By Tim Clark
Many Legal Aid golf tournament participants have been golfing since high school. Amelia Choi, the youngest player in the 32nd Annual Legal Aid SMC Golf Classic at age 12, hasn’t started high school yet.
On July 10th, players were grouped in a shotgun start in foursomes, threesomes and a last-minute twosome who were visiting the area!
Stanford Golf officials proclaimed the course was in “its finest shape ever—but we’ll let you decide.” Players evidently agree, chipping complements such as “beautiful,” “immaculate,” “well-groomed greens trimmed short and fast,” and “perfect day,” a reference to not only the course but also the mild temperature, light breeze and perhaps the refreshments at multiple holes.
The tournament is a fundraiser for the Legal Aid Society of San Mateo County and supports its mission “to fight social injustice through civil legal advocacy for people living in poverty.”
Driving their way to victory in the tournament was a threesome composed of Niall McCarthy of Cotchett, Pitre & McCarthy LLP, his 20-something son Colin McCarthy, and Darren Kelly. They finished first with a 12 under par score in the “scramble” format, sometimes known as best ball. In less polite company, the younger McCarthy might have been described as a “ringer”—a former Loyola Marymount University baseball player who admittedly “can still hit it pretty hard.”
Winning the Senior Division was a foursome composed of Rand White, Tony Callahan, Bruce Beekley, and Al Shiffler.
Other top finishers:
Standard Division
2nd place at 8 under: Craig Adas, Luis Gonzalez, Logan Lowe and Peggy Kern.
3rd place at 7 under: Craig Crawford, Greg Regan, Tim Clarke and Dan Leder.
4th Place at 5 under: Adam Zapala, Donald “Duffy” Magilligan and Andrew Kirtley.
Senior Division
2nd place at 5 under: William Freeman, Mike Braun, Andrew Menkes, Gary Madden.
3rd place at 3 under: John Gemello, Mark Gemello, Keith Virnoche, Blair Weimer
4th place at 2 under: Ron Garrity, Paul Simpson, Jed Dershimer, Pat Carlin, which took fourth in a “scorecard playoff” with the fifth-place team that was tied.
Presiding as master of ceremonies was the inevitable Tom Vacar, a lawyer and reporter at KVTU/Fox 2, a fixture at the event for more years than he’s counted. Vacar and Legal Aid SMC staff handed out awards (and prizes) in multiple categories:
Closest to the pin, hole 4, Standard: Brian Fleischer (11’ 5”)
Closest to the pin, hole 4, Seniors: Paul Simpson (7’ 7”)
Longest drive, hole 10, Standard: Logan Lowe
Longest drive, hole 10, Seniors: Keith Virnoche
Straight drive, hole 16, Standard: Tony Callahan
Straight drive, hole 16, Seniors: Dan Shvodian
Hole in One, hole 10, Standard: Brian Fleischer (14’ 10”)
Hole in One, hole 10, Seniors: Paul Choi (23’ 7”)
Despite the efforts of 70 golfers, no one holed out to win the $8,000 cash hole-in-one prize.
Likewise, no one teed off (or departed) hungry. The lunch menu included Angus cheeseburgers, Impossible burgers, chicken sandwiches and hot dogs. William Jay Catering stepped up their kitchen game for dinner: Italian meatballs, shrimp scampi, pesto ravioli and more plus three desserts.
Perhaps the greatest interest at the banquet was in the numerous raffle prizes, ranging from a silver bracelet to auto detailing to gift certificates for restaurants. “It’s the first time in many years that someone didn’t walk away with three or four,” said Tom Vacar reporter, KTVU, who also functions as historic memory for the tournament.
Nonetheless, there was one double winner: 12-year-old Amelia Choi (whose team finished under par on the tough course) won a set of three crafted wood cutting boards—and a nice bottle of wine that she won’t be able to consume for 9 years.