Contributed Story
CALLICOON — July 10, 2007 — It’s happening again. With exactly one month left before the first ball is hit, the 26th Annual Sullivan County Democrat Two-Man Better Ball Golf Tourney is nearly full.
On August 10-12 the Villa Roma Country Club in Callicoon will again play host to one of the premier amatuer golfing events in the region.
“We received four applications in the mail every day for a week and suddenly — only 15 slots are left,” tourney sponsor Fred Stabbert III said. “I hope everyone gets their applications in soon because I know these last 15 slots will be filled in less than two weeks.”
This year’s field — 56 two-man teams — already contains a dozen teams which could win it all with college standouts Sean Semenetz and Joe Winski heading the field.
Semenetz had a very respectable year at Drexel University and has been on fire this summer, qualifying for the New York State Open as low medalist with a 67 at Otterkill Golf Course last month.
Semenetz will now play in the NYS Open at Bethpage Black, home of the 2002 U.S. Open, the week of July 16.
But Semenetz will have to top both his father and brother if he wants to claim his third Democrat title in 2007.
Dad, Greg Sr., will again team up with Billy Phillips, a duo which has two Democrat championships under their belt. And brother Greg Jr., is playing with “the chef,” Pete Selthafner, who has the recipe for a lot of birdies around the Villa Roma Course.
Also back is Ken Cohen, who will be playing this year with Barry Winter. This duo has dialed the winner numbers in 2005, 1999, 1997, and 1992. Cohen, who also has four more championships on his wall — 2004, 1994, 1987 and 1984 — has broken more hearts at the Democrat than Brad Paisley at a Bethel Woods Concert.
“Never count Ken out,” Stabbert said. “He has a way of winning, especially at the Democrat. He can ground out a victory better than any player in the field and his four birdie stretches and shots at the pin are definately in the back of everyone’s mind when they play him.”