Greg Hardwig: Local player sinks pair of aces

Sanjay Kuttemperoor and his family are bringing a Tournament Players Club — Treviso Bay — to Southwest Florida sometime next year. This past weekend, Kuttemperoor, who hasn't played the game very much, played in the pro-am of the ING Par-3 Shootout at Treetops Resort in Gaylord, Mich.

And the fledgling golfer made two — yes, two — holes-in-one in a matter of minutes.

Top instructor Rick Smith, who has an academy at Tiburón Golf Club in Naples, designed the par-3 course at Treetops. The Shootout featured Fred Couples, Andy North, Craig Stadler and Chris DiMarco, and wrapped up on Tuesday; Phil Mickelson, a usual contestant, pulled out this year.

Kuttemperoor, whose family owns VK Development, was playing with his father Vincent, Smith, and a family friend on Saturday. Little did they know what they were in for.

On the fifth hole, Kuttemperoor hit an 8-iron. "I hit a solid shot and didn't see it go in the hole because the pin was right over a ridge," he told ESPN's Charlie Rymer in an interview during Monday night's Par-3 Shootout telecast. "Rick looked at me and said 'I think that went in the hole."'

"I ran down the hill and my ball was in the hole," Kuttemperoor said. "I couldn't believe it."

On the ninth hole, Kuttemperoor took out his 8-iron again. This time the ball hit a tree near the green. Smith told Kuttemperoor he thought the ball headed toward the pin. When they got down to the green, only Smith's ball was there. Kuttemperoor started to head toward the rough to look for his ball.

"Rick said 'Sanjay, I think it's toward the pin,"' Kuttemperoor said. "Sure enough, I strolled over there, looked in the hole and there it was."

"I've never seen anything like it my whole life," said Smith, who was an analyst during the telecast. "It was amazing."

Almost as amazing: Kuttemperoor has never birdied a hole. And, as he pointed out, he still hasn't.

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More evidence that Southwest Florida is among the top golf destinations in the country: Verizon SuperPages.com announced that Naples was second in the country for the most listings in golf-related categories. Fort Myers was No. 5.

Those included private and public golf courses and driving ranges, golf instruction, retail golf stores, miniature golf, and tee times.

The top 20: 1. San Diego; 2. Naples; 3. Myrtle Beach, S.C.; 4. Houston; 5. Fort Myers; 6. Las Vegas; 7. Orlando; 8. San Antonio and Tucson, Ariz.; 10. Tampa; 11. Scottsdale, Ariz.; 12. Indianapolis; 13. Atlanta; 14. Austin, Texas; 15. Sarasota; 16. Phoenix; 17. Louisville, Ky.; 18. Denver; 19. Minneapolis; 20. West Palm Beach.

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Peter Jacobsen Productions will be leading Red Bull into golf. The energy drink announced on Tuesday that it had chosen PJP.

Over the past several months, PJP has helped implement the Red Bull Final 5 Program, a tournament within a tournament that rewards players for their performance on the final five holes of a round. According to a recent study, a short-game golf instructor indicated that Red Bull, which has been shown to increase concentration and performance, can benefit golfers.

"Our goal is ultimately make Red Bull an integral part of every player's game," said Ed Kiernan, executive vice president and chief marking officer of PJP.

PJP has an office in Naples.

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Part-time Naples resident John Harris will go for two in a row this week. The Calusa Pines Golf Club member and former top amateur golfer won his first professional event on Sunday, the Commerce Bank Championship in East Meadow, N.Y.

He's in the field for this week's Greater Kansas City Golf Classic, along with part-time Naples resident Wayne Levi.

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Rocco Mediate wasn't in the field for last week's Booz Allen Classic, and isn't for this week's Buick Championship either. If his comments after the U.S. Open are any indication, Mediate won't be back on tour for a while.

"I need to rest for a month or so," Mediate told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review after missing the cut at the U.S. Open. "It absolutely makes no sense for me to play golf right now. I'm looking at playing again at the Buick Open in August."

The Buick Open is Aug. 3-6.

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Naples' Kris Tamulis shot even-par and tied for 45th on Sunday at the Wegmans LPGA Classic in Rochester, N.Y. Tamulis moved into the top 90 on the tour's money list. Bonita Springs' Catherine Cartwright missed the cut and is at 118th on the money list. Neither player qualified for this week's U.S. Women's Open.

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Fort Myers native Tommy Tolles missed the cut by a shot and part-time Estero resident Chip Beck missed it by three at last week's Chattanooga Classic on the Nationwide Tour. Beck is playing in this week's Peek 'n Peak Classic.

