By Fred Stabbert III
CALLICOON — August 5, 2005 – With just a week left before the first shot is fired in the 24th Annual Sullivan County Democrat golf tourney, two spots are still open in the 64-team field.
“We expanded the field from 56 to 64 teams and almost immediately signed up six extra teams,” Fred Stabbert III, tournament sponsor, said. “We are looking for two more teams to round out our field.”
The tournament will be played on August 12-14 at the Villa Roma Country Club in Callicoon and course conditions should lead to many low scores.
With scorching temperatures raising havoc with fairways and greens, the course, like most in the area, is giving golfers extra distance off the tees.
But dry conditions also lead to extra caution around the greens, as golfers must try to calculate which greens will hold an iron shot and which greens will give extra bounce to their approaches.
And experience at the Villa Roma could hold the key to see who wins this year’s Championship Flight.
Defending champion Ken Cohen, who has seven championship plaques on his wall, had picked Barry Winter to be his partner in ‘05.
Cohen and Winter have won three times before but must get by the stellar duo of Greg Semenetz and Billy Phillips, who have two championships to their credit.
And then there’s Sean Semenetz, who is fresh off several Met PGA tournaments, teaming up with Joe Winski Jr.
“This team is loaded for bear, and should be able to shoot some really low scores,” Stabbert said.
But ultimate homefield advantage might go to Ben and Maxx Kleiner, the cousins who are working at the Villa Roma golf course this summer, and, according to sources, are playing better than last year, when they were able to advance to the semifinals in the championship flight.