffle and mulligan tickets and provided them with their gift bags — stuffed with tournament giveaways.

The gift bags were donated by the Wakefield Co-operative Bank and inside, the golfers were provided with: sun screen and golf towels from Future of Dentistry; Warrior Club insignia baseball caps from The Savings Bank; tournament golf shirts with the Warrior Insignia from Keith’s Tree Service and Nardone, Inc.; a sleeve of golf balls and assorted golf coupons from Golf Galaxy.

From there, golfers enjoyed a buffet Lunch of hot dogs and sausages, onions and peppers and chips, sponsored by 128 Plumbing, Heating and Cooling.

The tournament began with a shotgun start at 1:30 p.m. As the golfers raced to their starting hole, they were greeted by numerous contest and tee sponsor signs to be seen all throughout the course.

The eighth hole was the site of the Warrior Club’s Longest Drive Contest; the 12th hole hosted the Warrior Club’s Hole-in-One contest, sponsored by Matt

THE WAKEFIELD Warrior Golf Club Tournament second place finishers (from left to right) are Mike Boyages, John Amentola, Dan Tucker and Kevin Noonan.

THE WAKEFIELD Warrior Golf Club Tournament second place finishers (from left to right) are Mike Boyages, John Amentola, Dan Tucker and Kevin Noonan.

Shevlin and the 15th hole served as the location of the Warrior Club’s 50/50 Raffle.

In addition, every other par three hole had a different prize if a golfer made a hole-in-one. Each golfer also participated in the Justin Leo Marshall Memorial Putting Contest (https://www.justinsclimb.org), sponsored by Metalcrafter’s Inc. (https://www.metalcraftersinc.com/intro.html)

For the second year in a row, the tournament ended in a tie with two groups shooting a fantastic score of 62. To determine a winner, tournament rules dictated that the best score on the #1 Handicap hole would prevail. Based on this standard, the title of 2015 Warrior Club Golf Champions was awarded to: Bob Sardella, David Cullen and George Hurley, along with $100 gift certificates to Sabatino’s Restaurant in Wakefield.

Coming in second place was the foursome of Mike Boyages, Kevin Noonan, John Amentola and Dan Tucker. For their efforts, they received $75 gift certificates to Laurie’s 9:09 Restaurant in Wakefield and Callaway Golf Caps.

Other contest winners included: Closest-to-the-Pin — Mike Bourque; Longest Drive — Tim MacDonald; and the 50/50 winner was Dan Looney who won a cool $265.

There was also a lot of excitement surrounding the Justin Leo Marshall Memorial Putting Contest. For the first time ever, three golfers sank their 60’ qualifying putts to place them in the finals for an opportunity to win $5,000. Doug Belyea, Mark O’Brien and Jim Joly each had visions of grandeur but in the finals their mortality returned and their 15 minutes had passed. Still all three had a great effort.

At the conclusion of the tournament, all golfers were off to the banquet, sponsored by the Wakefield Co-operative Bank, to check the results of the raffle drawings, participate in the silent auction and enjoy a beverage and the buffet with their Warrior Club friends and family.

Tournament Chairman, Jim Joly, closed out the event by thanking all the participants.

He said, “I would like to personally thank all of you for taking the time and for giving as generously as you do. Without your continued support and the backing of many businesses, the Warrior Club could not provide the bridge between the resources of the high school and the experience we all want our student/athletes to have.”

He continued, “This tournament is like a family reunion — a Warrior Club family reunion — and the combination of current families with decades of alumni are what make it a tremendous success. Thank you to you all and know that you are greatly appreciated.”