By Duncan Nixon
Correspondent
The annual Faulconer Invitational Golf Tournament was held at the Lake Monticello golf course on May 21 and 22. It was hot for this time of year, but course conditions were excellent. In several recent tournaments rain was a factor. Not this year. The tournament now is played with three distinct divisions. The open division is the primary competition, and it draws top amateur golfers from all over Central Virginia. The senior division is for golfers ages 50-64. and the super senior division is for golfers age 65 and over. These divisions normally attract more local area golfers.
The official winner of the Faulconer Invitational is naturally the winner in the open division. This year the winner was Adam Marshall (no relation to Lake Monticello golf pro Mark Marshall.) Marshall had two excellent rounds shooting a two under par 70 on Saturday and a two over par 74 on Sunday for an even par 144. His score on Saturday was the best score of the tournament. Marshall came all the way from Appomattox to compete in the Faulconer. Second place in the open division went to Eddie Cutler who shot 75 and 75 for 150. In third place was Nick Brediger who posted a 79 and a 77. Brediger also won the low score by a Lake resident prize. Low score by a junior went to Fluco golf team standout Killian Donnelly who came in at 158.
There were also some impressive scores posted in the senior and the super senior competitions. The winner in the senior division was Scott Richardson who shot 71 and 75 for a two over par 146. Two strokes off the pace was Steve DeMasters with a consistent 74 and 74 weekend. Third place went to Bowen Sargent who posted a 75 and a 74.
The super senior winner was Tim Vigotsky who finished with the same scores as the senior division winner. Vigotsky’s 71 and 75 gave him a margin of victory that was one stroke less than Richardson’s. Second place in the super seniors went to Van McCarter who shot 74 and 73. Third place in the super seniors went to Jim Higginbotham who came home with a consistent 76 and 76. Winners in each division were awarded a glass vase trophy by Lake Monticello head professional Mark Marshall and store credits were awarded to those listed above.
The open players this year were confronted with a course that measured 6,619 yards. This is a blend of the normal men’s white tees and the professional blue tees. It is a serious test. The seniors played from the white tees over a distance of 6,296 yards. The super seniors played from the gold tees over a course that measures 5,610 yards. Mark Marshall commented that the course was “in great shape” and he noted that players reported to him that they thought it was tough, but fair layout. Marshall also touted the continuing contributions to the Faulconer by a host of volunteers from the Lake Monticello citizens.
