Two long time area institutions — The YMCA of Southeast Texas and St. James Catholic Church in Port Arthur — are turning to golf tournaments to help raise much-needed funds for their operations.

In the case of the YMCA, a 1 p.m. Oct. 20 four-person scramble is its first attempt at hosting a golf tournament. The inaugural event, sponsored by the Valero Energy Foundation, will be played at Bayou Din Golf Club.

Proceeds from the tournament are targeted to the YMCA Scholarship Fund providing assistance to young and old in need. As a result of damage from Hurricane Harvey, a successful fund-raising golf tournament has become even more critical.

“Due to Harvey, the Y is struggling to get back to normal and provide the needed services the community has come to expect,” said executive director Bud Oliver. “We are seeing an increase in people needing assistance because of the number of people affected by the storm.

“The tournament will raise money critical to our youth and our older adults — two populations not only growing in number but growing in need.”

Sponsorship levels vary from $500 to $6,000, with everything from $1,000 and up including entry for at least one-four person team. For further details, on sponsorship and entry, contact Oliver at 962-6644 or boliver@ymcasetx.org.

Included for participants will be food and drink and a silent auction.

Among the items up for bid are an autographed golf bag from PGA Tour pro Chris Stroud and a signed Denver Broncos Super Bowl 50 football from the team’s then-defensive coordinator Wade Phillips.

St. James, meanwhile, is staging a golf tournament as the centerpiece of a fundraiser to replace its aging air conditioning/heating system and the asbestos abatement that will be required.

The tournament will be a two-person scramble with an 8:30 a.m. shotgun start Saturday, Oct. 21, at Babe Zaharias. Cost is $150 per team and includes all fees, plus fried fish provided by the BC Knights of Columbus, and soft drinks.

Title sponsors for the tourney are Brent and Christie Richard. Hole sponsorships are available for $150. Contact person for entry blanks and other information is Mark Byars. He can be reached at 626-2342 or tjpa1986@gmail.com.

“I appeal to the parishioners and the local community’s support toward the success of our parish fundraiser,” said Byars. “I am confident that we will have a blessed and generous response.

“Let us continue to work and pray together for the good of our parish community, and to help preserve the legacy of our beautiful church building where many souls have prayed and worshiped the Lord.”

CHIP SHOTS
Port Neches-Groves ex Andrew Landry makes his return to the PGA Tour this week at the Safeway Open in Napa, California. Landry earned his second shot on the “big” tour by placing second in overall money winnings ($388,894) in the Web.com Tour regular season and playoffs.

In the field with the former Arkansas All-America for the first tournament of the PGA Tour’s 2017-18 season will be two other players with Southeast Texas ties — PNG and Lamar ex Chris Stroud and Barbers Hill and LU grad Shawn Stefani.

Stroud has known for weeks that he’d be playing the tour opener. Stefani didn’t know for sure until Monday. On the outside looking in after a disappointing 2016-17 season, Stefani regained his tour card by placing second in the Web.com Finals tournament at Atlantic Beach, Florida.

With the fourth round pushed back to Monday by a Sunday rainout, he added a closing 65 to earlier rounds of 66-66-67. The runner-up check of $88,000 enabled him to move up to seventh in earnings for the four playoff events. The top 25 received PGA Tour cards. …

Ralf Barbaso, who works in the golf shop at Babe Zaharias, won the closest-to-the-pin contest on the 12th hole in the Joe Williamson Memorial Scramble at the Babe on Saturday in resounding fashion. Barbaso sank his tee 6-iron tee shot from 185 yards for his first ever hole-in-one.

Witnesses were Zaharias head pro Mitch Duncan, Bradon Soileau and Jerry Honza. Barbaso also won closest to the hole on No. 15. Other winners were Brian Abshire (No. 2) and Soileau (No. 7).

First flight in the two-person scramble event was won by the team of Josh LaBove-Lonnie LaBove. Their 57 was three shots clear of Barbaso-Honza. In Second Flight, Johhny Krautz-Tony Thibodeaux posted a 64 to edge Randy Vincent-Chris Guidry by a stroke.

Wendell Meaux-Darren Meaux took third flight in a scorecard playoff with Regan Meaux-Jim Fulton after teams shot 66. Chad Ford-Dillon Ford took Fourth Flight with a 68. Richard Guong-Kane Benoit placed second with a 69. …

The team of Doug LeBlanc, Gene Jones, Ray Darbonne and Paul Duplantis shot two under to win the front in the Monday Senior 50 Plus Game at Babe Zaharias.

On the back, teams captained by Adam Noel and Benny Sharpe tied with minus 4. …

In the Super Saturday two-ball at Zaharias, the team of Tom LeTourneau, Scotty Ray, Craig Castille and John Ramsey tied the front with the foursome of Craig Fontentot, Gene Rountree, Roger Koch and Charles Leard with even par. On the back, minus 4 was a winner for the team of Noel, Rick Pritchett, Rusty Hicks and Dan Flood.

The Friday two-ball at the Babe saw a tie at minus-4 on the front between the team of LeTourneau, Buddy Sepeda, Larry Foster and Bob Barnes and the foursome of Sharpe, Raymond Darbonne, Dillard Darbonne and Charles Lamb. The Sharpe team won the back win minus-5. …

Four person scramble was the format for the Thursday Senior Game at Zaharias. The winning team with minus 15 was made up of Craig Geoffroy, Harry Green, Wes McGuire and Ben Thornton. Closest to the pin winners were Pritchett (No. 7 and Noel (No. 12). …

The Wednesday Zaharias DogFight was won with 18 points by the team of Bob West, Cody Metts, James Trahan and Don Duplan. Closest to the pin winners were LeTourneau (No. 2) and Pritchett (No. 15).
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