Sports

Buckhorn Golfers Win Top Spots at B. Lee Elam Golf Tournament

See who won at the Ninth Annual B. Lee Elam Golf Tournament, run in conjunction with the Community Roundtable. The event was held March 31 at the Buckhorn Springs Golf and Country Club in Valrico.

 

The last time Brandon Patch caught Fran Palek out and about in Brandon he was selling Girl Scout cookies at the at O'Brien's Irish Pub and Grill in Brandon.

Most recently we caught up with him at the Buckhorn Springs Golf and Country Club, where Palek and his teammates golfed their way to a first-place showing at the Ninth Annual B. Lee Elam Golf Tournament.

Find out what's happening in Brandonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

So, what was more fun? Selling Girl Scout cookies for his daughter, or playing golf with his friends?

"Selling Girl Scout cookies was much 'funer,' " Palek said, good-naturedly. "I still have nine cases of Girl Scout cookies to sell, if anybody wants them!"

Find out what's happening in Brandonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The annual tournament is a way to give back to the community, according to its namesake, B. Lee Elam, a long-time Brandon resident who reaches out to old friends and colleagues to join the cause.

One such friend, Tom White, stretched his arms far and wide, buying an arms-length worth of raffle tickets for the 50-50 cash draw.

And he won, which means he had the chance to walk out of the club $205 richer. Instead, he donated the money back to the Community Roundtable, in whose stead the tournament was held.

Did Palek expect a team win?

"Actually, we played very well," Palek said. "I think we birdied the last six holes. That's pretty strong for our team. We played about as good as we could."

Rounding out Palek's team were Cass McColeman, Alex Levy and Lee Johnson. Coleman is the branch manager for the Regions bank branch in Big Bend. Levy is the branch manager in Temple Terrace, and Palek, the branch manager in Valrico.

Johnson was the branch manager for Regions in Brandon and now works as a community commercial lender for the MidFlorida Credit Union.

Johnson's new assignment will be at the MidFlorida branch that is under construction on Brandon Boulevard, where the building that once housed the Brandon Buffet, and the Village Inn before that, has been demolished.

"Right now we have a shared branch located on Oakfield Drive,” Johnson said. "We purchased the old Village Inn building and [construction] should be completed in May."

Added Johnson: "I can't wait to get back to Brandon. It's my home, it's my community."

Such was the spirit as well at the B. Lee Elam Golf Tournament, where the following golfers took home trophies:

First Place

  • Lee Johnson
  • Alex Levy
  • Cass McColeman
  • Fran Palek

Second Place

  • Cormac McCarthy
  • Ian Porter
  • J.J.Massaro
  • Paul Ross

Third Place

  • Todd Allen
  • Brian Allen
  • Colin Julian
  • Shane Raburn

Closet To Pin

  • Tom White

Long Drive

  • Colin Julian

Putting Contest

  • Bill Parker
  • Steve Wilson

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ABOUT THE COMMUNITY ROUNDTABLE, TOURNAMENT

The roundtable stages the annual Greater Brandon Fourth of July Parade. The group was founded about 50 years ago, as the Roundtable Charities of Greater Brandon, with its mission to support local businesses and charities with the input of the presidents of the clubs and organizations representing Brandon interests.

That mission continues today, with the annual and monthly meetings (the second Wednesday of the month) at the in Brandon. The roundtable also runs the annual race for honorary mayor of Brandon, a title given to the candidate who raises the most money for charity.

The roundtable also awards annually the for community service, the Maureen Krzanowski Scholarship for a community minded graduating high school senior and the .

Starting with this year’s recipient, A Kid’s Place, the honored charity will receive a portion of fundraising proceeds raised throughout the year at roundtable events, including the B. Lee Elam Golf Tournament.

The tournament in its early years supported the American Cancer Society, a cause near and dear to Elam’s heart, as is A Kid's Place in Brandon, which serves as a safe, stable and nurturing environment for abused, abandoned and neglected children who have been removed from their homes by the courts.

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