CALLICOON – The 45th Annual Sullivan County Democrat Two-Man Better Ball Golf Tourney at the Villa Roma Country Club in Callicoon is officially in the books.

Michael Scuderi and Michael Decker led wire-to-wire in claiming their third Sullivan County Democrat Golf Tourney Title with some remarkable shot making during their four hard-fought matches.

The three-day Democrat Golf Tourney, which was sponsored by Delaware Engineering, was played this past Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Scuderi and Decker started out fast, posting the best qualifying round of the day with a 66 to earn the No. 1 seed in the Championship Flight.

But the biggest opponent the field of 128 players faced was not Scuderi or Decker, but Mother Nature, who almost stole the show.

A violent thunderstorm during the qualifying round on Friday afternoon halted play, bringing 64 golfers off the course and almost threatening the tournament.

But an excellent job by Tournament Director Matthew Kleiner in reorganizing the tourney and Villa Roma Golf Course Superintendent Cody Bojo in making the course suitable for play, saved the day.

“It was a little nerve wracking,” Tournament Organizer and Sullivan County Democrat Publisher Fred Stabbert III said. “We halted play at 3:30 Friday afternoon because a thunderstorm blew in.”

The Rules Committee met at 5:30 Friday afternoon and officially suspended play until 7 a.m. Saturday, instead of risking hurting the course under the extremely wet conditions.

The 32 teams who hadn’t finished their Friday round returned to the Villa Roma, finished their qualifying round and the first round of matches began at 10:30 a.m. in a shotgun start format, with 24 matches on the course at once.

“Many golfers had to play 36 holes of golf on Saturday to catch up,” Stabbert said. “And Ken Cohen and Mitchell Etess, two of the most veteran players in the field, played a remarkable 43 holes of golf on Saturday alone.”

“I play nine holes of golf, five days a week when I’m home,” an exhausted Etess said on Sunday. “I played as much golf in one day as I usually play all week.”

On the par-3, 174-yard 13th Hole, Logan hit the ball three feet from the pin and Scuderi and Decker both had to scramble to make par. After they both missed difficult par putts they conceded the hole to the Whites and now the Whites were just 1 hole down.

The 14th Hole is a 346-yard par 4, dogleg left, which requires golfers to drop a tee shot into the fairway and then have a 160 yard shot to the pin. However, the Whites both went right and had to play recovery shots back into the fairway.

Scuderi, whose pitching was spot on all day, then stole the show. He hit a 160-yard, 9 iron, just two feet from the pin to put the pressure back on the Whites. Logan White, who was laying three some 35-feet from the hole, then drained his putt for par and forced Scuderi to make his two-foot downhill birdie putt, which he did.

With Scuderi-Decker now two-up, the match headed to the par-5, fifteenth hole, a definite birdie opportunity. But Decker and Scuderi’s drives both went right and the Whites were back in business. 

Logan would drain an 8-foot par putt to win the hole and the match was back to 1 up.

But the steady and relentless play of Decker and Scuderi was just too much, and their experience, calm, and focused play proved the advantage.

On the long, par 4 sixteenth hole the Whites’ tee shots went left and Scuderi and Decker were able to win the hole with a par and dormie the match, going two up with two holes left to the play.

On the par 3, 180-yard Seventeenth hole, Scuderi was first to hit and he dropped his tee shot two feet right of the pin, to put the pressure on the Whites.

Neither Logan nor Tyler could come up with a birdie and the hard-fought match was over.

Scuderi and Decker had won their third Democrat title in four years.

Qualifying scores

Decker-Scuderi 66

C. VanKeuren-Paulson 66

S. Semenetz-Winski 67

Joe Meyer-Abkarian 67

T. VanKeuren-Hyatt 68

L. White-T. White 70

Martinez-DelaCruz 70

Pickell-Clarke 71

Vlaun-Schneider 71

Wheeler-Herzog 71

Newberg-Levine 72

John & Jordan Meyer 72

Kleiner-Mazalatis 73

Bowers-Sullivan 73

Cohen-Etess 73

R. & A. Wolberg 73

M. & S. DuBois 74

N. Steingart-Pirnos 74

Dykstra-Mathis 74

Kubenik-G. Semenetz Jr. 74

Husson-B. Thomas 75

Cardo-Kilcoin 75

Tallman-Green 76

G. Semenetz Sr.-Phillips 76

K. Clifford-Donovan 76

Cruz-Flores  - Williams 77

Russell-Ottino 78

Pratt-Keech 78

O’Brien-Bojo 79

Meirowitz-Park 79

Grishaber-Correa 80

Aaron-Vegliante 80

McFarland-O’Dell 80

Hermann-Hubert 80

Rymer-Winter 80

Gandulla-Nardi 80

Lake-Shock 80

G. Thomas-Clancy 81

Barnovsky-Siegel 81

J. & B. Walsh 83

Newham-Duquette 83

Luczyski-Seletsky 84

Brockner-Hinkley 84

C. Whitaker-B. Whitaker 84

Ingber-Ingber 84

Roseo-Schmidt 85

Donnelly-Donnelly 85

Esselman-Barrett 87

Kaufman-Herfeld 87

Etter-Etter 87

Wein-Alan Wolberg 87

P. Clifford-Davidson 87

Fenton-Marston 87

Kennedy-Kesten 88

Gallo-Roth 88

Johnston-Clark 89

Ira and Zach Steingart 89

Kelly-Mapes 90

Willis-Jakatis 90

Stabbert-Stabbert 91

Calkin-Fischer 92

Herfeld-Diaco 93

DeHaan-DeHaan 93

A. Etter-Seddiq               103

CHAMPIONSHIP FLIGHT

(First round)

