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January 15, 2012

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Tournament Summaries

2011 National Open

2011 Ohio Match Play

2010 National Open

2010 California Classic

2010 Ryder Cup

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The 2011 National Open Championship was a tremendous success in all aspects of the event.  Players and coaches ventured from as far as California and Massachusetts, as well as several provinces in Canada to take part in the tournament.  Several players recorded career rounds and the competition was fierce in all three sight categories; culminating in a sudden death play off in the B3 Division!  When all was said and done, Mario Tobia and his Coach Matt Tobia prevailed in the B1 Division, Bruce Hooper and his Coach Judy Hooper prevailed in the B2 Division, and Harry Hester and his Coach Randy Nutt prevailed in the B3 Division.  The detailed results are contained under the section entitled

General Comments 

The San Antonio Lighthouse once again served as gracious hosts to all who participated in the event.  Special thanks to CEO Mike Gilliam and Tournament Coordinator Nancy Lipton for their dedication to American Blind Golf and our motto, "Motivate, Inspire & Serve!"  Through their hard work, both awareness and funds were raised to promote the SA Lighthouse.  The employment opportunities and services available to blind/visually impaired individuals place them as #1 in the hearts of all ABG Members!  The partnership between the SA Lighthouse and American Blind Golf is one that continues to grow. Thank you again Mike and Nancy!

ABG 2011 National Open Summary

 Twenty seven ABG players and their coaches arrived in what is usually a hot and dusty San Antonio on October 9 this year.  The arrival of the ABG championship signaled a temporary end to months of drought.  Rain fell on Sunday's practice round, only allowing some to complete 9 holes in the afternoon.  Except for the bunkers, the 5 inches of rain drained quickly off most of the fairways and greens at the Republic Golf Club, our new venue for competition.   

 On Sunday night, the players and coaches gathered at the Lion and the Rose for a fantastic meal provided by owner, Allen Tharp.  Allen is a blind entrepreneur who owns and operates restaurants all over Texas and is starting a new venture on mainland China.  In December at a Christmas gathering of the San Antonio Lighthouse for the Blind, American Blind Golf will award Allen Tharp an honorary player's card for 2012.  He is also receiving an award from the S.A. Lighthouse for his service and dedication to the blind community.  

The first day of the national championship got underway with perfect weather and outstanding scoring.  Tee off was at noon.  The Republic provided us with a wonderful practice range and green, top-notch service, and a golf course that was in excellent condition.  Mario Tobia took the lead in the B 1 category with a score of 105.  Kevin Edwards led the B 2 first day scoring with an 89 and a score of 80 by Scott Wilson led all the B 3's.  All rounds were completed in less than 5 and one-half hours.  The shot gun start format allowed all the players to complete their rounds at the same time, and then enjoy getting together and telling the stories about their rounds. 

The second day of competition really highlighted how competitive the ABG National Championship has become.  Scott Wilson followed his first day 80 with an 89;  Glenn Babcock followed his first round of 82 with a 95; Art Beauregard had opened the competition with an 86 and came in with the best score during the second day round with an 82.  It was great to have Art and his wife, Sue, back playing with the ABG.  The real drama took place with Harry Hester who shot 81, then 87, to tie with Art Beauregard for the B 3 championship.  In a sudden death playoff, Harry Hester from Austin, Texas, won the B 3 National Championship.

Mario Tobia continued his steady play shooting 114 to capture his second straight ABG B 1 national championship.  Runner up in the B 1 category was Adelaida Ortega with a 121 and 125.  Adelaida was interviewed in Spanish by Univision, a local Spanish language television station.  This was her first blind tournament outside of California and she hopes to return to San Antonio again next year.

Kevin Edwards, after leading the B 2 competition the first day, shot a 93, and finished second to Bruce Hooper, who won his second ABG National Championship.  Mark Arnold, 2010 ABG Championship Runner Up, also played well shooting 93 and 95.

Other winners included Johanna Camarta, ABG National Women's Champion; George Thirkill, ABG Men's Net winner; and Mary Blair, ABG Women's National net winner. 

The competition concluded with an awards dinner and presentation at the Republic Golf Club in their banquet hall.  

