Results of 2018 Foxburg Hickory Championship

Aug. 13, 2018

Tom Johnson Reports:
Greetings all

The Tenth Foxburg Hickory Championship was held Aug. 10-11.  The weather forecast was iffy at best, but poor weather did not arrive, and temperature and conditions were  perfect for golf, sunny skies, cool temperatures in the morning, warming up to the low 80s by the time the rounds were completed. The course was in great shape, and as usual, was the star of the show. Catered lunches both days, pre-1900 museum on the premises, and the large clubhouse porch help make the event a success. Each contestant was provided a sand tee mold to help utilize the original cut stone sand and water boxes this 130-year-old venue provides.

The Open Division required play with the Park gutty provided by the Brown-McIntyre Golf Company, as well as the use of sand tees. We have taken the liberty to describe some of the play in this division.

Competition was keen among the primary contenders. Mr. Steve Simer (Madison, Wisc.) was the first round leader with a fine 81, holding a two-shot lead over Jeremy Wright (Louisville Ky.) and Mr. Tom Johnson (Tallmadge, Ohio). Mr. J.W. McMath (New Philadelphia, Ohio) was three shots back.

Wright posted a great score of 38 on the first nine of the second day, gaining shots in the Open Division. He posted another 38 for his score on the second 9, finishing with a tremendous 76 which held up for the Championship title.

Simer maintained his steady play to finish second in the Open Division, with McMath, the 2015 Champion, finishing third.

Two divisions at Foxburg, the Senior and Super-Senior, use the Braid or Vardon style ball offered by Brown-McIntyre. Reviewing the action, the first round had Mr. Ray Raccuglia (Jackson, N.J.) tied with Mr. James Kaiser (Louisville, Ky.) with fine scores of 86, followed by Mr. Scott Peterson (Grandville, Mich.) with 90, and Mr. Mike Campailla (Mogadore, Ohio) with 94.

Raccuglia and Kaiser both posted 84 for the second round, which resulted in our third playoff in this division in 10 years. Raccuglia won the playoff and the Braid Division with a 4 on the difficult seventh hole, to Kaiser’s 5.

James Kaiser was the Senior Division Champion,  followed by Campailla in second, and Peterson in third.

The Super Senior competition was also keen. First round results has Mr. John Brosnahan (Foxburg, Pa.) with a fine 91; Mr. Ron Taylor (Wheatland, Pa.) at 92. Close on their heels were Dr. Bern Bernacki (Pittsburgh, Pa.), Mr. James Koss (Oneida, Wisc.), Mr. James Clawson (Charlottesville, Va.),  and Mr. Ted Tharan (Foxburg, Pa.).

After the second day’s competition, Taylor shot an 88 to tie Brosnahan who posted 89.  Taylor won the division in a 3-hole scorecard playoff. Koss fished in third place just one shot ahead of Clawson.

Mr. Bob Mirt was Champion of the post-1900 Fox Division which uses the Ouimet ball provided by Brown-McIntyre.

It is always a treat to have participants from the First Tee and this year continued the tradition. Five young golfers joined us from the First Tee of Pittsburgh golf program. The use of hickory equipment reinforces their learning and understanding of golf history, which is a key component of the First Tee’s personal development program.

Among them was Jonathan Raccuglia, 11, a first time participant at Foxburg. This young man has a terrific golf game, and has enjoyed playing hickory golf for several years with his father, Ray.

Jonathan’s 89 was the low score among this group of competitors. He was followed closely by Dylan Matthews with 91, Patrick Bush with 97.  This was Dylan’s and Patrick’s second opportunity to join us, it was terrific to see them again, and to notice the improvement in their game and self-confidence.

Other First Tee contestants were Tyler Manfred, Harrison Salvie, and Ethan List. (I am not confident of the spelling of the young men’s names; I apologize if they are not correct.)

Additional notes:

The Foxburg Hickory Championship was recently provided a generous donation to do with as we see fit to enhance the Championship.  We took advantage of this opportunity to provide a $500 donation to Foxburg Country Club, to be used by their board of directors at their discretion.

Jeff Texter, Keeper of the Foxburg Green, again brought out an early greens mower for us to gawk at and talk about. It is a push reel mower, and looks as if it still would work. Jeff has been at Foxburg for over 42 years.

Karen and I would like to thank everyone who took the time and made the effort to attend the tenth Foxburg Hickory Championship.  We enjoyed seeing all of you again, and look forward to seeing you soon.  The friendships that have been developed over the years are part of what makes this a special event.

The eleventh Foxburg Championship is scheduled for Aug. 9-10, 2019.

Scores and photos below. Jeremy the Open Champion (sorry, it’s a little blurry), and the second-day group photo featuring future contestant Jameson McMath with his dad, J.W., in the top row.

Gutty golf, the most difficult golf you could ever play, with the best friends you could ever meet.