SECTION 4 GOLF: THREE LOCALS EARN MEDALIST HONORS AT STAC GOLF (24 PHOTOS) (2024-10-16)

By Brian Fees
Southern Tier Sports Report
ELMIRA — The conditions were anything but normal, but that didn’t stop three area golfers from earning medalist honors at the STAC Golf Championships at Mark Twain.

Elmira’s Jack Cavalier shot a round of 77 to tie for third place, while Jack Fesetch of Horseheads was sixth with a round of 80 and Josh Stout was tied for seventh with an 81.

“Really good,” Cavalier said of his round. “Driver was locked, irons were locked, putter was iffy, but it was cold conditions so pretty happy with it.”

The conditions were as wild as you’ll find on a golf course. It was a cold day, and while the sun was shining for part of the round, there was also a passing rain shower, and then toward the end of the round a hail storm hit. The hail covered the greens and made them look completely white, causing a delay in the round.

“No, first time (seeing hail in a round of golf),” Cavalier said. “Never, ever on a golf course.”

For all the golfers it was something unique to adjust to.

“Little hail delay, that was a first,” Fesetch said.

The tougher conditions made things tough, but that was a bit of an advantage for Cavalier, who was playing on his home course.

“The greens were hard to read with all the conditions and the coldness,” he said. “But, since I play here the whole year I was pretty confident with my putts and they started to drop.”

The rain didn’t really impact Cavalier much, but the hail did make things tough.

“It was tough, but I responded with a birdie right after the rain, so it didn’t affect me too much,” Cavalier said. “The hail, it was bad for the putting. I started to putt bad at the end.”

The hail was also just tough overall for the golfers.

“It hurt my body, it started to hit my head,” Cavalier said. “My body was starting to get rung up by the hail and it hurt.”

In the end Cavalier accomplisehd what he wanted on the day.

“I Just wanted to break 80,” he said. “My past two tournaments I shot 85. It was bad for me, so I wanted to break 80 today because I knew I could do it with the home course.”

Horseheads was fourth as a team at 425. Maine-Endwell won at 411, followed by Vestal (413) and Binghamton (421).

For Fesetch the round wasn’t perfect, but it was solid in the conditions.

“It was up and down,” Fesetch said. “My first par on the back nine came on number 18. Lot of birdies, lot of bogeys, so it was kind of all over the place.

“It was a little bit of everything out there. I was happy with how I played. IT was tough playing out there, so 80 is a good score.”

The weather caused the course to play different at the start of the day, than it played after the rain and hail.

“It was tough, I was in some bunkers a lot,” Fesetch said. “The start of the round it was softer and then as the round went on with the rain and everything.

“They (the greens) were flying in the morning and then the hail slowed it down a little bit. Just stuff you adjust to every time on the course.”

Sam Ligas of Binghamton was the individual winner with a round of 73, edging Maine-Endwell’s Blaise Brixner (74) by one shot.

Joe Mastrantonio was a top-20 finisher for Elmira with a round of 83 and Logan Dememeber shot an 87.

Finn Barber had a top-20 finish for Corning with a round of 84 and Dom Dinardo shot a 96.

Mason Holloway shot an 86 for Horseheads and Adam Bailey and Mo Cardinale shot rounds of 89, while Hunter Earl shot a 91.
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PHOTOS BY BRIAN FEES

PHOTO GALLERY FROM THE DAY:


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