The weather gods provided a comfortable, partly sunny Saturday — for the 17th Annual Sumter County Sheriff Bill Farmer’s Youth Charity Golf Tournament. The event was a sellout with 72 foursomes (288 registered players).
John Balmer, husband of Deputy Michelle Balmer, shot a hole-in-one; and three teams finished with a score of 56. As a result of a tie-breaker, first place was awarded to Steve Davis, Mike Doyle, Patrick O’Neill and Chuck Walter. Second place went to Charlie Brooks, Tony Cronin, John Nee and Rich Travisano. Taking third place trophies were Al Butler, Don Hahnfeldt, Steve Printz and David Williams.
Following closely with a score of 58, John Balmer, Deputy Dick Bennett, Ron Garski and Andy Wills placed fourth; and T. Eason, K.C. Ezell, Jeff Morris and John Yancy brought in fifth place with a 59.
Players lined up before 7:45 a.m. for the morning tee time s at the Tierra del Sol Country Club golf course to begin the competitive scramble. The second wave of players teed off at 1 p.m. Both breakfast and lunch were provided to the players .
“I’m always very pleased to see these slots fill up,” Sumter County Sheriff Bil Farmer said. “We always appreciate the many sponsors and players who come out to help the youth in our county — I just can’t thank them enou gh.”
Last year the tourney netted about $20,000.
“That money went to support community pro grams and educational scholarships for our local young people. This year, we expect to exceed $25,000 after expenses. This funding helps our staff and volunteers mentor our youth to become productive citizens in our communities, so they can lead upstanding, satisfying lives.
At the awards banquet, held at the Savannah Regional Recreation Center early Saturday evening, a buffet dinner from Hacienda Caterers was served to the large crowd of golfers plus spouses and partners. Hundreds of donated prizes were distributed — including golf equipment, gift certificates for trips, plus products and services from local merchants.
Sheriff Farmer recognized Lt. Nehemiah Wolfe for nearly 20 years of dedicated service. The well known and widely admired lieutenant, who will retire in September, was honored with a standing ovation.