Following our championship, the San Antonio Lighthouse for the Blind hosted the "Fore" the Blind Charity Scramble.  Blind golfers were paired with sighted golfers for a fun day.   A raffle was conducted and Joel Marler won a $2500 diamond necklace.  Charles Adam's coach, Ashley Lovall, won a Dell computer, and Linda Smith won a Nike golf bag stuffed with golf rounds, golf balls, and dinner passes. 

The dates for the 2012 National Championship will be October 7, 8, 9 and 10.  Save the dates - mark your calendar - hope to see you in San Antonio again.

The link below is compliments of Randy Nutt, Harry Hester's coach.  It will take you to a site with numerous photos from the event including a self running slideshow...

Mens Champion: George Thirkill & Coach Roger Cline

Ladies Champion: Mary Blair & Coach Curtis Blair

2011 Ohio Match Play

For information on the 2011 Ohio Tournament, visit: 

The 2010 National Open Championship was a tremendous success in all aspects of the event.  Players and coaches ventured from as far as California to Massachusetts, as well as several provinces in Canada to take part in the tournament.  Several players recorded career rounds and the competition was fierce in all three sight categories.  When all was said and done, Mario Tobia and his Coach Matt Tobia prevailed in the B1 Division, Bruce Hooper and his Coach Judy Hooper prevailed in the B2 Division, and Bruce Peterson and his Coach Jacques Courtois prevailed in the B3 Division.  The detailed results are contained under the section entitled

Comments from Johanna Camarta 

The ABG 2010 National Championship held in San Antonio, Texas was a great event.  Golfers enjoyed four days of golf on a great golf course with great weather.  Organizers and volunteers did a fantastic job looking after the golfers.  They covered every aspect that was required to host a blind golf tournament. The costs for the coaches playing in the practice round were even covered.

Travis and the staff at the Brackenridge golf course were helpful and professional.  The shot gun start tournament format worked out well as the golfers completed play at about the same time and we were able to socialize immediately after playing the course. Speed of play was about 5 hours because we played the "par plus two" rule.  Good thinking.  The on course volunteers were great.  There were more than enough scorekeepers and spotters, including students from the Alamo High School Golf Team.  The students were polite and helpful, and seemed to enjoy watching the blind golfers.

On a personal note, Bruce and Judy Hooper were wonderful, gracious hosts.  It was great getting together with them and seeing old friends and making new ones.  It was also encouraging to have all three sight categories represented by a female.

The Holiday Inn was a perfect hotel location just minutes from the River Walk, the Alamo site and great food.  The tournament is on the top of my list for 2011!        Johanna 

Blind Children's Golf Clinic Reaches Out To Area Kids

by Stephanie Serna, KSAT 12 News Reporter

POSTED: Wednesday, October 27, 2010

 SAN ANTONIO -- For many, the sport of golf is hard enough, but on Wednesday, more than 30 kids played the sport without the sense of sight at the Blind Children's Golf Clinic on Wednesday.

The annual event is sponsored by the San Antonio Lighthouse for the Blind.

"When you see them hit the ball and their face lights up, it means everything," said Nancy Lipton, a spokesperson for the San Antonio Lighthouse for the Blind. "It's just a life lesson that isn't always learned in the classroom. We want these kids to try other sports not just golf."

Local PGA professionals and First Tee staff served as instructors on Wednesday, as well as American Blind Golf National Championship winner Bruce Hooper.

"We're showing them the golf stroke. We have excellent instructors out here," said Hooper. "Hopefully, someone will take up the game for recreation. So that's why we're doing it, for the kids."

Wednesday was Daniel Ingraham's second year at the Blind Children's Golf Clinic. He said that he may continue to the sport when he gets older

"I'm thinking of being a construction worker or something, but I might grow up to play golf, too," said Ingraham.

The San Antonio Lighthouse for the Blind started the clinic nine years ago with just four kids. Now they have more than 30 participants and Lipton said they are hoping by next year, they can reach out to even more kids.

Ladies Champion: Johanna Camarta & Coach Ron Camarta

Mens Champion: Tim Jackson & Rob Burneson

2010 California Blind Clasic

11^th Annual Lou Benetti Memorial California Blind Golf Classic 

Howard Shaw and his family, the Santa Maria Noontimers Lions Club and many friends staged a fantastic blind golf event.

