Golf: Making the Turn – Inaugural Jimmy Thomas Classic this weekend

Dan McDonald, The Advertiser, Sept. 20, 2016

It hasn’t happened as quickly as organizers hoped, but the Vermilion Links Club is about to have its coming-out party.

The group, founded during the past year to provide financial and other support to UL’s Ragin’ Cajun golf team, will have the first of several planned tournaments and golf outings Sunday and Monday. The inaugural Jimmy “Chicken” Thomas Classic was delayed one month from its original August dates following the torrential rains and flooding that devastated many areas of Acadiana.

The weekend tournament and related events at Oakbourne Country Club will be conducted a short iron away from the plot of land that will soon become a legacy to the two clubs and the biggest boost to the Cajun program in its history.

A couple of hazards still must be cleared, but individuals “in the know” from Oakbourne, the university and the Vermilion Links group are saying a major announcement on the long-awaited facility for the UL team should come in the near future.

The proposed building will house offices, a locker room and a two-bay practice area with state-of-the-art technology for the Cajun squad, while also including a teaching facility and covered bay for use of Oakbourne head professional Cliff Wagner, his staff and the Oakbourne membership.

The facility, which will be located at the end of Oakbourne’s driving range near the club entrance, will be a significant upgrade for Oakbourne members to improve their games. But the impact on the Cajun squad and program — the opportunity to finally have a true “home” facility — cannot be understated.

With all the entities involved, and the unique partnership between the public university and a private club, negotiations and legal matters have been complex and time-consuming. But the club’s board gave its final approval for the project two weeks ago, and UL has signed off on its portion, so only minor details remain to be ironed out and the design and construction process should begin soon.

The goal of the Vermilion Links group is to raise funds to assist the UL program, and the original plan was to use any raised funds to supplement travel, equipment and recruiting budgets and also attempt to fund a full-time assistant for head coach Theo Sliman. Early in the process, though, the group’s initial focus went toward supplementing an original and extremely-generous pledge from the Mosing family to build the facility.

The group has 50 “founding” members who have pledged $5,000 each over a five-year period, and the Vermilion Links now has plans to open up other membership levels to add to its financial support.

The Thomas tournament will also add to those coffers, while giving club members and prospective members the chance to meet and interact with members of the Cajun golf team over a two-day period.

The tournament itself is Monday, with the two-person scramble beginning with a 1 p.m. shotgun start following lunch and registration at 11 a.m. Entry fee for the event is $200 per person or $400 per two-person team, but the 50 founding Vermilion Links members do not have to pay this year’s entry fee.

Tournament organizer David Church said that several playing spots remain open, and that all golfers are welcome to not only participate in the tournament and its related activities but to become involved with Vermilion Links activities. Information is available from Church at dchurch@dartenergyservices.com.

Those activities actually begin Sunday night when Oakbourne hosts a dinner and social at 6:30 p.m. for Vermilion Links members and tournament players. All members of the UL golf team and staff will be on hand for a meet-and-greet event, which has been one of the Links’ major goals since its founding.

“We want to raise money, but we also want to provide a link between the team and the community,” Church said. “One of our goals is for the guys who come here to play for the university to become a part of the Acadiana community, and that will help them in the future when they finish their playing career and graduate and move into the work force.”

Double-eagle drive

Holes-in-one are fairly common occurrences on Acadiana courses, and Kaplan’s Randy Leger had never had an ace in his 20-year golfing career prior to last Thursday.

But on that day, the 48-year-old veteran with the Lafayette Police Department did something that almost never happens.

Leger hit a driver on the 364-yard par-four 16th hole at Les Vieux Chenes, cutting the corner and eventually holing that  shot for the rare albatross.

“It was one of those days that you could do nothing wrong,” said Leger, who was six-under through seven holes on the back side on the way to a four-under 68. “I was hitting the ball really well that day, and that one was one of those shots that when you hit it, you had that feeling of, yeah, that one was struck.”

Leger, who was playing in a group with Ron Crajkowski, Vaughn Burris and John Childers, didn’t know he’d holed out. In fact, he was still looking for his ball in tall grass behind the green when Childers looked in the cup and saw the Titleist 3 ProV1x with a black dot looking back up.

“That was the best thing and the worst thing, I wasn’t the one that found it,” he said. “Another guy was standing at the corner and said he thought it went over the green. John had chipped up and was about to putt out and he said there’s a ball in the hole. Sure enough, there it was … time for me to go home.”

Leger said he was hitting his Titleist 913D driver well all day, and had cut corners on a couple of other holes on the front side. He then birdied the 10th hole, barely missing running in a chip for eagle, and made a 35-foot putt for birdie on the 11th. He also birdied the par-five 15th hole before teeing it up on the 16th.

“It was just one of those days,” he said. “I’d been close to hole-in-one a couple of times, hit a flag or two, but nothing like that.”

Lucky 13th

Oakbourne has been playing as a 17-hole course for several weeks after the flooding, with the 13th fairway remaining under water for a significant time. But last weekend, that hole was cleared for play, and the course is back and fully functioning.

Superintendent Jason Barras said that many unique treatments were used to rectify damage and issues caused by the flooding, but that the facility should suffer few long-term effects.

