Lake Fire and Rescue tournament draws over 100 golfers

By Duncan Nixon
Correspondent

One of the biggest events of the year at the Lake Monticello golf course is the annual tournament to benefit the Lake Monticello Fire Department and Rescue Squad. This tournament is a major fundraiser for Fire and Rescue. This year’s tournament on June 15 drew over 100 golfers. With 26 four-person teams, the tournament naturally used a shotgun start. This means that every team was assigned a different starting hole and every hole had a golfer teeing off at the 8 a.m. start time. Because there were more than 18 teams, an A team and a B team were assigned to a number of holes. Nonetheless, the course did not back up too much.

Although the vast majority of the players were men, there were five teams in the women’s division and several teams in the open division included at least one female player. One of these mixed teams won the open division. First place in the open division went to the team of Mason Chiavaro, Derrick Addison, Sarah Johnson and Lucas Dunaway. This team may not have been physically intimidating when compared to teams consisting of four large males, but the players on the winning team have some impressive credentials. Johnson has been the women’s champion at the Lake for six consecutive years. Chiavaro and Addison are recent Fluvanna County High graduates who were serious competitors on the Fluco golf team. Dunaway is a diminutive under 10-years-old player. However, he is the Virginia State junior champion for his age group. The women’s winning team was composed of four top women at the Lake. The team consisted of Edwina Heyer, Lisa Lounsbury, Muriel Toepfert and Katie Mundell.

This tournament was played, as many charity events are, on a Captain’ Choice format. All four players in the group tee off and then all four players take their second shot from the position of the best drive, as selected by the team’s captain. This process is followed until the ball is holed. In addition, before play begins, players are allowed to purchase up to two mulligans for the round. Most players take advantage of this option (increasing the funds collected by the charity) so a team of four usually has eight mulligans to use on the course. A mulligan is a second shot taken after the first shot does not deliver the desired result. Each team is expected to use its mulligans, as it chooses, on an honor system basis. If a team of strong players uses its mulligans wisely and is playing the round from the best first, best second and sometimes best third shot the team’s score for the round should be quite low.

Pre-tee-off, the players were able to get fortified with a breakfast of coffee and egg and bacon sandwiches. After play, there was a well-stocked lunch buffet featuring hamburgers or chicken, a choice of salads, and beer or soft drinks. There was also a raffle and a 50-50 where the winner receives half of all the money spent on the tickets and the other 50 percent goes to the charity.