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Meaghan Francella, who works with Naples-based instructor Tom Patri, tied for 14th at the Duramed Futures Tour's event in Lima, Ohio.

Former Florida Gulf Coast University golfer Sarah Pesavento, who finished her collegiate career at Coastal Carolina, is scheduled to make her tour debut this week in Hammond, Ind. Pesavento has been working at Lely Resort. Francella and Misia Lemanski, who works at Eagle Creek Country Club, also are in the field.

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Fuzzy Zoeller, who plays out of Naples National Golf Club, is playing host for a trip to the Senior British Open. Zoeller has chartered two VIP 757s and has 12 seats still unclaimed.

Zoeller, Dana Quigley, Tom Kite and Jerry Pate will be on the trip, along with members of the general public. Included in the round-trip is five days of links golf, 4-star hotel accommodations, dinner with the professionals, castle and garden tours for non-golfing spouses, and a ticket to the Senior British Open, which is July 23-30.

For more information, go online to www.golfwithchampions.com or www.fuz.com.

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Martha Nause shot a first-round 65, and then held on to win the Legends Tour's Hy-Vee Classic in Johnston, Iowa. Nause had a 72 in the second round for a two-stroke victory over Alicia Dibos, and three over Jan Stephenson.

Former Naples and Fort Myers resident Elaine Crosby tied for sixth with Patty Sheehan at 141. Former part-time Marco Island resident Pat Bradley shot a 144.

The Legends Tour is aligned with the LPGA and is a tour for LPGA professionals 45 and older. It was formerly known as the Women's Senior Golf Tour.

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Naples' Josh Leppo tied for 21st at the 89th Florida State Amateur on Sunday in Boynton Beach.

Leppo had a 72-hole total of 294, shooting a third-round 70 before closing with a 75.

Parkland's Jeff Dennis, a golfer at the University of North Florida, won the title by four shots with a 280.

Florida Gulf Coast University golfer Kyle Henderson of Clermont tied for 11th with a 290.

Naples' Lee Booker, Nick Santora, Gregory David and Loren David, Fort Myers' David Keepler, Jacques Legere and Bruce Sands, and Bonita Springs' Richard McPhail all missed the 36-hole cut on Friday. Booker missed the cut by a shot, while Sands missed by three and Legere missed by four.

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All five area club professionals missed the cut on Friday at the PGA Professional National Championship at Turning Stone Resort & Casino in Verona, N.Y. Jupiter's Lee Rinker, who finished second at the South Florida PGA Open at Naples Grande the previous week, was third and grabbed a spot in the upcoming PGA Championship.

South Florida PGA Open champion John Lee of Imperial Country Club missed the cut by a shot at 145. Steve Waugh of Old Collier (146), Nevin Sutcliffe of Greentree Resort in Lehigh Acres (147), Gene Fieger of Hideout Golf Club (149) and Tom Mitchell of Estero (149) also missed the cut.

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Michael York won the boys title with a 73, and Kristen Koonce won the girls title with an 86 on the Gulf Coast Junior Tour at Windstar On Naples Bay on June 23.

Other top finishers: Boys — Championship: Tanner Hoban 75, Ben McMahon 79; 14-15A: Mathew Lawrence 91*, Michael Primavera 91; 14-15B: Robby McGinnis 100, Ian Connors 105; 12-13A: Max Ewy 88, Spencer Ciesla 91; 12-13B: Brett Clark 91, Travis Manning 103; Girls 12-18: Kelsey O'Donnell 87, Kelsey McGregor 92* (won playoff).

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Nik Susnjara of Naples won the boys 12-13 age group with a 146 total in the South Florida PGA Junior Tour event at Bonita Bay Club on Monday and Tuesday.

Justin Dorward of Port St. Lucie was the boys overall winner. Dorward had a 36-hole total of even-par 144.

In the boys 12-13 age group, Alex McMahon of Naples was fourth at 158, Airik Medinis of Fort Myers was sixth at 161, and Matt Taylor of Naples tied for seventh at 162.

Ryan Clase of Bonita Springs was third in the boys 14-15 age group at 151, and Justin Summerville of Fort Myers tied for 11th at 169.

Christina Amoriello of Coral Springs was the girls overall winner at 158. Georgia Price of Fort Myers tied for fifth in the girls 12-13 age group.

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The WCI/Mercedes-Benz of Fort Myers Junior Golf Foundation had its second event at The Colony Golf & Bay Club on Tuesday.

