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National Champs

JCC Golfers Claim NJCAA Title By 10 Shots At CGC

The 2000 NJCAA Division III national champions from Jamestown Community College are, from the left, Matt Bird, Jason Anderson, Tony Bisignano, Joe Traniello, Coach Bill Burk and Pete Scheira. P-J file photo by Jim Riggs

EDITOR’S NOTE: Following is a story that appeared in The Post-Journal on June 9, 2000, the day after the Jamestown Community College golf team captured the NJCAA Division III Championship at Chautauqua Golf Club. Although the 2020 tournament was canceled due to COVID-19 pandemic, it was deemed appropriate to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Jayhawks’ come-from-behind victory two decades ago as part of the “Remember When” series.

CHAUTAUQUA — When the golf season began this spring, Jamestown Community College coach Bill Burk knew his Jayhawks would be playing in the NJCAA Division III National Tournament because they were the host team. But because his roster had some question marks early in the season, Burk’s thoughts about the nationals were, “I didn’t want to finish last.”

Jamestown CC didn’t.

After trailing Monroe CC from Rochester by only one stroke after each of the first two rounds on the Lake Course at Chautauqua Golf Club, the Jayhawks found themselves still in second place after the third round. But coming into Friday’s final round, Jamestown CC had to make up five strokes and did better than that. They ended up winning the title by 10 shots with a 1,270 four-player total compared to Monroe’s 1,280.

“I’d rather be down five strokes than up five strokes,” Burk said. “You’re down five strokes and you’re hungry.”

The 2000 NJCAA Division III national champions from Jamestown Community College are, from the left, Matt Bird, Jason Anderson, Tony Bisignano, Joe Traniello, Coach Bill Burk and Pete Scheira. P-J file photo by Jim Riggs

But the Jayhawks had an additional hunger because a few weeks ago they played host to the Region 3 Division Tournament and finished 19 shots out of the lead on their home course. And they finished seven shots behind the second-place team — Monroe CC.

“We knew we should win (the regionals),” said Jamestown CC’s Tony Bisignano, who finished in fourth place in the individual scores at the nationals.

But he didn’t play like that at the regionals and that provided some motivation for the nationals.

“We used my 91,” he said.

That was the score Bisignano shot on the final day of the regionals, but at the nationals he proved he was capable of better with scores of 80-76-74-80-310.

“Tony finally did what he was supposed to do, to be blunt about it,” Burk said. “Tony becomes the key.”

Joe Traniello, who shot Jamestown CC’s top score Friday, a 2-over-par 74, said, “Honestly, we weren’t prepared for the regionals.”

But the Jayhawks were ready for the nationals.

“I give credit to Coach,” said Traniello, who finished with a four-round total of 312.

But Burk said, “I hate to take the credit because I didn’t swing a club all week.”

It is Jamestown CC’s first national championship to help celebrate the 50th year of the college. The women’s volleyball and men’s basketball teams have made five trips each to national tournaments while the women’s basketball team made one, but none came home with the title.

Now the Jamestown CC golf team has succeeded in its first attempt and in Burk’s third year as the coach.

He was an assistant coach when the men’s basketball team went to the NJCAA Division II National Tournament in 1999 and he said, “I’d rather do basketball anytime. Two-and-a-half hours and you’re done. Four days (of a national golf tournament) is a long time. You’re out there for seven hours, living and dying with every shot.”

Meanwhile, Monroe CC is the bridesmaid for the third time. The Tribunes also finished second at the nationals in 1995 and 1997.

“It was one of those days and it wasn’t meant to happen,” Monroe CC coach Hal Roche said.

He knew things were going bad when one of his golfers was hampered with a back injury and another took a 13 on the par-5 fifth hole.

“Even if we don’t have those problems, they’d (the Jayhawks) still have won,” he said. “They needed two kids in the 70s and they got them.”

In the first three rounds of the tournament, at least two Monroe CC golfers broke 80. None did on Friday.

Pete Scheira was the other Jamestown CC golfer to break 80 with a 3-over 75.

“Pete surpassed our expectations and dreams,” Burk said of Scheira’s rounds of 77-77-82-75.

Scheira capped his fine week by canning a 12-foot birdie putt at No. 18.

“When I hit the second shot, I knew I’d make the putt,” he said. “I’d been sinking them all day.”

After shooting a 3-over 38 on the front nine, he just missed a 10-foot eagle putt at No. 10.

“Right on 10 is where I started clicking,” Scheira said. “I could feel it right there.”

A double-bogey 6 at No. 14 soured that feeling, but the positives returned for Scheira when he sunk an 8-foot sidehill putt to save par at No. 15.

“I was nervous all day,” said Traniello, who was 2-under after 13 holes, but bogeyed four of the last five holes. “I wanted to make pars from then (after going 2 under) on out and the nerves got to me.”

Like Scheira, Bisignano also had a 38 on the front nine, but had a 5-over 42 on the back.

“I was trying to shoot as low as I could,” he said. “My swing just didn’t hold up. I actually made the round a lot better than it was.”

But while the Jayhawks were having some minor problems, they knew the Monroe CC golfers, who they were grouped with, were having some major ones.

“The math is always the big pain,” said Burk, who kept trying to calculate how far behind or ahead his team was. “I was trying to work numbers in my mind and figure what the last two guys (Scheira and Bisignano) would have to shoot.”

When did he finally figure out his team was winning?

“Not until I got to the 16th did I think we had a chance to do very well,” Burk said. “We caught the breaks and they didn’t.”

And then thinking back to his team’s disappointing showing at the regionals, Burk added, “The course owed us a couple of strokes.

The fourth Jamestown CC score that was used was Jason Anderson’s 83 while Matt Bird had a 92.

Burk was pleased to note that both Anderson and Bird had their scores used for two rounds each which completed the total team aspect of the national title.

The third-place team was Montgomery College from Rockville, Maryland, which moved from fifth place after three rounds. Montgomery did it by shooting the best four-man total of the entire tournament, a 307, on Friday. Montgomery also led the field in the second round with a 315.

The individual champion, who was in the lead all four days, was Kevin O’Connor from Mitchell College in New London, Connecticut. He shot 72-75-76-75 for a 298. Wesley Rogers of Copiah Lincoln College from Wesson, Louisiana was second with 77-79-77-71-304 and third went to Jeffrey Brunn of Luzerne County CC from Nanticoke, Pennsylvania, with 75-81-79-74-309.

About the only thing the Jayhawks did wrong was the traditional dumping of the water cooler on their coach. They mainly splashed Burk’s back and themselves in a futile attempt, but they can always try again.

That’s because Jamestown CC will be hosting the NJCAA Division III National Tournament for the next two years at Chautauqua GC.

And speaking of next year, Jamestown CC is losing only two sophomores from this team — Bisignano and Bird.

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