“'Tee It Up' raises over $20,000 for golf teams at West, East, Croatan” |
| 'Tee It Up' raises over $20,000 for golf teams at West, East, Croatan Posted: 04 Sep 2010 11:15 PM PDT J.J. SMITH MOREHEAD CITY — It's usually low numbers that are especially prized in the golf world, but at the Tee It Up Tournament, it was large numbers. Very large numbers. The second annual tournament was held at the Morehead City Country Club (MCCC) last weekend and raised more than $20,000 for the boys and girls golf programs at East Carteret, West Carteret and Croatan high schools. "It looked like they were going to cut golf at the county schools last year, so I asked Nick (Eatmon, MCCC golf pro) what we could do," said tournament organizer Amy Nelson. "And this was his idea. It has been extremely successful. Last year, the West Carteret parents put it on, and we raised $15,000. This year, I'm thrilled to say all three schools participated and worked hard together to pull off a great day." Under perfect weather conditions, 168 golfers on 42 teams contended for the right to have their names placed on the Tee It Up trophy. The tournament hosted morning and afternoon tee times and concluded with a three-way tie for first place. Two of those teams participated in the morning session: Richard Tuttle, Charlie Creech, Gary Zajak and Bill Schulte on one team, with Johnathan Willis, David Clifton, Chuck Anderson and Jay Magana on the other. In the afternoon session, a third team joined the first two at the top of the standings — William Hall, Ethan Hall, Connie Hal, and Les Fredeen. Prizes were awarded through the 14th-place team. The tournament was also paid a visit by Golf Hall of Famer and Morehead City resident Curtis Strange prior to the afternoon start. Strange reflected on how not so many years ago, he was right where the high school students are today. "This is special to me because I came up just like these kids, playing high school golf," he said. "It's my sport, and I know how important it is to them because I know how important it was to me. You just want to do what you can to help them get started and share your passion for the game with them." In addition to sharing words of wisdom with the kids, Strange also came bearing gifts in the form of Nike golf balls (82 dozen) and Nike hats, each in the respective school's color. "I was able to get Nike involved at the last minute," he said. "These non-revenue sports in high school — and it's the same in college as well — they have to fund themselves for the most part. And so we want to do what we can to help the kids. Hopefully they can benefit from this, and I hope we can do a little more next year." Strange is familiar with the county high school golf programs as he is a member of the Morehead City Country Club where the West Carteret boys and girls teams practice and play their matches. "They have had some good teams around here," he said. "I see them out here all the time because I'm out here all the time, and it's fun. It's fun to see the kids out here working on their game with enthusiasm. They bring a lot of energy to the sport." West has seen plenty of success on the links in the past few years, especially last year with the Patriot program collecting both boys and girls conference championships and Raymond Caldwell and Megan Mansfield bringing home the Conference Player of the Year honors. Coach Phil Buzzeli was also named the Conference Coach of the Year. "We have a great group of parents who support the team," said the coach. "It means a lot to me and the kids to see them work like this to keep these programs going." Last year, with school's slashing budgets, golf seemed to be one of the programs to go under the knife. The parents of West players decided to do what they could to keep that from happening. "The golf teams didn't have any money," said Nelson. "They didn't have money for clubs, balls, bags, uniforms, travel, you name it. So we needed to raise money to subsidize what the high schools' booster clubs and athletic departments could give to the golf teams." And with the large sum raised at the tournament, the golf programs should be in good shape for the time being. The Tee It Up Tournament thanks the staff at Morehead City Country Club, the groundskeepers who had the course in excellent shape, the restaurant staff and a special thanks to Nick Eatmon, John Truijillo, Ross Lapointe and Glenn Gulledge in the pro shop, as well as to everyone who contributed or participated in the tournament. The committee thanks the following sponsors: Eagle sponsors ($750) — Swann Island Signs & Graphics, Wells Fargo Advisors, Harvell and Company, The Munden Family, Morehead City Country Club Men's Golf Association, Ward and Smith PA, Harvell and Collins and Lowes Home Improvement. Birdie sponsors ($500) — Kurtis Chevrolet, Medical Park Pharmacy, Barrett Davis Jr. Family Dentistry, Wachovia Bank and Dowty Air Conditioning. Par sponsors ($350) — RSM McGladrey Inc., Sound Medical, Port City Motors, Richard Stanley, Coastal Home Service Inc., Carteret Sleep Diagnostics, Jenkins Gas, Varner Brothers Construction, Longley Supply Company, Amerochem, Sportsman's World, Bay Design Group, Kinetico, The Decoy by Johnathan. Other sponsors — Beachview II Auto Service; Cherryl A. Davis DDS, the Rickabaugh family; Carolina Sports; Coastal Carolina Heating and Air; City Tire & Muffler; Kivett's Happy House Realty; E&J Automotive Inc.; Crowe Law Firm; Hyundai of New Bern; the Doan family; Community Pharmacy; Holler Developers Inc.; Larry Pittman Auto Market; State Farm Insurance; Newport Dermatology; Coastline Golfcarts; John's Golf Cars; Holiday Travel Park; Kirkman, Whitford, Brady, and Berryman, G. Lee Carroll, Jr., CPA P.C.; Sound Bank; Bray Trailers Inc.; Josten's; Clark Cable Services Inc.; Sanitary Fish Market; Carteret County Farm Bureau; Radio Island Marina; LMB Enterprises; Somerset Cellars; Carteret Clinic for Adolescents & Children; Sea Striker International, LLC; Donald Mansfield; Ronald and Karen Gray; Mansfield Rentals; McLaughlin Chiropractic; Nelson Rentals; Phil and Amy Nelson; A&M Auto Body Inc.; Making Faces; El's Drive-in; The Leonard Family; Family Eye Care; Modern Hair; Dorothy Dorsett; Jenny Bowman; Kellum Law Firm; The Java Post; Quiznos Subs of Cape Carteret; Eastern Turf Maintenance Inc.; Frank and Diane Gainey; Century 21 Newsome Ball Realty; Sea Side Cheesecake Dessert Shoppe; DP Jewelry; Panera Bread, Minges Bottling Group; The History Place; K.C. Scott; North Carolina Seafood Festival; The Buddy Pelletier Surfing Foundation; Emerald Isle Wine Market; Southern Wine and Spirits; Gloria's Hallmark; 70 West Marina; and Texas Steakhouse.
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