73 teams compete in 20th annual Corn Cob Open

Nearly 300 golfers competed June 23 in the 20th annual Corn Cob Open tournament hosted by the South Dakota Corn Growers Association (SDCGA) at Spring Creek Country Club near Harrisburg.
“When the Corn Growers organized their first golf tournament in 1992, I don’t think anyone had any idea it would grow into such a huge event. Interest is so high every year that we fill our tournament field far in advance,” said Gary Duffy, president of the South Dakota Corn Growers Association. “This is one of the longest-running and most-popular tournaments in the region.”

Golfers competed in a four-player scramble format for $1,400 in ethanol certificates awarded to the winning teams and 36 pin prizes that included gas grills, fire pits, Blu-ray players, dinner-theater packages, iPods and more. The hole-in-one prizes included a $30,000 flex-fuel Chevrolet but there were no aces this year.

The tournament provides farmers, agribusiness professionals and others an opportunity to interact, network and socialize during a great day of golf.

“This event has grown to be a highlight of the year for our organization because of the enthusiasm of the agribusiness professionals and farmers who attend,” said Teddi Mueller, SDCGA’s industry affairs director. “It’s fun to watch the camaraderie happen on the golf course.”

Golfers competed in separate morning and afternoon sessions, with 35 teams playing in the morning and 38 in the afternoon. There also was a horseshoe mulligan game that allowed teams to shave a stroke or two off their scores while raising money for the SDCGA Corn Pac.
Prizes were also awarded to the teams that placed first, second and third in each session. First-place team in the morning session: Greg Fodness, Eric Anderson, Brad Olson and Thad Meister, representing Helena Chemical Co.. First-place team in the afternoon session: Corbin Nelson, Jason Nelson, Kevin Nelson, Shay Nelson, representing Pioneer, a DuPont Co.

The premier event sponsor for the 2011 Corn Cob Open was Pioneer. Monsanto sponsored the golf carts. Green sponsors were First Dakota National Bank, Raven Industries and the South Dakota Corn Utilization Council. Hefty Seeds was the hole-in-one sponsor and Central Farmers Cooperative was beverage-cart sponsor.