By Fred Stabbert III
CALLICOON — July 27, 2001 – Next Friday morning one of the most anticipated golfing events of the summer will begin when the first round of the 20th Annual Sullivan County Democrat Golf Tourney tees off at the Villa Roma here.
On Monday, the field of 112 golfers — 56 teams — was completed when the Monticello duo of Dan Smalls and Sean Rieber filled the final spot.
The three-day event will be held on August 3-5 at the Villa Roma Country Club.
“We appreciate the great response we get from the golfers for this event and each year we seem to fill up earlier and earlier,” Fred Stabbert, tournament sponsor, said. “This year is going to be extremely competitive and I predict a championship match that will either be decided on the 18th hole or sudden death.”
Nine past champions — including two-time winner Jack Jordan — will pace the field in the three-day event. Jordan, who won back-to-back titles in 1988 and 1989, will play with David Solomon, who was his teammate on the ’89 winning team.
Jordan’s ’88 partner, Ken Cohen, cannot golf in this year’s event. Cohen, a six-time winner of the Democrat, is playing great golf this summer, qualifying for the top amateur golf tournaments in the state and also recording two holes-in-one, both coming in competitive rounds.
Other returning champions include 1986 winner Tom Drobysh, who will be playing with Richard Schmidt; 1989 winners Charlie Johnston and Terry Wolcott, who will be playing with Marvin Newberg and Bob Simpson, Jr. respectively; 1996 winners Dave Philossoph and Peter Rymer and 2000 winner Chris DuBois and Bill Elliott, who will try to become only the second team to ever defend their title.
The first, and only, team to ever defend their title were Mark and Mitchell Etess during the first two years of the Democrat, which was played on their ‘home’ course, The Big G at Grossinger’s.