Decker-Scuderi d. Wolberg-Wolberg

Pickell-Clarke d. Vlaun-Schneider

Kleiner-Mazalatis d. Joe Meyer-Abkarian

John and Jordan Meyer d. T. VanKeuren-Hyatt

Cohen-Etess d. C. VanKeuren-Paulson

Wheeler-Herzog d. DelaCruz-Martinez

Sean Semenetz-Winski d. Bowers-Sullivan

Tyler and Logan White d. Newberg-Levine

(Quarterfinals)

Decker-Scuderi d. Pickell-Clarke

Kleiner-Mazalatis d. John and Jordan Meyer

Cohen-Etess d. Wheeler-Herzog

Tyler and Logan White d. S. Semenetz-Winski

(Semifinals)

Decker-Scuderi d. Kleiner Mazalatis

Tyler and Logan White d. Cohen-Etess

(Finals)

Decker-Scuderi d. Tyler and Logan White

FIRST FLIGHT

(Quarterfinals)

Ryne and Arye Wolberg d. Vlaun-Schneider

Joe Meyer-Abkarian d. T. VanKeuren-Hyatt

C. VanKeuren-Paulson d. DelaCruz-Martinez

Bowers-Sullivan d. Newberg-Levine

(Semifinals)

Joe Meyer-Abkarian d. Ryne and Arye Wolberg

C. VanKeuren-Paulson d. Bowers-Sullivan

(Finals)

Joe Meyer-Abkarian d. C. VanKeuren-Paulson

Mark Etess Flight

(Quarterfinals)

G. Sementz Sr.-Phillips d. M. & S DuBois

Husson-B. Thomas d. Kubenik-G. Semenetz Jr.

Nate Steingart-Pirnos d. Tallman-Green

Cardo-Kilcoin d. Dykstra-Mathis

(Semifinals)

G. Semenetz Sr.-Phillips d. Husson-B. Thomas

Cardo-Kilcoin d. Nate Steingart-Pirnos

(Finals)

Cardo-Kilcoin TIED G. Semenetz Sr.-Phillips

charlie Johnston Flight

(Quarterfinals)

Kevin Clifford-Donovan d. Gandula-Nardi

O’Brien-Bojo d. Pratt-Keech

Lake-Schock d. Cruz-Flores - Williams

Meirowitz-Park d. Russell-Ottino

(Semifinals)

Kevin Clifford-Donovan d. O’Brien-Bojo

Meirowitz-Park d. Lake-Schock

(Finals)

Kevin Clifford-Donovan d. Meirowitz-Park

Marv Newberg Flight

(Quarterfinals)

Rymer-Winter d. Newham-Duquette

Grishaber-Correa d. Aaron-Vegliante

Gavin Thomas-Clancy d. Hermann-Hubert

Barnofsky-Siegel d. McFarland-O’Dell

(Semifinals)

Rymer-Winter d. Grishaber-Correa

Gavin Thomas-Clancy d. Barnofsky-Siegel

(Finals)

Rymer-Winter d. Gavin Thomas-Clancy

Paul Zintel Flight

(Quarterfinals)

Jim and Brendan Walsh d. Kaufman-Herfeld

Bob and Collin Whitaker d. Roseo-Schmidt

Luczyski-Seletsky d. Josh and Sam Ingber

Matt and Tom Donnelly d. Brockner-Hinkley

(Semifinals)

Bob and Collin Whitaker d. Jim and Brendan Walsh

Matt and Tom Donnelly d. Luczyski-Seletsky

(Finals)

Matt and Tom Donnelly d. Bob and Collin Whitaker

Marty Passante Flight

(Quarterfinals)

Esselman-Barrett d. Johnston-Clark

Pat Clifford- Davidson d. Fenton-Marston

Gallo-Roth d. Andrew and Jon Etter

Kennedy-Kesten d. Weir-Alan Wolberg

(Semifinals)

Pat Clifford-Davidson d. Esselman-Barrett

Kennedy-Kesten d. Gallo-Roth

(Finals)

Kennedy-Kesten d. Pat Clifford-Davidson

Fred Stabbert Jr. Flight

(Quarterfinals)

Ira and Zach Steingart d. Etter-Saddiq

Calkin-Fischer d. Andrew and Fred Stabbert

Kelly-Mapes d. Andrew and Cameron DeHaan

Willis-Jakatis d. Herfeld-Diaco

(Semifinals)

Ira and Zach Steingart d. Calkin-Fischer

Willis-Jakatis d. Kelly-Mapes

(Finals)

Ira and Zach Steingart d. Willis-Jakatis