Greatest champion gives thanks to everyone

As many of you know, last week was The Vindicator’s Greatest Golfer of the Valley tournament. And as has been well reported this past week, I happened to be lucky enough to finish as the victor in the Pete Mollica Open Division. At the awards ceremony last Sunday, Todd Franko asked me to say a few words. And although I did my best at the time, I realized soon after that I left out a number of people who needed thanked.

To start, I have to thank the main sponsors of the event: Farmers National Bank, Superior Beverage, and The Covelli Company. Without the financial support of these companies, the tournament simply would not exist.

I also want to give proper due to the host courses: Mill Creek, Tippecanoe Country Club, Oak Tree, Youngstown Country Club and The Lake Club. As a former “insider,” I’m familiar with the inner workings of putting on a first-class event. It takes a lot of hard work behind the scenes to make the tournament days run smoothly. These courses and their staffs continue to impress year after year.

Winning at any level is always nice. But winning this tournament is special. And while the sponsors and host courses make it possible, the tournament simply wouldn’t mean as much if it weren’t for the amount of quality players that choose to play in it. Once a year the top players from the area gear up for our Valley’s championship. Getting to tee it up and compete with these guys is what makes this tournament so exciting. Winning is special because of them.

I’d like to thank every single friend and family member who came out to watch and cheer for someone. This game is special for a lot of reasons, but I’m pretty sure we literally had grandparents cheering on their grandchildren and grandchildren cheering on their grandparents. For me, getting to play in front of my friends and family always makes the game just a little more special. I hope a lot of the other participants last week had that same experience.

Personally, I want to thank everyone who took time out of their schedules to wish me congratulations in one form or another this past week. From calls to texts to Facebook messages, emails and in-person visits, the amount of congratulatory messages I received this week was humbling and very much appreciated.

And finally, I want to thank two very special people.

Ed Muransky, owner of The Lake Club, was one of the first individuals approached six plus years ago when this tournament was getting started. Without knowing whether Greatest would be a success or not, Muransky immediately threw his support behind the event. Six years later, his continued support remains to be one of the leading factors behind the tournaments’ success.

In 2009, Muransky gave me the opportunity to become a member at the new Lake Club. It was an offer that didn’t have to take place. And it was an offer that quite literally changed my life forever. The friendships and relationships I’ve made over the last seven years have enriched my life in ways I couldn’t begin to quantify or qualify. So for these and so many other reasons, I say a huge “thank you” to Ed and his wife Chris Muransky. The Lake Club will always hold a special place in our hearts.

And lastly, I want to thank the main man behind the scenes. The man who makes every part of this great tournament work. The man who starts emailing a small group of us, literally this week to ask “How do we make it better next year?”

Todd Franko, editor of The Vindicator, started Greatest Golfer of the Valley six years ago. Since then, it has quite literally become his baby. His attention to detail, devotion to always making the tournament better and overall commitment to make GGOV the Valley’s premier championship has accomplished just that.

Todd, on behalf of myself, the other champions of each flight, and all of the competitors who look forward to this great tournament you created, let me just say: THANK YOU. Your hard work and dedication to this event does not go unnoticed or unappreciated.

So there you have it. My effort to thank the different groups of people and companies that make this tournament so special. I am proud to be a Valley golfer and I am proud to be the 2015 GGOV Champion. Here’s to a healthy and happy next 12 months and I look forward to seeing everyone again in 2016.

Jonah Karzmer is a former golf professional who writes a Sunday golf column for The Vindicator. In his spare time he sells commercial insurance and loves getting feedback on his weekly columns via email at Jonah@thekarzmerinsurance.com.