New champs at FDCC
All four top finishers during annual Fox Den Country Club Men’s Senior Club Golf Championship, ages 50 to 64, and Foree Cup Championship, 65-and-over, said grabbing first place was a new experience.
“This is the first time I’ve ever won any individual golf event,” said Brad Zolkoske, Senior Club Gross champ and overall champ [77-75—152] after the two-day, 36-hole stroke play event, which rewarded lowest gross score and net score [factoring in handicap] ending Sunday afternoon, June 4.
Zolkoske bested second-place Garry Siddons by one stroke [78-75—153]. “I played as good as I could play for an old guy,” the 58-year-old champion said.
During his final 18 holes, “I had 15 pars and three bogeys. Kind of plodding along trying not to make big mistakes. That’s sort of my game,” Zolkoske said. “There was a little bit of rain earlier this week, so the golf course was playing pretty slow. … The golf course was really in good shape.”
Meanwhile, Foree Cup Gross champ Dennis Falls [75-86—161] knocked off defending Cup champ Tim Patterson, Falls’ Sunday playing partner along with Jim Lawson, by two strokes.
“This is the first one I’ve really won,” Falls, a FDCC member “about 20 years,” said. “I’ve come in second a lot.
“It gave me an opportunity to beat Mr. Patterson [82-81—163], who is one of my dearest friends,” Falls added. “What I really look forward to is seeing if he and I can do this next year and see how it turns out in a rubber match.”
Bob Gibson, a friend of Zolkoske, finished as Senior Club Net champ [64-69—133].
“I’ve never won anything else before,” Gibson said. “I played very well, probably the best I could play. … The biggest shot I made was on [No.] 17. … I actually chipped in from about 40 yards for a three, which was a birdie. That put me up by 1 going to 18, and then I managed a par.”
Saying he’s never won any individual golf event, Buzz Beltz was Foree Net champ [64-72—136]. “I really think the [FDCC] Pro Shop did a great job putting the whole thing together,” Beltz said. “I really enjoy the folks here.”
Other second-place finishers were Tom Bailey in Senior Club Net [63-72—135] and Larry Wilson in Foree Net [77-64—141].
