FAGOC

Members and Guests,

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And so it ended another successful tournament season, filled with so many exciting, well-contested games, in some of NJ's premier courses. But the best of it all was simply being together as brothers in fairways and greens, enjoying the camaraderie and fellowship - regardless of the place or conditions of the tournament. Case in point, our final game on Saturday - was like a Concordia 2.0.  For those who remember (not sure how one could forget that tournament), it was pouring rain, so the rule of "lift, clean, and replace" - was in effect. But it needed to be clarified right away to ensure players may have not heard it wrong as "lift, clean, and replace on a tee".  In our final game at Eagle Ridge on Saturday with same rainy conditions, the rule was modified to "find, dig, lift, and replace".  Hitting the fairway did not guarantee finding the ball as it may have been plugged below the surface. Overall, it was brutal coz the stake was high, the pressure was intense, and the challenges included not only the weather conditions but also the players' patience, psychological disposition, and even their rain gear. Yes, players came prepared with their best rain gear but one player, in the middle of the round, commented - "now I know my shoes are truly water repellant coz the water stays inside my shoes".  All sorts of difficulties on the course but in the end, it was another successful tournament just the same.

 

So, who came away with the victory in the Club Championship Game 2?

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First of all, contenders for the Club Championship were the leaders in Game 1 and they were in the last group led by El Presidente Elmer Sadiangabay. But there was also focus on the FedEx leaders as contenders and they are led by Adonis Buelo, Elmer Sadiangabay, Lito Trasmonte, and Romy Miranda.  And claiming the Class A Champion win for game 2 was no other than the Silent Assassin in Romy Miranda.  Here is another example of a good player who cannot be denied a victory this season. Claiming his first of the season, Romy played brilliantly in carding +3 (75) net, edging out El Presidente Elmer by a single stroke. As his last name (Miranda) signifies (from the Latin word mirandus meaning "worthy of admiration", there's plenty to admire in Romy, both as a person and as a player. 

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Congratulations, Romy!

 

In Class B, inspired by the performance of his niece - Dottie Ardina at the Walmart Championship, Nestor Espiritu carded a +8 (80) net, good enough to capture the victory. It's Nestor's 2nd win of the season. 

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Congratulations, Nestor!

 

In the Birdies contest, it was a battle between Adonis Buelo and Hazen Yu - tied with 9 birdies.   Adonis had a couple of opportunities in the front 9 but could not convert. He finally had a birdie on the 13th hole - when he putted - wearing his hat with the visor at the back. This prevented water to drip directly onto the ball while putting.  With his 10th birdie, Adonis came away with the win. Truly, Adonis had played some of his best games this season. But before the game, he was worried and was feeling the pressure. One player calmed him down by saying: "Relax Adonis, it's all yours. The only way you'll lose is if your playing partners disqualify you".  Well, the closest reason we could come up with to DQ Adonis was when he wore his golf hat with the visor at the back (thinking and stretching a violation that this is golf not tennis). Since we were unable to disqualify him, the rest was history.

 

Carding +7 (79) net, Adonis came away with a 3rd place finish, securing enough points to maintain his lead, consequently capturing the FedEx Championship contest. If that's not impressive enough, how about -no players have ever won FedEx other than Adonis. Yes, all three FedEx contests were won by Adonis.

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Congratulations, Adonis on an amazingly phenomenal season you had!                                                                       

 

And now onto the most prestigious award of the season, FAGOC's 2024 Club Champion. This is based on the cumulative total scores from the Club Championship Games 1 and 2.  And the well-deserving winner is no other than our own El Presidente Elmer Sadiangabay.  What a turn-around season for El Presidente!  Claiming the penultimate tournament as his first victory of the season, El Presidente Elmer carried over to the ultimate/finals his newly found superb game and almost had a back to back wins. Adding his +4 (76) net in Game 2 to his -1 (71) in Game 1 - gave Elmer 147, best total score to win FAGOC's 2024 Club Champion of the Year Award.

 

Congratulations, El Presidente Elmer on winning your 6th Club Champion of the Year!  

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Wow! Club Champion of the Year for:  2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2018, 2024

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​​​​As we close our tournament season, we have one event left and that is our Awards Night on Saturday - Oct 19 at the Clarion Hotel in Toms River.  Truly, we have been blessed with another tremendously successful tournament season and it's largely because of you, FAGOC's invaluable members and ever-supportive guests.  Let's celebrate you and appreciate our success!

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See you all on Saturday - Oct 19!

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God Bless Everyone!

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FORE!