A casual day of golf - followed by a fun evening of activity - was enjoyed by volunteers, course raters, Rules officials and RDGA Member Clubs at the annual RDGA Fall Event & Awards Program on October 15.
Hosted by Monroe Golf Club - site of the 2018 RDGA District Championship - the invited guests played a round of golf as a thank-you for their support of RDGA events and programs throughout the year, followed by an evening reception in the Monroe clubhouse, where the year-end awards were presented and the 2019 slate of RDGA Board Members were introduced.
Reflecting on a busy season - one that included a schedule of 23 tournaments between May and October – the annual RDGA Fall Event offered District officials the opportunity to present a “state of the RDGA”–type address, followed by the presentation of the District's Players of the Year Awards for Men, Women, Juniors and Seniors.
“Thanks to everyone - from our Board Members, to our Rules Officials, Delegates and volunteers - for an outstanding season. It's been a great year and I look forward to laying the groundwork for a successful 2019 as we move into fall,” said Mark Battle, who completed his second season in office as RDGA President in 2018.
RDGA Tournament Director Michael Sorce next announced the District’s top honors for Players of the Year - which included two new awards for Senior and Girls Junior Players of the Year honors, along with the annual RDGA awards for Men, Women and Boys Juniors.
Jim Scorse of Stafford Country Club, was announced as the 2018 RDGA Men's Player of the Year for an unprecedented 15th time since the inception of the award in 1997.
Scorse finished nearly 200 points ahead of Locust Hill's Adam Condello - last year's RDGA Men's Player of the Year - earning 1,145 points and winning three RDGA events in 2018, including the RDGA Match Play Championship, the RDGA Mid Amateur Championship and teaming up with Ken Seibold to win the RDGA Two Person Scramble.
In addition to his tournament victories, Scorse added to his point total for the year with top-10 finishes in the New York State Men's Amateur, the NYS Mid Am, the Tournament of Champions, the Brook-Lea Invitational and the Country Club of Rochester Invitational.
Winning the
RDGA Women's Player of the Year honors for 2018 was
Jenna Hoecker, who also won the award in 2015 and 2016. Hoecker won the award this year on the strength of three championship victories: the
RDGA Women's Championship, the
New York State Women's Mid Amateur and the
WRDGA District Championship. Her point total of 675 was more than 150 points ahead of runner-up
Tammy Blyth of Monroe.
Winning this year's Boys Junior Player of the Year was Jeremy Summerson of Cobblestone Creek, who finished a mere 12 points ahead of Aiden Spampinato, winner of this year's RDGA Junior Boys Championship title.
And in the two new Player of the Year categories for 2018, Webster's Mikah McDonnell won the inaugural Girls Junior Award by a wide 53-point margin over runner-up Jayde Ford of Irondequoit. McDonnell earned many points for winning both the Monroe County High School Championship, as well as this year's Section V Girls High School title.
In the other new Player of the Year category, Oak Hill's Jim Mason won the inaugural RDGA Senior Player of the Year award on the strength of a victory in the Brook-lea Invitational Senior Division, as well as top-10 finishes in seven other state and local senior championships. Mason earned 788 points - 368 ahead of runner-up Chris Sorci, winner of the RDGA Senior Match Play title.
Following the year-end player awards, RDGA Executive Director Tim Vangellow announced that the slate of District officers that will serve for the upcoming season had been approved in online voting by RDGA Club Delegates. In 2019, the RDGA Board of Directors will include the following members:
- Mark Battle (President)
- Paul Turner (Vice President)
- Dave Uhazie (Treasurer)
- Andrew Conway*
- Wilson Fitch
- Deb Harper
- Jenna Hoecker*
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- Fred Lapple
- Dan Overbeck
- Sam Space
- Mike Sorce
- Sharon White
- Susanne Yarnall*
*New to Board for 2019
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The RDGA Thanks all who participated, hosted and volunteered for our events in 2018 - we look forward to seeing you all again in the spring!
...AND, watch for the 2019 RDGA Tournament Schedule, to be announced on January 1!
