On July 12th, the WGACSF held its 46th Alumni Reunion at St Andrews Golf Club. The event is held annually to celebrate the incredible alumni network of the Caddie Scholarship Fund. Alumni and guest cruised around the historic course after a shotgun start at 1pm.
It was a perfect day for golf at St Andrews, with lunch being held before the round. The course is one of the five founding members of the United States Golf Association and has an old school design that many of the golfers explored for the first time.
“Our Alumni Reunion is such a special event for the fund,” said Director of the MGA Foundation and Senior Director of the WGACSF, Johanna Gavin. “It’s our opportunity to reconnect with the scholars who went through the program, who remain active, and give back. What better place to do that than on the golf course. This was our first event in a shotgun format…in a long time. The camaraderie we experienced at the reception on the deck at St. Andrew’s was something we have missed so very much.”
The field, which featured close to 70 golfers, competed in a Stableford competition with prizes being awarded for low net and low gross scores. Both second and third place in the net and gross competitions also were awarded prizes.
Bryan Lanza took first place in the gross division with Patrick English and Tim Nevin in second and third, respectively. Kevin O’Sullivan finished first in the net competition with Eddie Valdavinos finishing second and Michael Zurakhinsky finishing third.
Rain held off in the afternoon and everyone was able to enjoy a post round dinner on the terrace overlooking the course. A brief banquet was held, with prizes awarded, thank yous exchanged and a speech from CSF alumni Sachi Penha.
Penha spoke of her time as a caddie at Sunningdale Country Club and her love for the game of golf. She is a recent graduate of the University of Pittsburgh where she studied neuroscience.
“I’m very proud to be an alumnus of the fund,” said Penha in her speech. “I wouldn’t be where I am without the support from the [CSF] and I’m always thankful for all that golf has done for me.”
It was another tremendous CSF event at an incredible venue in St Andrews. As the alumni network grows with the graduation of another class in 2021, the 47th Alumni Reunion should be one to look forward to next year.
