Golf Fore! Scholarships Annual Fundraiser Golf Tournament is a Hole in One!

Submitted by the San Juan Golf and Tennis Foundation.

Every year, the San Juan Golf and Tennis Foundation, in partnership with the San Juan Golf and Tennis Club, hosts an annual fundraising golf tournament with the primary purpose of raising money to support scholarships for deserving high school graduates on San Juan Island. This past Sunday, June 4 the event hosted 55 players and raised over $8000.

This year’s tournament delivered an exciting spin to the traditional four-person scramble format, with opportunities to “buy” extra-long drives, mulligans and made putts, led to exceptionally low scores and even more laughs. The winning team walked away with a birdie-heavy score of 26 for 9 holes, 10 under par.

Congratulations to the winners, Jason Douglass, Matt Cowell, Libbey Nixon and Brad Hess. Extracurricular activities included a Putting Contest, won by Darren Olshefsky when he made a 63-foot putt, a Wine Raffle, a live auction of Friday Harbor High School Golf Team shirts and a beautiful Pendleton Blanket, donated by Kings Market.

The Friday Harbor High School Golf Team showed up in full force to volunteer, working various booths, serving lunch, setting up and taking down. Collectively, over 20 hours of service were earned by hard-working players Morgan Douglass, PJ Nixon, Akira Tokunaga, Finn Graham, Jack Hess, and Sam Herda, while Head Golf Coach Jack Rice and PGA Teaching Professional Marcus King ran the show. This event would not be possible without the extraordinary generosity of the sponsors within our island community. A special thank you to the title sponsor, Heritage Bank, for also providing wonderful volunteers to help host this event, Gretchen Bailey and Jill Bremer. The Hole Sponsors also help put the “fun” in fundraising. Thank you to Kings Market, Twin Bridges Marina, Haley’s Sports Bar and Grill, The Bait Shop, Roche Harbor Resort, San Juan Island Brewing Co., Earthbox Inn and Spa, Safe Harbor Insurance, and Island Group Sotheby’s International Realty for supporting this event and the San Juan Golf & Tennis Foundation throughout the year. Additional prizes for games on each hole were provided by On Point Barber Shop, Sweet Retreat, Community Treasures, Fireman’s Thrift Store, JP’s Restaurant and Bar, Vic’s Drive-In, Gene Wilson Car Wash, San Juan Islands Museum of Art and Pat Sandwith. Whether the game was a KP, long drive, or long putt, each winner had a great treat to take home thanks to these amazing businesses and individuals.

The 2023 San Juan Golf and Tennis Foundation scholarship winners are Isabella VanderYacht (Girls Tennis), Elisabeth Furber (Girls Tennis), Eleanor Rollins (Girls Tennis), and Cody Balcomb-Bartok (Boys Golf and Boys Tennis). Congratulations to this very deserving group of young athletes.

The San Juan Golf & Tennis Foundation is a non-profit, charitable organization, that supports youth golf and tennis programs on San Juan Island, including camps, lessons, junior leagues and equipment needs. The SJGT Foundation supports the community youth with annual college scholarships going to deserving athletes from the Friday Harbor High School golf and tennis teams. Learn more at https://sanjuangolfandtennisfoundation.square.site.

Contributed photo Golf teammates Akira Tokunaga and Jack Hess are very effective fundraisers!

Contributed photo 2023 San Juan Golf and Tennis Foundation Scholarship winners Isabella VanderYacht (Girls Tennis), Elisabeth Furber (Girls Tennis), Eleanor Rollins (Girls Tennis), and Cody Balcomb-Bartok (Boys Golf and Boys Tennis).