CEDARS AT DUNGENESS is once again hosting the Senior Washington Open Invitational and Pro-Am, the event serving as the largest annual collection of talented pro and amateur golfers to grace the Peninsula.
The event began Tuesday and groups continue play in a Pro-Am foursome format today with tee times ranging from 7:30 a.m. to 2:40 p.m.
On Thursday, all the players will be paired by their two-day gross totals to crown a low-gross champion.
Spectators are encouraged to attend the event.
I’ve highlighted a good run of golfers teeing off from the back tees from 2 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. today.
Jeff Coston, the former PGA Tour player who runs his own instructional golf academy at Semiahmoo Resort near Blaine, has won the individual gross title many, many times, will tee off with his group from No. 10 at 2 p.m. today.
A group of Port Townsend Golf Club golfers including club pro Mike Early, Woody Woodley, Mitch Black and Jim Fultz will follow Coston’s group, teeing off from No. 10 at 2:10 p.m.
Jerry Johnson, the Port Angeles-born golfer I followed at the 2010 U.S. Senior Open, will play with three Cedars golfers, Brian Anderson, Paul Ryan and Fred Harrison from No. 10 at 2:30 p.m.
All three of those groups will provide some excitement for spectators.
Hats off to 7 Cedars Casino, the event sponsor and Cedars at Dungeness for hosting the event.
Most of the players are coming in from out of town, staying multiple nights in area lodging, dining out and having a sizeable impact on our local economy.
Thanks for coming!
Course open, closed
Cedars is closed to public play during the Open today but should be open for some twilight rounds around 5 p.m.
It will be closed to the public on Thursday for the Open and Merchants League play.
Pirate Tourney postponed
Golfers will have to wait to play in the Peninsula College Pirate Athletic Association Golf Tournament.
The event has been postponed until August.
Peninsula men’s basketball coach Lance Von Vogt will have the rescheduled date soon.
Check my column for details.
For more information on the tourney, phone Lance Von Vogt at 360-417-6467 or email LVonVogt@pencol.edu.
Alumni Tourney set
The annual Port Townsend Alumni Golf Tournament will be held at Port Townsend Golf Club on Saturday.
Proceeds benefit the Port Townsend High School Alumni Association.
The four-person scramble includes KPs, long putt and a chance at a hole-in-one prize on No. 7.
Players will tee off with a 9 a.m. shotgun start.
Cost is $40 per player, or $25 for current high school students and 2012 graduates.
A bragging-rights duel between Chimacum and Port Townsend alumni is also a big part of this tourney.
Sign up teams or individuals by phoning the course at 360-385-4547.
Ninth anniversary set
Golfers can join SkyRidge in celebrating its ninth anniversary with the SkyRidge Chapman Tournament on Saturday, June 16.
The Two-Person Modified Chapman tourney will have a 9 a.m. shotgun start.
Cost is $60 per team and will include 18 holes of golf, range balls, lunch after play, KPs and long putt.
An optional honey pot is $20 per team.
In this format, each player hits a tee shot, and then hit each other’s ball for the second shot.
From there it becomes alternate shot, using the better of the two second shots.
The player whose second shot was not used would hit the third shot.
Players continue alternating until the ball is holed.
Discovery Bay b-day
Discovery Bay will celebrate the course’s 87 years of operation with $5 greens fees on Fathers Day, Sunday, June 17.
Players must have a tee time set up to receive this deal.
If you haven’t been out to Discovery Bay this year, this is a great chance to see how well the course is set up and meet new golf pro Dan Swindler.
If you are a cart player, reserve your spot now.
Discovery Bay started their Thursday night series last week but players are still welcome to come out for the weekly games.
Arrive by 4:30 p.m. with a partner or phone the course at 360-385-0704.
For more info, visit www.discoverybaygolfcourse.com.
Rally For the Cure set
The annual Rally For the Cure benefit golf tournament will be held at Port Ludlow Golf Course on Thursday, July 12.
This 9-hole tournament is open to both male and female golfers.
Mulligans may be purchased to support the cause and prizes will be awarded!
Everyone is invited to wear some pink to show their support for finding a cure for breast cancer.
Sign-in will begin at 7:30 a.m. with a group photo at 8:30 a.m. and a 9 a.m. shotgun start.
Following golf, the Rally Luncheon with raffles and door prizes will be held at the Port Ludlow Bay Club.
Cost for golf, a cart and the luncheon is $45 for Port Ludlow members and $65 for nonmembers.
Those not playing in the tournament can enjoy a catered lunch from Applebees for $10.
To register for the event, pay at the Port Ludlow Pro Shop, send checks to Rally for the Cure, Port Ludlow Golf Course, 751 Highland Drive, Port Ludlow, WA 98365 or phone the Pro Shop at 360-437-0272.
Entries are due by Sunday, July 8.
More ways to support
Between now and July 12, diners at the Silverdale Applebee’s can tell their server that they would like the restaurant to donate to The Rally For The Cure at Port Ludlow.
Applebee’s will donate 15 percent of your order to the event.
For the past 12 years, area businesses have been very supportive of this event.
Once again, for a minimum donation of $100, businesses/individuals have the opportunity to sponsor designated holes with advertising signs posted on sponsored tees.
All community members are also invited to donate raffle baskets/items and door prizes.
To pledge your donation, email rallyraffle@gmail.com.
For details or questions on the event, phone Carol Katuzny, at 360-437-1157.
Save the date tourney
The Olympic Peninsula Humane Society will hold its annual Claws and Paws Golf Tournament at Cedars at Dungeness Golf Course on Friday, Sept. 21.
Proceeds from the tournament go toward the nearly 2,000 animals that come to the shelter each year.
For more information, phone Bill Dole at 360-452-5983 or 360-912-1824 or Donna Halsaver at 360-683-3994 or 505-299-1777.
September is a few months off and the Humane Society is always in need of help. If you would like to donate now phone them at 360-457-8206.
Chip shots abound
The HBO program “Real Sports with Bryant Gumble” recently ran a great segment on the rapid rise of South Korean female golfers on the LPGA Tour.
Ever since Se Ri Pak won the 1998 U.S. Open, women’s golf has grown exponentially in the Asian nation.
With little land area left to devote to golf, driving ranges are stacked five-stories high 20-30 stalls wide in cities like Seoul and Busan.
Golfers ranging in age from elementary to high school practice their swings for 6-8 hours a day, many times every day of the week.
School? Pretty much an afterthought for many of these players in a system that feels eerily similar to the Soviet-style sports academies from the Cold War era.
The piece makes the point that it’s difficult in South Korean society for females to break into the workforce and after Pak’s win, many parents saw golf as a path to professional employment.
The show is in repeats on HBO and its networks or available to subscribers through the marvelous HBO GO application on computers and smart phones.
U.S. Open: Anyone in?
Peninsula residents tripping to San Francisco next week for the U.S. Open are urged to send trip reports and updates from the event, including pictures for use in my column.
Be my eyes and ears on the grounds of the Olympic Club.
My contact info is below.
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Golf columnist Michael Carman can be reached at 360-417-3527 or at pdngolf@gmail.com.