CALLICOON – This morning, at 8 a.m. sharp, the first tee shots will be fired down the Villa Roma fairways, officially starting the 44th Annual Sullivan County Democrat Two-Man Better Ball Golf Tournament.

The tourney, which will be played at the Villa Roma Country Club in Callicoon, will continue throughout the weekend, as 64 teams – 128 players – shoot it out to see who is the best this year in each of eight flights.

A record 14 past champions will be in this year’s field, going all the way back to the very first Democrat tourney played in 1982.

“We are delighted that Mitchell Etess will once again be playing,” Fred Stabbert III, Sullivan County Democrat Publisher and Tournament Sponsor, said. “Mitchell and his brother, Mark, won the first two Democrat titles when the tourney was held at Grossinger’s.”

Etess will be playing with nine-time winner Ken Cohen, who hopes their team can find a path to the finals.

Two-time defending champs, Michael Decker and Michael Scuderi, will be returning to defend their title.

But there will be plenty of competitive teams in their way.

Sean Semenetz and Joe Winski, who have a record eight victories as a team, are back and ready to get back to the finals after a two-year absence.

Other championship teams in this year’s line-up will be:

•  Gregg Semenetz Sr. and Billy Phillips, 

• Gregg Semenetz  Jr. and Jared Kubenik,

• Peter Rymer and Barry Winter, and

• Kort Wheeler and Walter Herzog.

“These 14 champion players have a combined 48 Democrat titles to their name,” Stabbert added. “That’s pretty impressive.”

But don’t count out the competition.

There will be plenty of good players from around the county, including Roscoe, Fallsburg, Liberty and Monticello, who want to win their first Democrat title.

Leading the list of hopefuls are:

• Chuck Husson and Bryan Thomas,

• Mike Cardo and Blake Kilcoin,

• Joe Franke and Scott Hamlin,

• Tyler White and Koltin Pickell,

• Joe Meyer and Justin Bowers,

• Jordan and John Meyer,

• Corey VanKeuren and John Paulson,

• Nate Steingart and Wayne Pirnos, and 

• Eric Mathis and Sam Dykstra, who made it all the way to the finals last year.

“The championship flight – which is made up of the top 16 qualifying teams, will be ultra-competitive this year,” Stabbert said.

Tradition

This Sullivan County Democrat Golf Tourney has been a tradition for many families and players, many of whom plan their summer around the 44-year-old tournament. 

“We now have a growing list of families who show up every year to play and it is almost like a reunion,” Stabbert said. “This year 16 different families have at least two players in the tourney, another record.

“We are truly saddened that ‘Mr. Democrat Golf Tourney,’ Marvin Newberg, will not be with us this year after his sudden passing last week,” Stabbert lamented. “Marvin played in 42 straight tourneys, a record that will most likely never be broken.”

Marvin’s son, Ben, will be carrying on the family tradition, albeit without his dad.

The 16 families who have multiple players in this year’s field are: 3 Etters, 3 Meyers, 3 Semenetzes, 3 Steingarts, 2 Cliffords, 2 Donnellys, 2 DuBois,               2 Stabberts, 2 Thomases, 2 Vegliantes, 2 VanKeurens, 2 Walshes,              2 Whitakers, 2 Whites,  2 Wolbergs and 2 Wunderluchs.