Johnson County Classic 2018

The Johnson County Classic, our annual golf tournament at the Buffalo Golf Club, was played Friday with more than a little tension. Threatening rain and a resurgence of teams in the mix made this year’s tourney one to remember.

The last thing a tournament director wants to see on the weather report is “80% chance of heavy rain” from the shotgun start until well after the teams would be expected to finish their rounds. But that’s exactly what we saw when we opened the weather app at the first tee box.

As it turned out, Mother Nature must be a golf fan because our teams were met with a little drizzle at the first tee and then ushered around the course with a light breeze and ultimately clear sunny skies. We really couldn’t have asked for better conditions. The weather cooperated, the course was in perfect condition, and the teams in the field were nothing short of competitive.

Tournament Highlights

Play unfolded as teams circled the course, challenged the Par 3s for a shot at $25,000 for a hole-in-one, and recorded some of the lowest scores in recent history.

“We had a great day of golf for the Johnson County Classic” remarked Jeff Rafferty, Buffalo Golf Club’s Head PGA Professional. “Nineteen teams competed in a 4-Person Scramble format with the team of Adam Michelena, Daniel Welsh, James Hepp and Shon Schroefel posting a 16 under par 55 to claim 1st place.”

The winning team based on Net Scoring included Trevor Moon, Jake Jones, Ben Kirven, and Kevin Skaggs.

The men’s long drive challenge was won by Brian Darnell and the women’s title went to Jacki Powell. Closest to the pin for the men was claimed by Daniel Welsh and Jan Buske for the women.

“The course was in great condition” noted Jeff Rafferty, “and with the renewed enthusiasm from the Y and the sponsors, next year’s event promises to be even better.”

Thank You to Our Sponsors

There are many we would like to thank for their support and contributions to the Johnson County Classic. The event wouldn’t be the same without you. Please know that we appreciate all that you did to help make the 2018 Johnson County Classic a success.

Event Sponsors

Thank you to Nick Smith and Richard Wonka for their support as Event Sponsors. Their generous financial support allowed us to make changes to the event this year that truly elevated it for all that participated.

• Farm Bureau Financial Services and Nick Smith
• Cetera Advisor Network and Richard Wonka

Hole-In-One Challenge Sponsor

A unique twist to this year’s JCC was the addition of hole-in-one challenges on all five Par 3s. The prizes ranged from custom golf apparel to $25,000. We appreciate White’s Mountain Motors for their sponsorship and support.

• White’s Mountain Motors

Hole Sponsors

The contributions from our 13 hole sponsors allowed us to keep the cost for each team as low as possible. It’s very costly to fund a golf tournament and we could not pull it off without the support of our hole sponsors so thank you for contributing to the cause.

• State Farm Insurance – Alecia Kozisek
• North Wyoming Insurance, Inc.
• Harness Funeral Home
• First Interstate Bank
• Farm Bureau Financial Services – Nick Smith
• Buffalo Bulletin
• First Northern Bank
• TriCounty Gas, Inc.
• Great Divide Fabrication LLC
• Ron’s Plumbing
• ACT
• Buffalo Stone and Tile LLC
• Michelena Auto

Silent Auction Contributors

This year’s Silent Auction generated significant interest and raised more than $600 for the Junior Golf Program at Buffalo Golf Club. The passion that Jeff and his team foster in young golfers is admirable and we’re happy to support the program with the generous donations from our contributors. Thank you to all who donated items and money to support the Junior Golf Program.

• First Interstate Bank
• The Powder Horn
• Buffalo Golf Club
• Clear Creek Hunting
• Lanna Wing Photography

Long Drive and Closest to the Pin Prizes

There is no room for error in a competitive tournament but it’s hard to fight the urge to grip it and rip it on the Longest Drive Hole. And with challenging pin placements it’s often a sucker bet to go for the pin when every stroke counts. But the Longest Drive and Closest to the Pin Challenges this year forced many to throw caution to the wind and just go for it. The $50 cash prizes for each challenge were provide by The Wages Group and made for some interesting decisions down the stretch for some golfers.

• The Wages Group

Special Shoutouts

• Jeff Rafferty & the Buffalo Golf Club Staff prepared an amazing course for the 2018 Johnson County Classic with true greens and gnarly rough. Their efforts to create a venue that would challenge golfers of all skill levels and still provide ample chances for a Tiger Woods moment for all was greatly appreciated.
• Volunteer Hole Watchers are an underappreciated bunch and often overlooked. Thank you to all the volunteers we had manning the Par 3s throughout the day. We appreciate your willingness to hang on the course for the afternoon.
• Joe Joseph and his kitchen staff prepared a unique offering for our dinner menu this year. It was a delicious departure from what we’ve done in the past and we appreciate your contribution to an amazing tournament experience for all.
• Lanna Wing Photography, our trusty house photographer, made it just in time to capture some of the swings and tourney moments as the weather peaked with dry skies and rays of sunshine. Lanna is a great friend of the Y and always does an amazing job capturing the candid moments along the way. Look for her shots below in the gallery once they have been posted.
• The YMCA Board continues to raise the bar for what an active board should strive to be. Our Board Members represented the organization on the course as players, they solicited teams, helped with registration, entertained at the Par 3s, and handed out high fives and handshakes after the rounds well played. Thank you for all you do to support our administrative team leading up to and during our special events. We appreciate you.

Around the Course