Hopkinsville, KY – A cool, bright morning and brisk wind greeted 124 golfers at Hopkinsville Golf & Country Club on Friday. Golfers huddled as Greg “Jumbo” Pryor and Todd Morris, scramble co-chairs welcomed the crowd to the scramble.
Dr. Alissa Young, President & CEO of Hopkinsville Community College thanked the golfers and team sponsors for coming out in support of the students of HCC.
The scramble sold out of team space the first week of September, keeping a trend the event has enjoyed for the past 5 years. “We have had a waitlist now, and hate to turn teams away, but we are excited to have fielded 31 teams this year. We are grateful that so many teams play with us year after year,” stated HCC Foundation Executive Director and HCC Chief Advancement Officer Yvette Eastham.
Cash prizes totaling $1,500 and the opportunity to win $30,000 cash, plus two additional holes for $10,000 cash drove the interest of area duffers.
Prior to the shotgun start, HCC Foundation founder and scramble namesake Mike Foster reminded the crowd of the importance of supporting their local community college. He thanked the players for coming out to support the students of HCC. Thirty-two years ago, scramble founders Foster, Hill Ferguson and Don Atwood were serving on the Foundation Board and were looking for a fun way to raise awareness of and support for the local community college and its students.
As a graduate of Hopkinsville Community College, Foster knew the varied needs of local collegians, and the three determined to organize a scramble for the benefit of those students. Mid-Continent Springs, a local industrial stalwart, owns the distinction of having fielded a team each year for the past thirty-two years and placed second in this year’s event. The scramble supports not only textbook scholarships but also Pathfinder Pantry, a relatively new resource for students at HCC, providing food, personal hygiene, and infant items to those in need.
With over 80 sponsorships, Morris and Pryor expressed their thanks to the community. “This community is amazing, and we are grateful to all the folks that said ‘yes’ when they were contacted about helping out the college in this scramble,” Morris shared. The HCC Foundation funds a textbook scholarship that provides $1,000 each year to dozens of students to help them meet the financial obligations of study.
“Every dollar raised enables us to provide that help with textbooks and classroom needs. Increasingly, we are expanding other resources including our campus Pathfinder Pantry and Goode Family Student Emergency Fund. We are grateful for the investment so many are making in the educational success of students at HCC,” Eastham concluded.
Contest hole winners received gift certificates from Casey Jones Distillery and college logo items. Each golfer received a sleeve of Titleist ProVI balls from 4Imprint, a vendor partner and a golf glove, courtesy of the HCC Foundation, Inc.
Winning first place and $600.00 was Mid-Continent Spring. Team members were Tim Sensing, Mike Hester, Steve Akin, Craig Clayton. Second place and $500.00 went to Henderson Realty Investors. Sixth place and $300.00 in prize money was captured by Wilson & Friends, and the $100.00 prize for half the field went to Capturing Memories. Russell Hubble of J.C. Cotthoff team won the putting contest sponsored by Jo and Eston Glover.
Other hole prize winners included:
- Men’s Longest Putt – Mike Kem
- Men’s Longest Drive – Jackie Sholar
- Ladies Longest Drive – Mindy Hargrove
- Ladies Longest Putt – Guinn Cox
Dr. Alissa Young, HCC’s President expressed her gratitude to Todd Morris, Greg Pryor, and the HCC Foundation Board for its work on behalf of students.
“Each year, it is humbling to see dozens of golfers come out to play golf for such a great cause, and to know that many have also been our students and sent children and grandchildren to HCC,” Young shared. She thanked the sponsors and the community for its support of the local college. “We are your community college, and we thank you for being here for our students,” Young concluded.
