A WORD ABOUT FORMER CONTESTANTS

GRASSROOTS FOR THE PGA & LPGA
by Paul Haluza

        Baseball has little league, and football has the Pop Warner League as the spawning ground for future professional athletes. Golf has its junior programs to provide the opportunity for youngsters to learn the game and tournaments such as the Bobby Bowers Memorial as a means to test their abilities in a competitive environment. As these youngsters pass from childhood to young adulthood, the level of competition intensifies as well, and by the time they enter college, their road to professionalism has been established.

        Over its 35-year history, the Bowers Memorial has had its share of future college players and later professionals compete. In the boys' divisions, probably the most notable is John Daly, who, in 1979, lost his semi-final match to eventual winner, Jonathan Baker in the 13 and under bracket. Baker was a highly touted junior player who lived his summers in North Carolina and winters in Arizona in order to develop his game. Baker is now an assistant pro in Salt Lake City. Daly came back in 1980 in the 14-15 bracket, but lost in an early round and he never competed in the tournament again. Another touring pro, Emlyn Aubrey competed in all three age brackets without a win.

        Kris Blanks, now on the PGA Tour, was a late bloomer in professional golf.  He lived in Springfield for a while in the late1980’s, attending Lee High School before moving to Alabama where he finished high school and earned NAIA All-American honors at Huntingdon College.  Blanks, who lost in the 1989 semifinals of the Bowers Boy’s 14-15 division, returned to Virginia to win the 1994 Northern Virginia Amateur.  He turned pro the next year, then working as an assistant professional in South Carolina and Georgia and playing the mini-tours before he made it to the PGA Tour in 2009.  So far in 2010, he is 57th in the FedEx Cup standings, with nearly a million dollars in winnings.

        While many of the Bowers' players have gone on to success as professionals, the most recent double winner (1998-99) of the 16-17 age bracket, Spence Andrews, won the 2004 Virginia State Open, while still competing as an amateur.

        A number of past champions are still trying to earn their PGA cards on the mini-tour. These include Joey Sadowski, the first back-to-back winner (1976-77) in the 16-17 age bracket. From the 14-15 age division, champions Todd Gleaton (1984), Jon Hurst (1985), Bobby Bilbo (1990, and 13 and under champion in 1988), and G. W. Cable (1992) are trying to make their mark. From the 13 and under division, Fred Widicus (1982) and Joey Maxon (1989) are competing on one of the mini-tours.

        There are two Bowers' champions who played on the PGA tour for a while.   Mike Mueher (1987 champion in the 14-15 age bracket), a Duke University graduate, won his tour card in the Fall of 2000 and after recently regaining his amateur status won the Middle Atlantic Amateur in 2007 played at Congressional Country Club.  Cameron Yancy (1995 champion in the 16-17 age bracket) won his tour card in the Fall of 2002.  

        Within the SG&CC family, Jimmy Sullivan, the son of our retired pro Quin and Patty, has one of the longest records for competing in the Bowers.  Starting at age 9, he competed every year thereafter before reaching the age limit.  Jim competed for several years on the mini-tours in Florida before becoming head professional at SG&CC a position he recently left to pursue another business opportunity in Richmond, VA.

        Additionally, there have been many children of members compete, but only Dan DeRisio won a title as the 1978 14-15 division champion. DeRislo made it to the 1980 16-17 finals, but lost to Mike Echols, who is now out of golf. Scott Inman, many times SG&CC club champion, competed in 1978 and 1979. He was a medalist and beat Webb Heintzelman, later a PGA Tour player for several years, in a semifinal match, but never won. Scott was also the 1994 Virginia amateur champion.  In all, Heintzelman played two years on the PGA tour and two more years on the Hogan tour. 

        Another champion, Sam Boyd (1992 16-17 division) remains a competing amateur in the area. Mike Hoss (1979 16-17 division) is the assistant sports director at WWLTV in New Orleans.

        Frank Alafoginis, a several times competitor, was a notable area junior golfer who scored a hole in one on SG&CC's fourth hole during Bowers' stroke play qualifying.  He recently graduated from the University of Illinois after playing golf there on scholarship .    

        Brandon LaCroix, who was runner up to John Mueller in 1997 in the 16-17 division, went on to play four years at Duke University for Hall of Fame coach Rod Myers and now is with Merrill Lynch in Roanoke, Virginia.  

