Duffing For Dollars
August 12, 2023
The Santo Classic Golf Tournament
43 men and women golfers (plus 4 other guys - see bottom)competed for top honors in Santa Fe Rugby’s annual golf tournament on August 12, the greatest turnout in recent years for aClub classic that originated in 1977.
Twelve teams competed in the 4-member Scotch Foursomes event with the low score of 20 under par posted by the team of Nick Thomas, Preston Miles, Hector Morales, and tournament coordinatorJeremy Lithgow.
Other familiar names in the field or in supervisory roles were Jason Lithgow, Dylan Merrigan, Rainer Ball, Mark Kelly, Joe Bonham, “Corn Dog” Micander, Wm. Travis Hudson, the One and Only Derek Gordon, Chris Bonahoom, newly minted board members Elijah Naranjo and Tadeo Herrera, Santo debutante Dane Robergs, Mighty Mateo Cardiel & Family, and James Fallt, a former Tech Pygmy the Santos will hopefully snag one day. The only shame is everyone can’t play on the same team (next year?).
The prize for Straightest Drive was won by Ryan Turner while Jeremy Lithgow made the Longest Putt. Separate holes designated for Closest to the Pin honors were won by Hector Morales and Kandus. And in a heart-breaker for Dylan Merrigan, Sabrina Chavez bested his effort to claim Longest Drive honors. (It requires mention that Mr. Merrigan played the entire event wearing bare-nekkid feet.)
BUSINESS AND PLEASURE DO MIX
As always, in order for the masses to enjoy, someone must put in the hard yards. Once again this year, the brotherhood of Jeremy and Jason Lithgow accepted responsibility for producing a profitable day for the club and a helluva good time to boot. They led the hustle for sponsorships, gathered a ton of raffle items, and hooked in several friends to round out the field. Watching Jeremy handle the predictably “lively” awards presentations with the required combination of poise, purpose, and humor served notice that the torch is being successfully passed to a capable younger generation.
A tip of the scrum cap also to Joe Bonham, a Cochiti Pueblo member who helped grease the skids for a fine outing at this stunning place.
Tadeo Herrera, Rainer Ball, and Dear Leader Eric Schmierer were evident throughout the day, whether manning registrations, coordinating backscene operations, or delivering overpriced refreshments to dehydrated contestants (“Hey, it’s for the club . . . ”).
THANK YOU
Of course, a special Thank You goes to our sponsors. Please bear these names in mind as you choose where to spend your shekels. As our only annual event prioritizing fundraising, we should aim to surpass this year’s harvest in 2024. It’s never too early to consider who you might ask!
GM Emulsion – Patriot Golf – Tadeo’s Prima Priddy – Santa Fe Brewing Co. - Credo Rugby – Coach Richard Morris – Rothstein & Donatelli – Outback Santa Fe - Dirty’s Golf Shop – Uptown Rio – Whiptail Eatery – Santa Fe Country Club – Hidden Mountain Brewing Co. - Box Car – Stag Tobacconist – AppleBees – Cochiti Golf Club
AFTER THOUGHTS: A HORSE IN THE RACE?
All teams were arbitrarily assigned names which appeared on their carts. The Dirty Wet Noodles, or alternatively “The Techies” do not in fact all have connections with New Mexico Tech, but three of us do: Santo front row institution Dylan Merrigan, former Santo and current Southwest Rugby referee Mark Kelly, and your humble narrator, who ran the NMT asylum for 19 years (without being fired, jailed, or head-hunted). Our fourth was ginger-haired Ivan Calhoun, who graced Santa Fe’s pack in the and went 1990s and went on to distinguish himself as a writer, prize-winning cook, and founder of the first online rugby news site, Rugby Today.
The scoreboard shows the Noodles, without the services of any actual golfers, managed a 4-way draw for Last Place.
Another team demanding consideration was that consisting of Micander, Hudson, Gordon, and Bonahoom. I mean, can you imagine?