Top finishers — Boys 1: Chase Marinell 74, Gordie Bufton 75, Jason Chiklakis 75; Boys 2: Jack Hernandez 76, Philip Brooks 81; Boys 3: Garrett Holliday 75, John Shelton 83; Girls 1: Kelsey O'Donnell 90, Bonnie Soltis 102; Girls 2: Ann Buersmeyer 106.

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Carl Santos-Ocampo shot a 75 and is tied for seventh after the first round of the American Junior Golf Association's First American Title Junior Classic in Lutz at the Tournament Players Club of Tampa Bay.

Fletcher Coonan of Maitland leads with a 69.

Michelle Shin of Cape Coral is tied for third in the girls division after a 74, two shots behind Alexandra Bodemann of Palm City. Naples' Courtney Figueroa shot a 75.

The 54-hole tournament features 84 boys and girls from 12 states and five foreign countries.

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Carson Weinand of Naples finished 13th in the American Junior Golf Association-sponsored Nike Golf Junior event in Jacksonville, N.C., from June 20-22. Weinand shot 76-71-75/222 in the 67-player field.

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Andy Zullo of Estero Country Club at The Vines shot a 66 to win the Southwest Florida Chapter PGA Tournament Series No. 2 at The Club at Renaissance on Tuesday.

Peter Baxter was second with a 67, followed by Boomer Erick with a 69. John Calabria, Gene Fieger, Steve Waugh and John Lee all had 70s.

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The sixth annual Joel Ingersoll Memorial Golf Tournament at Johnson & Wales University will be played on Sunday, July 16 at Pelican Marsh Golf Club.

Registration is at 7:30 a.m., with a shotgun start at 8:30 a.m., and lunch and an awards ceremony to follow. Sponsorships are available for $100, $500 or $1,000. The entry deadline is July 5. The player entry fee is $125.

Johnson & Wales University will match the net proceeds raised in the tournament. As of last year, over $85,000 had been raised through the scholarship fund for scholarships to Collier County students to attend Johnson & Wales. For more information, contact Lori Ingersoll Jaffee at 591-3528.

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Other upcoming golf events follow:

• Executive Women's Golf Association — League play every Monday at Arrowhead ($22), 596-1000, or The Naples Beach Hotel & Golf Club ($25), and Thursday at Tiburón ($35), 594-2040. Upcoming events: Aug. 12, Florida Sectional Championship, Lely Resort; Nov. 2-4, EWGA National Conference, Palm Beach. For more information, go online to naplesewga.com.

• Tournament Players Association — Upcoming event: Cape Coral Summer Championship, July 15-16, Cape Coral Country Club, $100 entry fee, stroke play. For more information, call Doug Oselett at 458-0754.

• Arrowhead Twilight Scramble — Each Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. Started on April 19. The entry fee is $25 for the four-person scramble. There will be a blind draw for groups. Call 596-1000 by 2 p.m. each Wednesday.

• Collier County Women's Golf Association — Remaining schedule: Cedar Hammock, Aug. 11; Vasari, Aug. 18; The Glades, Sept. 8; Glen Eagle, Sept. 22; Vanderbilt, Sept. 29; Stonebridge, Oct. 13. Those interested in joining can contact Doris Roberts at 793-0644 or Helen Nulse at 353-6944.

• 22nd annual International Junior Golf Classic — July 7-12 at The Naples Beach Hotel & Golf Club. Practice rounds will be July 7-8, with the adult/junior tournament on July 9. Tournament play will have 8 a.m. shotgun starts on July 10, 11, 12.

Age divisions are: 8-and-under (4 holes, July 10-11), 9-10 (9 holes each day), 11-13 (18 holes each day, white tees), 14-15 (18 holes each day, blue tees), 16-17 (18 holes each day, blue tees), 18 (18 holes each day, blue tees).

The overall boys winner will receive a berth in the Junior Orange Bowl Invitational.

The entry fee is $120, except for ages 8 and under it's $75. The entry deadline is July 3. Players ages 11-18 must carry or pull their own bags. For more information, call 261-2222.

• South Florida Junior Tour — Conducted by the South Florida PGA Section. Juniors must join the tour by going to http://sflorida.pga.com and clicking on Junior Golf. Remaining tournaments — July 19-20, Hammock Creek, Palm City; Aug. 1-2, Doral Resort & Spa, Miami; Oct. 7-8, The Club at TwinEagles, Naples; Nov. 11-12, Martin Downs Country Club, Palm City.