The tournament was played at the beautiful Village Country Club where Golf Director Bob Kotowski provided his organization in making the event run smoothly.

The tournament got off to a great start with a practice round and a welcome reception and players meeting at a local restaurant.  A Sponsor Scramble was the highlight of day 2, which was followed by an awards dinner.

The 36 hole competition was played on days that started with windy conditions the first day and cool temperatures the second day.  Both days turned into perfect golf weather shortly after the tournament teed off.

The competition was keen in the B1 and B3 category.  Brian MacLeod and his coach Kevin Lemmon shot 108 and 118 to win the B1 division.  Bruce Peterson and his coach John Maloney shot 96 and 91 and Scott Wilson and his coach Vicki Wilson shot 89 and 98 to tie for the B3 division.  They were declared co-champions. Bruce Hooper and his coach Judy Hooper shot 87 and 91 to claim the B2 division. The tournament concluded with a delicious steak dinner provided by the combined Lions Clubs and the viewing of an actual mission launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base.  This was a unique event for those of us who were visiting California.

Next year the 12^th ABG California Blind Golf Classic will be played September 16 to 20, 2011. American Blind Golf is thankful that we have Howard Shaw and his committee working for the blind charity his tournament supports. Over 5000 children had their eyesight screened due to the efforts of the Noon Timers Lions in 2010.

Below is a link to the Santa Maria Times featuring a summary article on the event.

Gross Scores by Sight Category

  B1

Brian MacLeod             108 118 226

Adelaida Ortega            139 119 258  

Brad Eaton                    129 132 261

Mary Blair                     166 144 310

Howard Shaw                173 150 323

Joel Marler                    173 177 350

  B2

Bruce Hooper                 87  91   178

Bill Davis                        104  112  216

  B3

Bruce Peterson               96 91   187

Scott Wilson                   89 98   187

George Thirkill                95 96   191

Doug Penner                   98 100  198

    Net Score Winners:

  B1

1^st Net:  Adelaida Ortega with coach Chip Milne

2^nd Net:  Mary Blair with coach Curtis Blair

3^rd Net:  Howard Shaw with coach Fuller Smith

4^th Net:  Joel Marler with coach Jeff Brittain

  B2

1^st Net:  Bill Davis with coach Andy Collinane

  B3

1^st Net:  George Thirkill with coach Mel Yake

2^nd net:  Doug Penner with coach Dave Emberly

2010McCulloch Cup

Since 2005 the Rittman Lions Club in conjunction with American Blind Golf, has hosted the North American Match Play Championships of Blind & Vision- Impaired Golf.  The tournament was renamed the Dennis McCulloch Memorial Match Play Championships in 2006 to honor Denny McCulloch, a former World Champion B2 player from Canada.  A new tradition began in 2010...  In partnership with our fellow golfers from Canada, the first McCulloch Memorial Cup, the Ryder Cup of Blind Golf, was held.  Plans to play for the Cup every three years are being finalized.  Tentative plans for 2013 are being formulated and the Cup will be contested in Canada.  The venue will be announced sometime in 2012.

Adaptive Technology  Scholarships & FFB Donations

The charitable nature of the event continued and more funds were raised for the tournament's major beneficiaries.  Once again area students were awarded Adaptive Technology Scholarships.  This year five more students benefited.  Over the history of the event 23 students have been granted almost $25,000 worth of assistive software and hardware products.

The Foundation Fighting Blindness also received a donation from the monies raised on the tournaments behalf.  Combined with a match from FFB CEO Gordon Gund, the Foundation received a total of $3,000 check from the Rittman Lions.  Over the history of the Ohio Tournament, the total donations given to the Foundation Fighting Blindness total $6,000!

Photos from the McCulloch Cup

Canada stormed out to a significant lead after the first day of singles matches, scoring seven out of ten points.  The results were as follows:

The second day of the competition featured a scramble format pitting a team of 2 players from the US against 2 players from Canada.  The US Team stormed back to draw within 1 point, winning 4 out of 5 points.  The results were as follows:

The final day of the competition featured a scramble format pitting a team of 2 players from the US against 2 players from Canada.  The competition was closely contested; but in the end, the Canadian Team prevailed winning 3 of the 5 total points.  The results were as follows: