The Otesaga Hotel Seniors Open &
 Pro-Am News:

29th Annual Otesaga Seniors Open & Pro-Am

Visit The Otesaga Hotel, the Resort Hotel of Cooperstown,
over 100 years of gracious hospitality!
 

Pathfinder Village

3 Chenango Road

Edmeston, New York

13335-2314

info@pathfindervillage.org

"Golf's Ironman," Bob Kurtz of Cullman, Ala., center, anchored the winning team of the 2011 Pro-Am,
 which included Pathfinder Village Foundation Chair Bill Cole, Steve Fossaceca, Victor Pepin and John Griffin.

29th Annual Otesaga Hotel Seniors Open Begins
with Hall of Famer Johnny Bench as Pro-Am Host

 -- Cooperstown Seniors Open at Leatherstocking Golf Starts Wednesday;
More than $50,000 Raised for Village Scholarship Fund at Pro-Am --

 (COOPERSTOWN, NY), September 7, 2011: Baseball Hall of Fame catcher Johnny Bench returned to Cooperstown yesterday to showcase his golf talents as celebrity host of the 29^th Annual Otesaga Hotel Seniors Open Pro-Am at the Leatherstocking Golf Course.

The three-day Seniors Open, one of the top senior tournaments in the Northeast, begins Wednesday featuring 106 pros from across the country competing for a $75,000 purse to be awarded to the top finishers at this week’s event. 

On Tuesday, Bench, led more than 130 golfers, including 28 pros, in the Pro-Am, with more than $50,000 raised to benefit the Scholarship Fund of Pathfinder Village, a residential community in nearby Edmeston for children and adults with Down syndrome and other developmental disabilities. Proceeds from the tournament also benefit the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum’s outreach programs, enabling the world-famous institution to fulfill its educational mission.

At the Pro-Am, Bench was paired with the team representing Presenting Sponsor NBT Bank, Daryl Forsythe, John Mitchell, Mark Demellier and Patrick Flanagan.  The Seniors Open also was made possible with support from Corporate Sponsor Coca-Cola Refreshments of Albany, and Platinum Sponsors Strategic Financial Services of Utica, NYCM Insurance of Edmeston, Mike and Margaret Nicolais of New York, and Oneonta Block Company, Oneonta. 

Professional Bob Kurtz of Cullman, Ala., led his team to a victory  in the Pro-Am, with a score of 121. Kurtz was partnered with William Cole, chair of the Pathfinder Village Foundation, Steve Fossaceca, John Griffin and Victor Pepin. The names of the first-place team will be engraved on the Joseph P. Franzese Memorial Trophy, named after the tournament’s founder.

During the Pro-Am awards banquet, Kurtz, known as "Golf's Ironman" for his golf fund raising events, presented Pathfinder Village with $1850 from his 2011 marathon.  Kurtz, a minister, sports commentator and golf pro, also has raised funds to rebuild tornado-torn Cullman.  He is the current Guinness World Record holder for the most holes of golf -- 1850 -- shot within one week.

Pro Scott Spence of Galena, Ohio – and a former Otsego County resident – led his team to a second-place finish, along with teammates Jim Bugonian, Jim Potts, Peter Severud and Andrew Vilacky (122).

The team of Phil Lewis, Garo Gozigian, Rick Mirabito and David Clinton and Pro Mike Hamilton of Pickens, South Carolina, finished third (123).  In fourth (123),  was the Coca-Cola Refreshments team of Jeff Blanchard, Dan Schneider, Alan Whiteman and Tom Bryden, paired with Pro Kerry Johnston.  In fifth place (124), was the team of Bill Stamp, James Peters, Steve Carl and Mike Jones, paired with Pro Tom Bolduc, Rochester.

Competition in the Seniors Open begins Wednesday morning with 8 a.m. tee times and continues through Friday.

“This year’s field of senior pros is truly outstanding,” said Dan Spooner, Tournament co-chair and director of golf at Leatherstocking Golf Course. “This is by far our best field of pro participants, which should make for a great tournament this week in Cooperstown.”

 

Tournament Co-chair Daryl Forsythe with Johnny Bench, Hall of Fame Ambassador
for the 2011 Otesaga Hotel Seniors Open Pro-Am, which raised $50,000 for Pathfinder Village scholarships.

2011 Otesaga Seniors Open & Pro-Am Tees off September 6

COOPERSTOWN, NY, July 1, 2011: The 29th annual Otesaga Hotel Seniors Open and Pro-Am Golf Tournament will be held Sept. 6-9 at the Leatherstocking Golf Course in Cooperstown.  This benefit tournament, now a post-Labor Day tradition, supports the scholarship endowment at Pathfinder Village, Edmeston, a remarkable residential community for people who have Down syndrome and other developmental disabilities.

 The Pro-Am will be held Tuesday, Sept. 6. with up to 32 teams. The teams include four amateurs and one senior golf professional; play follows a two-man, best-ball format.  The Pro-Am features an 11:30 a.m. shotgun start.

 The Hall of Fame Ambassador for this year's Pro-Am is Johnny Bench of the Cincinnati Reds, widely viewed as one of the greatest catchers ever in the major leagues.  Mr. Bench was a member of the famed “Big Red Machine” and was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1989.  Previous celebrity hosts have included Hall of Famers Jim Rice, Mike Schmidt and Carlton Fisk.  A highlight of the day is the Hall of Fame Ambassador's comments during the event's awards banquet at The Otesaga's Main Dining Room.

 The three-day 2011 Otesaga Seniors Open runs Wednesday through Friday, Sept. 7 - 9. The Seniors Open offers a total prize purse of $100,000, based on a full field of 135 contestants, with $10,000 awarded to the Champion. Senior golf professionals from around the country compete for prize money that is distributed throughout five flights, based on players' ages.

The Otesaga Hotel is the tournament’s Title Sponsor, and has been instrumental in the tournament’s long-lived success. Selected as a “Historic Hotel of America” by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, The Otesaga provides exceptional accommodations, service, and fine dining.  The resort recently underwent a multi-million dollar renovation to restore its original 1909 grandeur, and is a landmark with breathtaking views of Lake Otsego, the famed “Glimmerglass” of James Fenimore Cooper’s novels.

NBT Bank is the Presenting Sponsor for the 2011 tournament.  NBT Bank is a full-service community bank, with 85 offices in upstate New York, two branches in northwestern Vermont and 37 Pennstar Bank offices in northeastern Pennsylvania. Its parent corporation, NBT Bancorp Inc., is a financial holding company headquartered in Norwich, with total assets of $5.3 million. More information can be found at www.nbtbank.com.

 Proceeds from this traditional post-Labor Day event benefit Pathfinder Village; annually, the Seniors Open raises more than $50,000 for tuition support and directly helps the Village's 90-plus residents and day school students. More than $1.5 million has been raised for Pathfinder Village through the years. 

Proceeds also benefit the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum educational programs, which enable the world-famous Museum to fulfill its educational mission and care for its collections. 

For more information on the Seniors Open, please contact the
 Leatherstocking Golf Course at 607-547-9931.

For more information on the Pro-Am portion of the tournament,
please call Pathfinder Village at 607-965-8377, ext. 114.

(607) 965-8377

© Copyright 2011 Pathfinder Village, Inc.  All Rights Reserved.