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Rotary golf

Team Swordfish wins Golf Classic

Written by Joe Hendricks on . Posted in Golf, Sports.

BRADENTON – The foursome sponsored by the Swordfish Grill won the Rotary Club of Anna Maria Island’s fourth annual Golf Classic.

Collectively, David Woods, Lewis Woods, Marty Lee and Chris Osborne shot a 54 in the 18-hole scramble-style tournament played at the IMG Academy Golf Club in Bradenton on April 4.

Team Swordfish finished the day at 18 under par and Osborne said they birdied every hole. They won $400 in cash for their efforts.

“It was a fun day. It was a good day,” Lee said.

Woods, Woods, Lee and Osborne are the Golf Classic’s first repeat winners, having also won the 2015 tournament.

Osborne also won the men’s closest to the pin award and Carol Shaffer won the ladies’ closest to the pin contest.

Bradenton Beach City Commissioner Jake Spooner was part of the Shoreline Builders’ foursome that finished second with a score of 59. Team Shoreline included co-owner Chris McNamara and Island residents Danny Canniff and Steve Leister.

Rotary golf
Steve Leister, Chris McNamara, Jake Spooner and Danny Canniff finished second. – Joe Hendricks | Sun

Rotarian and Holmes Beach resident David Zaccagnino and his teammates Mike Springer, Tom Sanger and Ben Sanger shot a 61.

“We were crushing the ball, but we missed some key putts,” Zaccagnino said.

While riding around the course in a golf cart, non-golfers Susanne Arbanas from the Waterline Marina Resort & Beach Club and Rotarian Laurie Beppler passed out shots of Limoncello, an Italian lemon liqueur. Rotary Club Vice President Judy Rup and her passenger Susan Fernald also passed out Limoncello shots. Lisa Brakefield and her teammates from the Anna Maria branch of the Advanced Insurance Brokerage were among those who enjoyed the refreshments.

None of the more than 90 golfers who paid the $100 entry fee scored a hole in one on the par 3 third hole that would have earned them a new Volkswagen Jetta from Boast Volkswagen.

Swordfish Grill employee Nora Davis was not present, but she won The Wheelbarrow of Spirits raffled off during the awards dinner that also featured a silent auction.

The annual tournament serves as the AMI Rotary Club’s largest annual fundraiser.

“We raised over $12,000 and we still have money coming in. It was a great day, great weather, nice people and we raised money for our local projects. I wish someone would have won the car,” Rup said later in the week.

Rotary Golf tourney car

Get a hole in one, win a car

Written by Joe Hendricks on . Posted in Golf, Sports.

BRADENTON – Golfers competing in the fourth annual Anna Maria Island Rotary Club Golf Classic on Wednesday, April 4, will have the chance to win a new Volkswagen SE Jetta Sport.

A hole-in-one on the 167-yard, par-3 third hole at the IMG Academy Golf Club in Bradenton is worth a new car valued at approximately $45,000.IMG hole 3

The grand prize is again being offered by Boast Volkswagen in Bradenton. Sales Manager Mike Shaughnessy said the Jetta will be positioned near the tee box so the golfers can see what they’re shooting for. A second car will be on display near the putting green.

“No one’s ever got a hole-in-one, but we hope they do. We basically buy insurance based on the number of players, the yardage and the difficulty of the hole. We pay for the insurance and provide the car. We’ve been doing it since the first Rotary tournament, and we’ll continue,” Shaughnessy said.

“It’s a real nice car. It’s loaded with everything, and it’s got special safety features. It’s one of the top-selling Jettas we have,” he added.

Shaughnessy said company president Steve Bierwirth prefers these kinds of community-oriented promotional activities rather than the basic advertising auto dealerships typically utilize.

“We help the community and the different charities around town, and this is one of the projects we do each year. My wife, Beth, and my son, Tim, have been involved in the Rotary. We believe in what the Rotary does helping out both internationally and locally, and we’ve been able to help them raise money every year,” Shaughnessy said.

Shaughnessy, who is not a Rotarian, has competed in previous tournaments, but he won’t be playing this year because he has to work. Beth won’t be playing either as she continues to recover from a stroke suffered last year, but she is eagerly awaiting the arrival of the couple’s seventh grandchild. Their daughter, Brianna, is expecting a baby boy in late July.

“She’s doing really well,” Shaughnessy said of his wife’s recovery. “She was supposed to be president-elect of the Rotary, but she had to pass on that as well. She’s recovering and getting better little by little. It’s a long haul with a stroke.”

Registration and prizes

Tournament proceeds will benefit AMI Rotary programs at Anna Maria Elementary School. They will also benefit the club’s Learn to Swim program, the Anna Maria Island Concert Chorus and Orchestra and the joint efforts with other local Rotary clubs to build all-inclusive playgrounds at three county parks.

The entry fee is $100 per person and includes 18 holes of golf, an electric cart, lunch, the awards dinner and on-course beverages. You do not need to be a Rotary Club member to play.

AMI Rotary Club Vice President Judy Rup said the winning foursome will get a $400 cash prize, which she noted would cover their entry fees. Additional prizes and awards will also be given away during the dinner taking place in the banquet room.

Rotarian Dennis Schuermann is in charge of golfer registration. On Monday, he said 67 golfers had registered so far.

“They need to register this week by the end of the weekend so we can get our numbers to IMG. They can pay on the day of the tournament,” he said.

To register, call 727-742-0762 or email dschuermann@msn.com.

Tournament sponsors include The Anna Maria Island Sun and LaPensee Plumbing, Pools and Air.