The reopening happened just in time for the “Chicken” Thomas tournament, and the club will also host the Louisiana Golf Association’s Senior Amateur Championship on Oct. 20-22. The LGA event was scheduled for late August but was pushed back after the flooding, but the LGA chose to keep Oakbourne as the site.

“Although the golf course has taken on a tremendous amount of water, we are confident that it will be in championship condition and ready to host the Senior Amateur at that time,” said LGA executive director Carr McCalla back in August. “Also, rescheduling will allow more time for those who were impacted by the flooding to be there for friends, family and their communities during the recovery process.”

The push back also extended the entry deadline, which is now Oct. 11. The 54-hole tournament is open to all players age 50 and over as of Oct. 20 and who have a certified handicap of 15 or less. Entry fee is $200 ($175 for the 36-hole Super Senior division for players 65 and over), and information is available online at www.lgagolf.org.

Softball golf

UL’s softball team will hold its annual fundraiser golf tournament in just over one week on Monday, Oct. 3, at The Wetlands, with the four-person scramble raising funds for the program. The event has a 1 p.m. shotgun start and entry fee is $125 per individual or $500 per team, with sponsorships also available beginning at $150 and a silent auction also available.

Information on registration and sponsorships is available from Bobby Neveaux at 884-2345 or at bneveaux@yahoo.com. Information is also available from the softball office at softball@louisiana.edu.

Assist Club Open

UL’s women’s basketball program will hold its annual Assist Club Open on Oct. 17 at 1 p.m. at Le Triomphe, with all funds raised going to support the Ragin’ Cajun squad. With the recent flooding and recovery, entry feels have been kept low so that as many golfers as possible may take part in the event.

Entry fee is $450 for a three-person team including food, drink and an Adidas pullover. Players may also play for $100 per person without the pullover and golf extras.

Mulligans and sponsorships are also available, and entries and more information are available online at ulassistclub.com or by calling 482-9012.

City Championships return

Another weather-rescheduled event is also less than a month away, with the City of Lafayette Golf Championships originally set for early August prior to the flooding.

That event, the city’s oldest golf tournament, has been rescheduled for Saturday-Sunday, Oct. 8-9, with the first day at Hebert Municipal and the final day at The Wetlands. The city event will again have championship flight, men’s, seniors and ladies’ divisions.

Wetlands head professional David Gary said that players who had originally entered the tournament do not have to re-enter, but that any other players are welcome and may register at any of the city’s three municipal courses. The tournament is open to all golfers, with no local residence requirements, but players must have an established USGA handicap in order to participate. More information is available at The Wetlands or by calling 291-7151.

LVC Seniors

The Vieux Chenes Seniors Association held its September scramble last Thursday with 28 players competing, and the team of Glenn Biro, Patrick Hebert, Walter Jackson and Dennis Leger combined for a 59 score to take top honors in the scramble event.

Don Everett, Bill Harrington, Eddie Clark, Robert Barrilleaux and Bucky Ware finished as runners-up at 63, Stephen Newman, Kenny Granger, Lenox Castille and Wayne Thibodeaux were third at 64, Johnny Bourque, Ron Breaux , Lee Stelly, Herb Reitz and Don Justice were fourth at 66, Aaron Hollier, James Fitzmorris, Jim Worley and Rick Bonin were fifth at 68 and Damon Hanson, Tom Surhoff, Don Hattaway, Gerald Latiolais and Butch Babin were sixth at 68.

The group holds monthly events on Thursdays, and all senior players are invited. More information is available at Les Vieux Chenes or by calling 837-1159.

Acadiana Pro-Am

The next outing for the Acadiana Pro-Am tour, sponsored by Community First Bank, is Oct. 6, at Vermilion Oaks in Abbeville. The Pro-Am events are open to all players regardless of skill level, and players may make up their own foursomes and may call that course at 893-8710 early that week to set up tee times.

Bill Bass Open

Save the date and make plans now for the annual Bill Bass Open, UL’s annual Homecoming golf tournament that is scheduled for Nov. 4 — one day before the Ragin’ Cajun football team takes on Idaho in the annual Homecoming game.

The four-person scramble event features availabilities for morning and afternoon shotgun starts, with play beginning at 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. in the two waves. Registration begins 90 minutes before each tee time, and lunch will be served after play for the morning wave and before play for the afternoon session.

Snacks and beverages will be available on the course, and there will also be special “Homecoming” holes in play throughout the round.

This year for the first time, RCAF members will get a bonus, with those members paying a $125 entry fee per player. Regular entry fee is $150 per player or $600 per team. Players may make up their own four-person team or may enter as individuals to be paired up on teams, and a team handicap index will be used so that all players have a chance at the Cajun-themed prizes that go to winning squads.

Entry forms will be available soon at local courses and golf outlets as well as several UL locations. Forms will also be mailed out to RCAF members in that group’s September mailing, and forms and information are also available by calling 857-8754. An online form will also be available in the near future at www.ragincajuns.com.

“Making the Turn” appears each Wednesday from February-November in the Daily Advertiser. Clubs, courses and individuals with information about local golf events may email Dan McDonald, editorial director at Golfballs.com, at danmcdonald@cox.net, FAX to (337) 857-8763 or call (337) 857-8754 and leave a message with phone number.