Los Angeles, Oct. 28 -- Although the Fourth Annual George Von Elm Memorial Golf Tournament crowned several new winners at L.A.'s Rancho Park Golf Course on Monday, the SCGA Foundation was the real winner, receiving $7,000 to benefit its programs.
“The George Von Elm Memorial Golf Tournament has quickly become a wonderful tradition in the same spirit as so much of the other history at Rancho Park," said SCGA Foundation Executive Director Kevin Gigax. "Rancho Park Golf Club shows so much dedication to the game of golf and the SCGA and this tournament is how they give back to the game.
"Their gift will go a long way in supporting the SCGA Foundation’s Youth on Course program, which creates affordable access to golf for juniors. I’m also pleased to announce that we will be adding Rancho Park Golf Club as a Youth on Course facility next month.”
One hundred players participated in the event at the L.A. landmark, which was divided into two flights of gross and net divisions. The team of Craig Kessler and Lew Murez finished with with a team low gross of 70 to win the Team A flight, while Galen Thurner and John Haish shot a net 60 to take the low net honors. In the Team B flight, David and Sean Akhavi shot a low-gross 75, while Anthony Chavez and David Thoensen fired a low-net 59.
"The SCGA Foundation is proud to be affiliated with this tournament and the Rancho Park Golf Club," said Ed Holmes, the 2007 SCGA President and current SCGA Foundation President. "Clarence Yim, John Jones, and the Board of Directors at Rancho have dedicated themselves to helping our Foundation accomplish our mission of helping the youth of Southern California. In addition, we get to play one of the most fun golf courses in this part of the country, not to mention its wonderful history. You can't play many courses where Arnold Palmer made a 12 on a hole in a PGA Tour event."
Rancho Park, a longtime supporter of the SCGA Foundation's initiatives, has awarded the Foundation more than $22,000 since the tournament's inception. Proceeds benefit the Foundation's popular programs including Youth on Course, which provides $1-$5 green fees and $1 range fees to certified youth at more than 90 area courses; Scholarships, which provides additional educational opportunities for SCGA Foundation participants; and Grants, which provides funding for junior golf programs that teach the game and its inherent values.
The event is named in honor of George Von Elm, an SCGA Hall of Fame member, three-time SCGA Amateur champion in the 1920s, 1926 U.S. Amateur champion and in 1925, the only player to win the SCGA, NCGA and California Amateurs in the same year. The tournament committee is made up of Gonzo Paigen, John Jones, David Wexler, Ken Morrisey, Ken Morrisey, Clarence Yim, George Junger, John Stevens and Leonard Bourget.
The event was sponsored by Iron Mountain, John Stevens, Onestop Internet, Brouget Bros and Jim Blank. Tees were sponsored by Arto Brick, Cam Services and MK Diamond Products, Inc., with the support of Allinaz Life, John Jones, Craig Kessler and Inland Stone. Maynard M. Brittan and Angeles Block also made donations.
View tournament scores.
View photos of the event and participants here.
