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Greatest Golfer of the Valley competition flourishing
By Christian Sandler
YOUNGSTOWN
When Matt Gurska won the 2014 Pete Mollica Men’s Open Division of The Farmers National Bank Greatest Golfer of the Valley tournament, people took notice.
Gurska was getting recognized by people who saw posters or knew his name, but had no idea who he was. He was meeting people all over the place.
When the tournament started in 2010, fewer than 100 golfers competed, and such recognition would have been unlikely.
But now, Greatest Golfer is flourishing. It turns 6 this weekend, and for the third year in a row has more than 300 golfers wanting in.
So what’s the draw?
For long-time Valley golfer and ex-pro John Doughton Jr., it’s “a challenge and the atmosphere of competition.”
Doughton is making his first appearance, and said competing against his peers and pushing himself to really be on his “A” game is what piqued his interest in Greatest Golfer. He can’t hide his competitive side.
But not everyone is an ex-professional who tees it up three times a week. For a lot of competitors, Greatest is not about golf at all.
“It’s a nice way to meet new people and make new connections,” said Jason Murdock, a five-time player. “I play with a few friends. But I’ve also met a few people at the tournament that I play with.”
Making new connections was unexpected for the Salem Hills Golf and Country Club player. But don’t dismiss the competitive burn. Murdock has a hard time hiding that. He was getting tired of casually hitting the links with his buddies on weekends. He was craving the structured, competitive environment that he got while playing high school golf.
Greatest gives him that in the top Open Division. He also is competing in the long-drive competition tonight at Tippecanoe Country Club in Canfield. So is Gurska.
Mary Kane, like Murdock, has been playing Greatest Golfer since the beginning. She plays in the Women’s 9-plus handicap division, which is one of two women’s divisions and 10 overall. She didn’t start playing golf until she was 35. She said Greatest is the only tournament available for someone on her level.
But for Kane, it’s about who she’s playing with, not what she’s playing.
“There’s a couple of women I know that come out every year, which is cool,” Kane said. “I know a lot of men in the tournament and I always try and see when they’re playing and meet up with them. I look forward to seeing people every year.”
Kane said she’s spoken with men and women at the tournament, and likes to keep track of scoring for the people she knows.
“The camaraderie is my favorite part,” she said. “I’ve made some great friends.”
Frank Davidson, a Senior 10-plus handicap player, is right there along with Murdock and Kane.
He’s played in Greatest for years now, and hasn’t won a thing.
But he doesn’t mind.
“From the moment you ‘check in’ on tournament day, you sense you’re a part of something special,” Davidson said. “At this event, I’ve met some ‘great’ people who aren’t great golfers, and I’ve met some great golfers who are ‘great’ people. Maybe that’s why you call it ‘the Greatest Golfer’ tournament.”
Greatest Golfer is produced by The Vindicator and Farmers National Bank. Mill Creek, Lake Club, Tippecanoe and Avalon Lakes lead 10 courses in making Greatest work. Greatest started in 2010 with just an adult tourney. By adding partners Superior Beverage and Covelli Enterprises, it has grown to juniors, scramble and long-drive championships over the course of the summer, encompassing more than 3,000 golfers and 20 charities.
As community-based as it is, make no mistake that there are the players like Gurska who compete in The Greatest to win and play at a higher level. Still, they are players in the end, who enjoy the same thing when it comes to The Greatest: the people.
“It’s tough for me to pick, but I would have to say just how nice everyone is and the amount of people that follow the tournament,” Gurska said about his favorite part of Greatest. “It was pretty cool to turn around in the final round and see a pretty good-sized gallery following us.”
Monday, Gurska won the Greatest Scramble with partners Tim Dye, Tim Morrow and Blase Cindric. He’ll compete in the Long Drive today and then try to defend his Open Division title over the weekend.
He’s the first golfer with a chance at a Greatest Golfer Triple Crown.
“If I could win all three, that would be awesome. But I know it’s not going to be easy,” Gurska said. “If I catch a drive solid, I might have a chance. But there are some pretty long guys competing, so it’s going to take everything I’ve got to win [long drive].”
Another former champion, Bob Leonard, has played in Greatest for the past five years. He won the Seniors 9-plus Handicap Division in 2010 and 2013 and finished runner-up another year.
His game is clearly there, but he also credits his success to the structure of the event, and the people behind it.
“You get a mixture of neighbors and friends and real golfers and you feel very comfortable,” Leonard said. “It’s the idea of playing with people in my age group and competing.”