• Southwest Florida Junior Golf Association — Ages 8-18. Remaining tournament schedule — July 5, Port Charlotte CC (18 holes), TBA (9 holes); July 10, Shell Point CC (18 holes), Summerlin Ridge (9 holes); July 21, Worthington (18 holes), TBA (9 holes). The Nolan Henke/Patty Berg Junior Masters Invitational, July 24-29, Cypress Lake Country Club. July 31, Adult/Junior, Golden Gate Country Club. More information at swfjga.com.

• U.S. Kids Naples Local Tour — Ages 4-12. Schedule: July 1, Eagle Creek; July 13, The Forest; July 20, Club at Renaissance; Aug. 7, Naples Grande; Aug. 12, Golf Club of the Everglades; Aug. 26-27, Tour Championship, Club at TwinEagles. More information: 1-888-3USKIDS or www.uskidsgolf.com.

• Rick Smith Golf Academy Junior Golf Camps — Remaining session dates are July 17-21, July 24-28, July 31-Aug. 4, and Aug. 7-11. Registration deadlines are three days prior to the first date of each session. Camps are for ages 7-17. Entry fees are $250, plus tax. Sessions are from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Family members can attend Friday's awards barbeque for an additional $15.

For the advanced junior golf camps, remaining session dates are July 17-21, July 24-28, and Aug. 7-11. There is a limit of 20 juniors for each session. Camps are for ages 7-17, with sessions from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. each day. A mini-tournament with trophies is held on the Thursday and Friday of each session. For more information, call 593-1111.

• WCI/Mercedes-Benz of Fort Myers Junior Golf Tour — Remaining schedule: July 18, Gulf Harbour (18 holes), Pelican Preserve (9 holes), $25 entry fee; Aug. 1, Pelican Marsh (18 holes), Tiburón (9 holes), $25 entry fee; Tournament of Champions, Aug. 12, Hammock Bay. Junior golfers must also become members of the tour in addition to the tournament entry fee. For more information, go to www.wcijrgolf.com or call 498-8040.

• X-Factor Junior Golf Tour — Upcoming tournaments: July 15-16, Don Shula's Golf Club, Miami; July 29-30, Miromar Lakes, Estero; Aug. 5-6, University of Florida, Gainesville; Aug. 19-20, Hammock Bay, Naples; Sept. 2-4, Orange Lake, Kissimmee; Sept. 30-Oct. 1, Lake Jovita, Dade City; Oct. 28-29, Bonita Bay Club, Bonita Springs; Nov. 18-19, PGA Golf Club, Port St. Lucie; Dec. 31-Jan. 1, 2007, Tour Championship, World Golf Village, St. Augustine. For more information, call Karen Hannaford at 822-8590 or visit www.x-factorjuniorgolf.com.

• Cypress Woods Golf Academy — Remaining three-day camps, July 18-20 from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Fee, $90 per student. Monday Junior Camp: July 3, 10, 17, 31 from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Fee, $25. Weekend Junior Camp: July 8, 11 a.m.-1 p.m., $30. Call 592-7860 or e-mail golfpro@cypresswoodsgolf.com.

• Faldo Golf Institute/Kids Golf 4 Free — The new program allows adults and kids to play and learn the game together. Juniors age 15 and under can golf for free with a full paying adult after 3 p.m., and free lessons for juniors age 15 and under with full-paying adult. The program also is available at The Rookery at Marco. For more information, go to www.marriottgolf.com.

• LPGA Girls Club of Collier County — At Arrowhead Country Club on Mondays at 10 a.m. on July 10, 17, 24, and 31, and Aug. 7. Girls ages 7-18. High school girls grouped together. Same with middle school and elementary school girls. Call 450-1165.

• Naples Grande Golf School — Remaining sessions, Tuesday through Friday, July 11-14, Aug. 8-11 from 9 a.m.-11 a.m. Players of all skill levels welcome. Ages 7-17. Entries limited to first 20 players. Fee, $150 per student per week or $40 per day. Deadlines for the remaining sessions are June 27 and July 25, respectively. Call Mark Durland at 784-2208 or e-mail him at m(underscore)durland@msn.com.

• Vasari Country Club — Remaining sessions, July 10-14, Aug. 7-11 from 9 a.m.-11 a.m. Ages 5-17. Fee, $100 per child for five days or $25 per child per day. Call 594-3959.

• Vineyards Junior Camps — Remaining sessions: July 11-14, July 18-21, Aug. 1-4 from 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Fee, $150 per child per week. Call 353-0505. Junior golfers also are encouraged to check with their local club.

For more golf information, including instruction, please go online to www.naplesnews.com/npdn/sports. To submit an item for the golf column, send a fax to 263-4816 or e-mail gshardwig@naplesnews.com.