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St. Anne’s School Golf Tournament

Published September 20. 2022 11:50AM
by Dennis Glew Special to the Bethlehem Press

Sunny, reasonably mild and with a light breeze, Aug. 19 was a beautiful day for golf, food, and fellowship at the Bethlehem Golf Club. Beginning at 7 a.m., 96 players gathered outside the pro shop, where volunteers from St. Anne’s Church and School, the sponsor of the day’s event, told each foursome its starting hole. After a prayer and blessing by St. Anne’s pastor, the Rev. Anthony Mongiello, 48 golf carts (two per foursome) headed out to the golfers’ assignments, and the 2022 St. Anne’s School Golf Tournament was underway.

St. Anne’s School was the beneficiary of the event. Opened in 1949, the school welcomed 292 students for the 2022-23 school year. Income from the golf tournament will be used to repair the school building’s exterior wall on Hickory Street, which has developed cracks in the stucco.

The tournament was planned as a four-person scramble. In a scramble the three players who hit the weakest shots simply move their balls to the better spot where the fourth golfer’s ball ended up. This typically speeds up play. It also gives weaker players a better score. Starting the foursomes at different holes eliminated a traffic jam at the beginning. As a result, a wonderful Italian meal could be served to the whole field beginning at 1:30.

At the end of the day, the following golfers took the top places: (1) first place-Curt Hoyak, Tom McGorry, Eric Pacala, and Russ Pacala; (2) second place-Daniel M. O’Donnell, Matthew D. O’Donnell, Daniel F. O’Donnell, and B. Lincoln Treadwell; and (3) third place-Fred Rice, John Sverha, Alley Cade, and Matt Firman. Nine female golfers participated. Karen Gentoso, who played in a foursome with her friends, won the women’s Longest Drive contest.

Prizes offered at the tournament included exceptional awards for a hole-in-one at any of the four par 3’s on the course. These were sponsored by Tom Kwiatek. At the 14th hole the prize was a Scotland golf experience for two people, an 8-day/7-night excursion including airfare, lodging and golfing at six courses (picked by the winner) which have hosted British Opens. Regrettably there were no holes-in-one this year.

Press photos by dennis glew First thing in the morning, foursomes met and checked in, drank coffee, ate donuts and looked forward to a great day on the course. Here are George Kurtz, Jeff Frankenfield, Mike Hartigan and P.K. Ghatak. They would finish the day tied for third place.
Warming up on the putting green, Vic Hudak, a former teacher at St. Anne's School, putted his shots closer and closer to the pin.
0777. School-age kids in the tournament? Yes, indeed. Matt and Cammy McKittnick were in a foursome led by Brayden Terpack and Mark Zabriski. Another five years and these guys will be a threat.
Four friends who live near the course and play there every Tuesday joined in a foursome: (left to right) Becky Wilder, Jackie Lulewitz, Betty Vecchione, and Karen Gentoso.
At Becahi and later at Penn State, Tom Donchez was a running back. He also ran for the Chicago Bears in 1975, playing all fourteen games that season. Tom is now a golfer. Here he drives on the fourteenth hole.
As a busy but successful day winds down, Glenn Wightman of the Tournament Committee chats with Fr. Mongiello, pastor of St. Anne's.
Principal of St. Anne's School Jim Krupa was nominated informally for wearing the most festive golf attire. To award prizes he was joined by three St. Anne's students.