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St. Anne’s School Golf Tournament

Published September 05. 2023 11:20AM
by Dennis Glew Special to the Bethlehem Press

The golfers who registered for the sixth St. Anne’s School Golf Tournament Aug. 11 could not have asked for a better day. A slight breeze danced across the Bethlehem Municipal Golf Course, but the temperature at tee time was in the low 70s and never got much higher. The sky was a deep blue, and the course was in outstanding condition.

While no one among the 100 players shot a hole in one, several foursomes had outstanding rounds (11 under par was the day’s lowest score), and the consensus afterward was that the golf had been excellent.

It was an outstanding day, too, for St. Anne’s School, the tournament’s beneficiary. In the past year, the school enrolled over 300 students, approximately a third of whom come from non-Catholic families who want their children to have the benefits of a traditional Catholic education.

Profits from the golf tournament offset costs for special expenses at the school. Last year’s event paid for stucco repairs to the school’s exterior. This year the profits will pay to replace the Hickory Street doors to the parish community center, which doubles as a lunch room for the school.

This year’s tournament featured double the number of last year’s prizes. The top foursomes got their choices of a lengthy list of awards, chiefly gift cards to local courses to play still more golf. Eight additional prizes were awarded to other foursomes chosen at random, and there was a special prize for the foursome with the highest score, also called (tongue in cheek) the “Most Honest” foursome - two boxes of balls for future use.

Skip John, whose first shot on the par 3 Hole 4 came closest to the pin, was awarded a 32” TV for the effort. Special awards were also given to the individuals who hit the longest drives from the white and green tees on the last hole.

Sponsorships helped to offset the cost of the tournament. Gold sponsors, who contributed $950 each, included Albarell Electric, TJ Green Associates, LLC, Law Offices of Maloney Danyi & O’Donnell, Connell Funeral Home, Inc., The Flying Locksmiths, B.F. Brown, Inc. and the Selvaggio Companies. Silver sponsors contributed $450. Finally, bronze sponsors donated $250.

A hallmark of this year’s competition was the participation of two excellent 12-year-old golfers, A.J. Swercheck and Audrina Montesano, who play for Bethlehem in the PGA Junior League. There were also two foursomes of female golfers.

The prize ceremony at the tournament’s conclusion was preceded by an excellent Italian meal served in the pavilion.

PRESS PHOTOS BY DENNIS GLEW After the Rev. Anthony Mongiello gave the invocation, 50 golf carts split in multiple directions to launch a shotgun-style opening to the tournament – golfers starting at different holes in order to facilitate play.
The PGA – specifically the PGA Junior League – was represented at the tournament by 12-year olds A.J. Swercheck and Audrina Montesano, shown here with their fathers, Adam Swercheck and Mike Montesano. A.J. won a prize for hitting the longest drive from the tee on Hole 18.
Becky Wilder hits a second shot from just inside the rough on Hole 18. The other members of her foursome were Diane French, Susie Skinner and Kirsten Gregorson.
Seever Hoyak taps a firm shot at the pin on Hole 9, while the other members of his foursome – JJ Jordan, Matt Fritz and Kale Sweeney – hold their breath. The ball would either drop or run far past. A split second later, it hit the pole firmly and dropped.
Pastor of St. Anne's Parish, the Rev. Anthony Mongiello with the parish's new Parochial Vicar, or assistant pastor, the Rev. Alexander Brown. Fr. Mongiello opened the tournament; Fr. Brown offered grace before the meal at its conclusion.
Golfers were greeted at Hole 14 by three members of the faculty and staff of St. Anne's School – Karen Miklus, Betsy Blumenetti and Kim Abrams – who offered bottles of ice-cold water and chocolate chip cookies donated by Wegman's in Bethlehem.
Glenn Wightman, chair of the tournament committee, hands the prize to the members of the “Most Honest” foursome: Becky Wilder, Diane French, Susie Skinner and Kirsten Gregorson.