Corn Cob Open draws record numbers

The 19^th Annual Corn Cob Open topped all previous tournaments as a record number of golfers flooded the Spring Creek Country Club greens near Harrisburg, S.D., for a day of industry networking and best-ball play, hosted by the South Dakota Corn Growers Association (SDCGA).

“The SDCGA Corn Cob Open has the reputation of being the premier summer event for industry friends and members of the SDCGA, and this year’s tournament was no exception,” said Gary Duffy, SDCGA president. “This event allows industry and producers the opportunity to come together and enjoy a great day of golf while catching up with industry friends.”

The event, held June 24, featured nearly 300 farmers, businessmen and dignitaries for two four-man best ball tournaments including a morning flight at 8 a.m. and an afternoon flight at 2 p.m. Perfect weather greeted golfers as the 30 teams shot right through the morning; and the next flight enjoyed a beautiful afternoon of golf featuring 36 teams.

The hole-in-one prize up for grabs that day was a 2010 flex fuel vehicle, sponsored by Hefty Seed Company, provided golfers the incentive to make their best attempt to sink their ball with one swing on hole 11. Although no one took home the vehicle, the afternoon was highlighted by the tournament’s first hole in one, awarding the golfer with a brand new set of golf clubs.

This year’s Mulligan Game was a big hit with the golfers as they had the opportunity to play Rodeo Golf. Several golfers shaved off a stroke or two while raising money for the SDCGA Corn Pac.

After each golf tournament, golfers retired to the club house to find out how they performed against other teams vying for the tremendous line-up of prizes which included Blu-Ray players, grills, get-a-way packages and more for top performers. Prizes were also awarded to the teams who placed first, second and third. First place winners in the morning and the afternoon flights include:

Morning Flight

1. Darren Hamilton, Dave Ahlers, Todd Sanderson, Jeff Behrens

Afternoon Flight

1. Greg Fodness, Eric Anderson, Trenton Olson, Ted Hendricks

“Golfers at the Corn Cob Open never go home empty handed or without a great set of memories to get them looking forward to the next year,” said Duffy. “Of course such an outstanding tournament would not be possible without the support of our agricultural industry friends sponsoring the event.”

The premier event sponsor for the 2010 Corn Cob Open was Pioneer, and Monsanto sponsored the golf carts. Green sponsors included Ag United for South Dakota, Farm Credit Services of America, First Dakota National Bank, NorthWestern Energy and the South Dakota Corn Utilization Council. And Central Farmers Cooperative hosted the beverage carts.

The SDCGA 20^th Annual Corn Cob Open will be held on June 23, 2010 at Spring Creek Country Club.