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Southwest Florida golf column: PGA HOPE program for veterans at Alico has graduation

Naples Daily News - 4/19/2017

April 19--On Monday, Alico Family Golf in Fort Myers hosted the graduation ceremony for the South Florida PGA Foundation PGA HOPE (Helping Our Patriots Everywhere) Program, which is for military veterans and designed to enhance their rehabilitation and assimilation back into society. Veterans are provided free golf instruction taught by local PGA professionals.

Over the past six weeks, 15 veterans were part of the program. During graduation, veterans played a tournament at the facility's short course.

"The PGA VA Golf Program was inspiring to meet fellow vets and golf trainer professionals," a participant said in a release. "The veterans are fortunate to have such an opportunity, outside the box of a typical PTSD therapy session. It gave us a chance to get out of the house and enjoy not only the sport but the beautiful greenery, blue skies and awesome surroundings. It was beyond the general support group, but rather a feeling of normalcy on networking and healing at the same time."

The South Florida PGA Foundation began PGA HOPE in December of 2015 and since then has introduced over 120 veterans to golf. In addition to Alico Family Golf, Coral Oaks Golf Club in Cape Coral, John Prince Learning Center in Lake Worth, and First Tee of Miami will host PGA HOPE Programs this spring.

Dylan's Drafthouse Charity Scramble: The second annual tournament is Saturday, May 13 at Cedar Hammock Country Club. Registration is from 7:30 a.m. to 8:15 a.m., followed by an 8:30 a.m. shotgun start. The event benefits Angels Fore Charity. The entry fee is $100. Sponsorships are available. For more information, go to foreangels.org, email charity@foreangels.org or call Tom at 216-7363.

Kiwanis Club Naples Scramble: The seventh annual tournament will be Saturday, May 20 at Foxfire Country Club. There will be an 8:30 a.m. shotgun start. The entry fee is $90 per player, with an entry deadline of May 12. Sponsorships are available. Proceeds benefit programs in Southwest Florida such as the Abused Women's Shelter, Habitat for Humanity, Special Olympics, Providence House, Boys and Girls Club, Boy Scouts, Grace Place, Friends of Foster Care, Christmas in July, and more. For more information, contact Walt Kapinos at 289-7140.

Canadian Tour Q-School: Fort Myers' Daniel Mazziotta earned status on the tour for this year after tying for third in Sebring on Friday. Mazziotta, a former Florida Gulf Coast University golfer, shot 73-62-69-70/274 at Sun 'N Lake Golf Club. Cape Coral'sConnor Arendell also earned status, tying for 20th, shooting 72-69-68-72/281. Naples' Edward Figueroa and ex-FGCU golfer Matt Cote are playing in the Q-school in Port St. Lucie this week.

Pelican Marsh Pro-Am: Chris Trout and amateurs Sandra Ginsbury, James Graham and Jim Matesich won the pro-am on Thursday in a scorecard playoff with a 130 total. Gene Fieger and amateurs Mike Doyle, Don Rauch and Chuck Koshgarian also had a 130 and were second. Tommy Donovan and amateurs Pat Melloy, Jeff Sell and Todd Bell were third, also with a 130, and Josh Pauhlus and amateurs Bob Von Gruben, Robert McCloskey and Alex Giaquinto were fourth, also with a 130.

Fieger, the director of golf course operations at The Club Pelican Bay, was low professional, shooting a 69 on Thursday. Andrew Filbert, Jared Blocker and Trout tied for second with 71s, and Gary Baker and Pete Mogg tied for fifth with 73s. Kelly Welsh was seventh with a 74.

FGCU PGM: Members of Florida Gulf Coast University'sProfessional Golf Management program will be volunteering at the Parkinson's Disease fundraising tournament at Vineyards on Monday. They'll be hitting shots for team members for a fee that goes to PASFI.

South Florida PGA Pro-Official: Fiddlesticks Country Club'sAdam DeArmond and board member Larry Den won the tournament on April 12 at their home club. DeArmond and Den combined by a 10-under net 62 on the Long Mean course and finished tied with Reed Kleintop and Tim Young of Highland Woods. DeArmond and Den won a scorecard playoff based on their back nine.

"It was a day of adversity," DeArmond said. "We started out sluggishly, making a team bogey on our second hole. The key moment came when Larry chipped in for net eagle on the 15th hole.

"We started making birdies left and right. We were 9-under on our last 11 holes. It was a good, fun day."

Kleintop, the head pro at Highland Woods, and Young combined to make eight birdies and an eagle in a nine-hole stretch. But they made just one birdie on their last nine holes.

Five teams tied for third place with 67-under 65s: Brian Peaper and Biff O'Reilly of Lost Tree Club in North Palm Beach; Ricardo Ronderos and Lewis Rissman of The Diplomat Country Club in Hallandale Beach; Josh Hershoff and Nick Shea of Wilderness in Naples; Michael Spetsios and Dan Greiss of Imperial Golf Club of Naples; and Daniel Lockhart and Jean Kohn of Fiddlesticks.

Peaper and O'Reilly had the low gross score of 6-under 66. The tournament teams a PGA Professional with an official or board member from their club. It attracted 42 teams.

Notable aces: Al Perrotta made a hole-in-one on Tuesday at Hunters Ridge.on No. 3. But there's even more to it. Perrotta witnessed a hole-in-one nine days earlier -- his wife Elaine made an ace on No. 8 at the club on April 9.

Also, Patty Fitzgerald made her sixth hole-in-one on April 11, using a 5-wood from 150 yards out on No. 17 at Spring Run Golf Club.

Women's Interclub League of Collier County: TPC Treviso Bay defeated Quail Creek to win the league. Quail Creek beat Foxfire in the semifinals, and Treviso Bay knocked off Quail West.

Double-eagle at Royal Palm: Greg Lamke made a double-eagle on the par-5 16th hole at Royal Palm Country Club on Saturday. It was just the third in the club's 41-year history. From 200 yards out, Lamke hit a 5-iron that hopped once and went in the cup. Michael Cox witnessed the feat.

Calbot at Folds of Honor event: Mike Calbot, who has a teaching academy at Old Corkscrew Golf Club, will be at Arrowhead Golf Club in Naples on Saturday, April 29 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Calbot will be providing video analysis for donations to Folds of Honor, which provides scholarships to family members of fallen servicemen and women. For more information, call 596-1000, ext. 3.

Polk second at Senior Amateur: Robert Polk of Bonita Springs shot a 217 to tie for second in the 56th Florida State Senior Amateur Championship that wrapped up Thursday at Bradenton Country Club. Polk shot 70-72-75 to finish a stroke behind George DeSear of Bradenton.

Chris Chocola of Naples (74-71-75) and Bonita Springs'Owen Joyner (74-73-73) were part of a tie for ninth at 220. Sam Till of Bonita Springs tied for 23rd at 226. Rokki Rogan of Fort Myers and Bill Barnes of Bonita Springs tied for 32nd at 228. Naples' Dan Smith tied for 40th at 230, and Tom Rex of Naples tied for 57th at 236.

To submit an item, send an email to ghardwig@naplesnews.com.

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