        The Bowers first winner in 1975, Pete Van Pelt,  was for many years the head professional at Mount Vernon CC and is now the club manager.  The 1978 16-17 Champion, Greg McCulloch is the head pro at Carambola GC in St. Croix, Virgin Islands. Matt Ball, never a champion, recorded one of the very few aces (#13) and is the men's golf coach at Virginia Commonwealth University. Other Bowers veterans who are now head professionals or directors of golf include: Steve Danielson (Belle Haven CC), Jim Fitzgerald (Chevy Chase CC), John Lyberger (Congressional CC), Bob Dolan (Columbia CC), Charlie Briggs (Burning Tree Club), Carl Filipowicz (The Crossings GC), Tim Newsom (Elizabeth Manor G&CC), Jamie Childs (Queenstowne Harbor Golf Links),  Kevin Wilmouth (Falling River CC), and Tommy Joyce (Hidden Valley CC).

        The title for longest distance traveled belongs to Seishi Tanaka, who came from Japan to compete in the Bowers. He qualified for the 16-17 division, but was eliminated in an early round only to turn around and caddy for one of the competitors in the girls' division. Tanaka was the guest of the Neal and Kirk Putman during his stay in the U.S.  During a casual post-tournament round of golf with Neal and this writer, Tanaka hit his tee shot on #4 out-of-bounds and his next shot into the hole. It was enjoyable to watch his reaction at making a "hard par."

        Donna Andrews, 1984 Girl's Champion, was a long-time regular on the LPGA tour as was Tina Barrett, who also competed in the Bowers in the 1980’s, and as is Kim Williams of Bethesda, who competed when she was playing in junior golf tournaments.  Kim twice won the Canadian Women's Amateur and was runner-up in US Women's Amateur.  She also was a long-time LPGA tour player.

        Perhaps one of the most notable Bowers Girl's Champion is Jenny Chuasiriporn, the first three-time winner (1991, 92 and 93), who almost defeated professional Si Re Pak in the U.S. Women’s Open in 1998.  

        Another exceptional player is Casey Rotella, who graduated from the University of Notre Dame after playing golf there on scholarship .   

        Candy Hanneman who came to the U.S. from Brazil qualified for the Bowers as a 12 year old. She drew a lot of attention before being defeated in match play. Hanneman, the 2001 NCAA Women's Golf Champion, tied for 59th at the LPGA Final Qualifying Tournament to earn non-exempt status for the 2003 season.   She also finished tied for 30th at the 2001 US Women's Open at Pine Needles L&GC, North Carolina.

        1981 Girl's Champion, Debbie Zahand Longhi is now a head professional along with her husband at a club in Palm Beach Gardens, FL.

        The 1999, 2000, and 2001 Girls' Champion, Jenny Suh was a college All-American at the University of Alabama and made it to the semi-finals of the 2005 US Women's Amateur Championship.   In 2006, she was selected by the USGA to play on the American Team in the 2006 Curtis Cup Match with the Great Britain and Ireland Team at Bandon Dunes Golf Resort.

        Some competitors went on to make their name in golf, but not as professional players.  Teresa Saponaro Belmont, a frequent contestant in the Bower’s Girl’s division, played on the golf team at the College of William and Mary and is now a world class Rules official with the United States Golf Association.  She is also the Director, Women’s Amateur Public Links & Sr. Women’s Amateur Championships, where she has developed a strong reputation as a successful administrator of these championships

        During its remarkable long history, the Bobby Bowers Memorial has produced over 100 Champions in all age divisions, but more importantly has seen more than 9,000 youngsters enter, attempt to qualify and compete in a match play format. Hopefully, their experiences at Springfield G&CC have contributed to their personal development in whatever career path they followed.

        As noted throughout this column, not everyone had to be a winner in order to be successful as a golf professional. Most of the Bowers competitors are the product of a very active junior golf program in the Middle-Atlantic region, which continues to produce club professionals who are now teaching the next generation of young golfers. To this end, the Bowers Memorial  will also continue to be a proving ground to test the abilities of these future professionals.

(Adapted from Springfield G&CC Club Life, April 1999, updated January 2010) 

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