Twenty-six foursomes competed in the tournament, held July 24 at Moon Brook Country Club. Winning the tournament with a score of 118 in the four-ball, two-best-ball format was the team of Mike Bird, Todd Conklin, Jeff Keppel and Jerome Lee Yaw. They will have their names engraved on the champions’ trophy, which is called The Gregg Bender Cup in honor of the retired TRC employee and former longtime chair of the tournament’s steering committee.

Earning top honors in the First Flight with a score of 123 was the team of Cody Anderson, Jordan Bardo, Jason Consiglio and Jordan Woleen. Finishing atop the Second Flight with a 118 was the team of Mike Goldman, John Gren, Tom Olson and Mike Roberts.

Once the tournament concluded, the traditional Special Olympics putting contest took place. Twenty-three athletes participated, with each Special Olympian getting three chances to make a lengthy putt. The competitor whose ball came to rest closest to the hole was TJ McDonnell. He also won the putting contest in 2019.

Following a buffet dinner prepared by Moon Brook staff, awards were presented to the top teams in the tournament and prize drawings were held. Richard Erickson, president of The Resource Center’s board of directors, and Kelly Dimitri, TRC’s chief operating officer and chief financial officer, thanked the golfers for participating in the tournament, which raises money to support people with disabilities in Chautauqua County.

TJ McDonnell, center, won the Special Olympics putting contest. He is pictured with Kevin Anderson, left, a Resource Center employee and Special Olympics golf coach, and Gregg Bender, a member of the tournament’s steering committee. Submitted photo

For the 12th straight year, Lake Shore Savings was the presenting sponsor. Other major sponsors were AssuredPartners, Bryans & Gramuglia, the Winifred Crawford Dibert Foundation, HM Insurance Group, Independent Health/Pharmacy Benefit Dimensions, Jamestown Container Companies, Lutheran Jamestown, Ocean State Innovations, The Post-Journal and USI Insurance.

Other sponsors included Collaborative Children’s Solutions, Conrad Office Products, Courier Capital, SM Cristall, DFT Communications, Enterprise Fleet Management, M.J. Foley Co., Fredonia Beaver Club, Graf Realty, Arthur R. Gren Company, HCH Interiors, Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield of WNY, Inscale Architects, Jamestown Awning, Jamestown Mattress, LaBella Associates, MRM Stop/Loss Insurance, Pepsi Co. of Jamestown, Philadelphia Insurance Companies, Rand Precision Machining, Shults Auto Group, Smokin’ Bear Cigars, Southern Tier Distilling Company, Stuart Tool & Die, Twinstar Business Solutions, UPMC Chautauqua, WCA Foundation, Weber Knapp and The Resource Center’s Executive Management Team.

The following donated items: ACME The Appliance Store, AKS Sig Designs, Bush-eSolutions Furniture, Chautauqua Golf Club, DFT Communications, Filling the Gap, Greater Chautauqua Federal Credit Union, Pepsi Co. of Jamestown, Philadelphia Insurance Companies, Pro Oil, Rand Precision Machining, Shorewood Country Club, Smokin’ Bear Cigars, South Hills Country Club, Southern Tier Brewing Company, Southern Tier Distilling Company, Jason Stronz and ZTS Management.

The tournament’s success is due in large part to the efforts of its steering committee: Chris Anderson, chair; Gregg Bender, chair emeritus; Victoria Bardo, Nicholas Bell, Daniel Bender, Elizabeth DeRosa, Adam Dimitri, Todd Frangione, R. Michael Goldman, Phil Ribaudo, Mike Roberts, Jason Stronz, Timur Tyra, Tad Wright, Gary Yager and Ben Windoft.

Also critical to the tournament’s success were the contributions of its other event-day volunteers: Kevin Anderson, Theresa Butts, Kayla DePane, Kathy Field, Ashley Hammond, Austin Mitchell, Sarah Pillittieri and Karen Silzle.

“The 27th annual TRC Golf Classic was our best event to date. The weather was perfect, and the golf course was in excellent condition,” Anderson said. “The TRC Golf Classic is only made possible with the financial commitment of sponsors and the dedication of many volunteers. Together, they make a difference in the lives of people in our community. Truly, it is an honor to lead such a successful and important event and have a dedicated team of committee members ensuring the tournament’s continued success.”

New this year, the event partnered with Backswing Golf Events, a group of lady professional golfers who are available to attend corporate and charity golf events. Alexis Phadungmartvorakul, who played golf at the University of Oregon and the Ohio State University and is currently qualifying for LPGA Tour events, provided an interactive on-course fund-raising activity for TRC Golf Classic players to test their golf skills against hers.

“Alexis provided a great challenge and raised close to $1,700 for the TRC Golf Classic,” Anderson said.

He noted that while final figures have not been tabulated, this year’s tournament will generate close to $45,000 after all expenses have been paid. This will bring the tournament’s cumulative net proceeds to about $1.8 million since the event was first held in 1997.

TRC Golf Classic proceeds benefit Filling the Gap Inc., a Jamestown-based not-for-profit organization that works with The Resource Center to improve the lives of people with disabilities and other socioeconomic challenges.

Next year’s TRC Golf Classic is scheduled for July 22. Businesses interested in sponsoring the event can contact Anderson at 716-483-2344.