Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
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SEPTEMBER 27 - OCTOBER 3, 2017 UCW 31 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM LESLIE PYO, Assistant Editor. COMMENTS? Editor@upandcom- ingweekly.com. (910) 484-6200. later, after receiving her black belt, she changed course and began to focus on golf. Her dad had suggested she tr y it out as a good possibilit y for getting college scholarships. "At first I was a little bit hesitant, but … I fell in love with the game," she said. She said she plays an emotional game, which she knows "isn't the best idea," but that it's just part of who she is. Seymour said she definitely plans to enter again next year and that she hopes to talk some of her friends into entering as well. DeeDee Jarman, Methodist Universit y's deput y athletic director, assisted tournament coordina- tor Bill Bowman in implementing the Women's Division. "W hat a performance Angelique put on (for) the three days of the championship," Jarman said. "She is an incredible young lady, and she has a ver y promising future in golf." Jarman hopes to use word of mouth to grow the division from its first-year showing of four women. Scooter Buhrman, Gates Four PGA professional, has helped with the tournament for years and won the champion title in 2007. " I think this was a great tournament," he said. "We had 87 players, about 25 more than last year. So it did grow, and we're hoping next year with the 50th anniversar y we can get 100 to 120 players." The 50th CCGCC will again be held at Gates Four and will see a revival of the Past Champions' Dinner, a tradition that lasted 20 years until it was last held in 2009. The dinner occurs the week of the tournament prior to the competition and invites all the tournament's past winners to enjoy a meal together. "That will be special to see some of those people that are no longer competing but can still come out and share some of the stories of the heyday of the tournament," said Kevin Lavertu, general manager at Gates Four. "W hen you start building events that go on for 20, 30, 50 years, … it means a lot to many of the players in the communit y. Many will tell you that they play a lot of tournaments throughout the state and nationally, and this tour- nament is one of the ones they hold most near and dear and most look for ward to playing in, year-in and year-out." "The fact that it is 50 years old is pretty remark- able," Owen said. "Think about it. That's something local here that's been going on for 50 years." West agreed. "I have a love and a reverence for the his- tory of the tournament. … The 50th anniversary (is) an opportunity to celebrate the history and tradi- tion of the tournament and what it's been through the years. I think it kind of comes at a perfect time, as we move forward with the tournament, getting it back to the prominence it once had. "Probably half of the people in the champion- ship division I hadn't played with before or didn't know, and for many years, that was not the case. … We definitely have got a young group of golfers coming through." West has been playing in the tournament since 1991, and he won his first CCGCC title in 1994 when he was 19 years old. Visit CumberlandCount yGolfClassic.com to see a full list of scores from the 49th CCGCC. To learn more about the 50th anniversar y tournament, call (910) 425-6667 ext. 224. L-R: Division winners Juan Sanders (Open), Billy West (Championship), Angelique Seymour (Women's), Ron Thomp- son (Super Senior) and Chuck Mohn (Senior) Inaugural CCGCC Women's Division participants L-R: Angelique Seymour, Jennifer Evans, DeeDee Jarman, Trish Joyce Tournament coordinator Bill Bowman shares a laugh with Rep. Billy Richardson, D-District 44, at the awards party. Last year's champion, Owen, hugs this year's champion, West. The awards reception and party was held at the conclu- sion of the tournament on Sunday, Sept. 17.