PLYMOUTH – Something about the Canasawacta Country Club Men’s Member-Guest tournament gets its participants fired up.
Every year, returning players count the days on their calendar until the tournament opens on the first Thursday of August. Others playing it for the first time will surely be as hooked as the veterans, and those who have not played the tournament in a while would likely jump at the chance to rejoin a fraternity of players where friendships are renewed, and family bonds strengthened.
“I think there is just the tradition of the tournament and a great sense of pride to play,” said CCC head professional, Charley Winn.
This is the 53rd incarnation of the tournament. The format has changed a few times, but has remained 54 holes of best ball, stroke play for over 30 years. Not too many member-guests in the Southern Tier enjoy this type of three-day event, and the championship team each year knows that it earned the title. “There is a lot of importance around here in winning this tournament, and it’s a real feather in anyone’s cap,” Winn said. “This is a true test of golf, and for those players in the Masters Flight (championship flight), the tournament is a real marathon.”
Winn said 88 teams will tee it up beginning Thursday morning in the first of two shotgun starts. After Friday’s second round, the top eight teams qualify for the Masters Flight, and the remaining teams will be assigned to eight other flights based on total score. Winn said if there are multiple teams tied for the eighth spot in the Masters Flight, a playoff will decide the final spot.
And ties could be a possibility, the CCC professional said. Winn estimated anywhere from 12 to 15 teams are capable of winning the tournament this year, and perhaps close to 20 teams are good enough to make the final eight. “In my three years here, I would say the field has gotten a little stronger each year,” Winn said.
The rainy, wet conditions that prevailed over the course during spring and early summer have given way to near drought-like conditions. Balls are running out on fairways, Winn said, and the greens – despite ample watering – may not hold shots as well – especially during afternoon rounds.
Among the field are defending champion, Bryan Smith and Todd Seiler. Smith and Seiler have won the last three member-guests they have entered – two at Bluestone Golf Course in addition to last year’s CCC crown. Other championship alumni in the field are Mark DeMellier-George Gelsomin (1987); Doug Wilson-Joe Gutosky (2003); Bob Branham-Mike Branham (2004, 2008); Tim Mirabito-Ken Stewart (2005, 2007); and Lee Skillin-Jim Gorski (2009).
Those teams are all contenders for the title, but Winn is leaning toward a first-time winner as his pre-tournament favorite: Tim Carson and Scott Seiler. The Carson-Seiler team has four runner-up finishes over the past five years, and led entering last year’s final round. “They’re both excellent players, and I really think they’re due,” Winn said of Carson and Seiler. “This is their breakthrough year.”
Tournament play on Thursday and Friday includes shotgun starts at 8 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. All players in Saturday’s final round will be slotted to a tee time based on their flight and total score.