Honesdale Golf Club officials crown winners at men's and women's Member-Guest events

HONESDALE — Two of the area’s most highly-anticipated links events went off without a hitch this past week at Honesdale Golf Club.

Under the watchful eye of organizer Bob Simons, the historic course hosted both its men’s and women’s Member-Guest tournaments.

“It was definitely a great week of golf,” said Simons, Hall of Fame high school skipper and longtime HGC member. “The level of competition was very high, but it was also good to see all the camaraderie.

“We really need to thank Chris Moran and his crew for all their hard work. The course is in fantastic shape as always.”

Nearly 100 golfers took part in the men’s event, which spanned three days. The women’s tournament enjoyed a solid turnout as well, attracting almost 50 participants.

In men’s Championship Flight action, the team of Jeff Tamblyn and Eamon Evans rallied for an electrifying win over Eric Williams and Dr. Matt Haley.

Meanwhile on the women’s side of the ledger, the dynamic duo of Bridget Donovan and Julia Santo defeated Rae Ann Bishop and Julie Cerra to claim the top spot.

“The women’s tournament was excellent,” Simons said. “Carolyn Siepiela and Liz Slocum did a great job organizing it and everything went very smoothly.”

Down to the wire

Founded all the way back in 1900, HGC has provided a scenic backdrop for some of Wayne County’s most exciting fairway encounters … and the 2023 men’s Member-Guest was no exception.

The final match of the Championship Flight was fiercely contested from start to finish. In fact, the two teams finished regulation in a tie, necessitating a sudden death playoff.

“The Member-Guest field has gotten a lot deeper the past few years,” Tamblyn said. “There aren’t any easy matches anymore. Both of ours on Sunday went extra holes. The competition is really good.”

Tamblyn and Evans entered this year’s fray as defending champs, and it took all of their hard-earned experience to repeat. The duo was looking at a 1-down deficit on 17, but Evans came through in the clutch.

A North Pocono graduate who now plays at Glenmaura and Scranton Country Club, Evans drained a 20-foot eagle putt to tie the match. Two holes later, his partner closed things out with a short par putt.

“That final match went back and forth the whole time,” said Tamblyn, a 2002 Honesdale alum who also played college golf at Keystone. “There were lots of birdies and very few bogeys. It was exciting.”

With Sunday’s razor thin win, Tamblyn and Evans notched their second HGC Member-Guest crown. Tamblyn has now won three overall.

“There were probably 8-10 teams good enough to win it all,” he said. “I’m really happy with how we played.”

Corey Teeple and Kevin Karabin captured First Flight honors. The pair defeated George Garrick and John Pash by a score of 2-up. John Werner and Hunter Thompson were consolation winners with a final round 73.

In Second Flight action, Scott and Tommy Corrigan emerged victorious. The duo downed Dominic Panza and Jerry Burns 1-up on the 19th hole. Matt Froncek and Harry Heck finished atop the consolation bracket via a stellar round of 69.

Steve Murray and Tony Andrejko copped Third Flight laurels in a truly epic battle. It took 20 holes before they finally defeated Bob Simons and Dave Weber 1-up. The pairing of Frank Bannan and John Meyer were consolation honorees with a 72.

In Fourth Flight competition, Billy Hessling and Mike McClain downed the team of Sam Siepiela and John Logan by a score of 2&1. Mike and Kevin Miller sealed the deal on consolation honors with a 79.

Finally, the duo of Scott Miller and Rick Miller finished atop the Fifth Flight rankings. They defeated Ron and Ronnie Collins by a score of 2&1. Jerry Dulay and John Leet took consolation laurels by posting a final round score of 84.

Links dominance

Bridget Donovan was a standout student-athlete at Honesdale who continued her golf career at East Stroudsburg University.

There, she piled up the accolades and awards including her team’s Most Valuable Player and Coach’s Choice awards before graduating in 2016.

Donovan returned home after earning her degree and began building her links resume at HGC. Heading into the 2023 campaign, she’d already won four Member-Guest titles and multiple Club Championships.

On Tuesday morning, Donovan once again teamed up with former Wallenpaupack Area star Julia Santo to chase another crown. The duo turned in a solid all-round effort, carding a score of 77 which was good for a four stroke bulge over their closest competitors.

Rae Ann Bishop and Julie Cerra earned runner-up honors with a final round 81. The team of Joanne Wychowanec and Rita O’Neill finished third with an 87.

“It was a great tournament!” Bridget exclaimed. “Liz Slocum and Carolyn Siepiela did a great job running everything. It was a fun day.”

First Flight honors went to Taylor Rickard and Chris Fritz who posted a 94. That was good for a one-shot margin over the team of Pip Tagle and Joanne Kropf (95).

In Second Flight action, the duo of Debbie Menago and Terri Pohle topped the bracket with a final round 102. Theresa Dux and Colleen Dirlam took second place at 105.

This article originally appeared on Tri-County Independent: Honesdale Golf Club holds 2023 men's and women's Member-Guest tourney