CurrentKC2008

Fifteen years. For many - certainly for Tim and Chris Kenny and the Kenny Family - it doesn't seem possible. But sure enough - we've now enjoyed 15 sweet years of celebrating friendship and family and the great game of golf. Many things have changed since 1994, but the fun was plentiful - as always - as 128 golfers teed it up at Hampden Country Club on Friday, June 27th. It was the earliest date the Classic had ever been held, but the warm temperatures reminded many of the mid-July Classics of the past.

Many will remember that Hampden Country Club played tough on the Kenny Classic's field in its inaugural year as the host site of the Classic in 2007. Last year, 18 of the 30 playing foursomes posted scores under par, reversing an event trend from the previous years at The Tradition at Windsor. It was no fluke, as this year's field saw 18 of 32 groups wind up at 71 or lower, with five more firing even-par rounds of 72. Click here to see the 2008 KC Leaderboard.

The nucleus of the 2006 and 2007 Championship team - Bob Provost and Bob Caouette Jr. - teamed with Paul DeNofrio and Bob Caouette Sr. to capture the 2008 Low Gross title with a 13-under-par 59. Three teams finished just behind the champs at -10 62, and it took a card match that went all the way out to the #14 handicap hole to sort out the standings! In the end, the team of Mike Johnson, Dave Marquis, Vin Melendez and Brian Wood finished second. This veteran team has twice won the KC championship (2001 and 2002), and has finished in the Top Three in eight of the 11 scramble format Classics. Finishing third was the team of Bob Beckwith, Warren Geddes, and Lan Goodwin. Playing down a team member and rotating their fourth shot around the trio, the guys put forth a great effort. Team captain Lan Goodwin is no stranger to the top of the leaderboard. He won the scorching hot KC II (103 F) when it was an individual, stroke-play event, and was a key member of the championship team of KC XII. He also led his foursome to a second place finish a year ago.

Low Net honors went to the team of Ken Cerino, Jacquie Kenny, Lawrence Lloyd,
and Doug Pearson, as the group's fine round of -8 64 converted to a Net 51. There was a tie for 2nd Low Net at 55, with the match going to the foursome of Dan Akey, Mike Duclos, George Oulundsen, and Mike Rawson. They were the hard luck team who lost out in the three-way tie for 2nd Low Gross at 62. Rafael Alvarez, Kevin LaFlamme, Morgan Miller, and Joe Whalen finished in third place, and posted a gross score of -9 63.

Bob Caouette Jr. won the Closest to the Pin Contest on #12 with a distance of 3'9", while "Lucky" Dave Marquis captured the lucrative 50/50 prize Closest to the Pin Contest on #15 with a shot that stopped 3' 3" from the hole. This marked the third
time that Dave (a KC Founders Club member) has claimed this special prize hole! The Longest Drive Contest winners this year on #8 were Carol Skorulski and Paul DeNofrio.

Every member of this year's playing field received a black fleece stadium blanket, embossed with the Kenny Classic logo, along with a limited edition cookbook provided by Make-A-Wish of Vermont, and other assorted golf goodies.

The post-tournament party hosted by the fine food service staff of Hampden CC was - once again - a big hit. It was held on HCC's recently expanded, multi-tiered patio area. The patio is beautifully shaded, and offers panoramic views of the golf course and surrounding hillsides. Thanks to the generosity of the participants and the many friends and sponsors of the KC, the Super Raffle prize table was incredibly stocked with over 60 gift packages, ranging in value from $75 to over $300, and many folks walked away with nice raffle prizes. The silent auction was active, too, with several fine items up for bidding, including wonderful golf weekends at The Samoset Resort and Wentworth-By-The-Sea, weekend getaways to Bar Harbor, Maine's Harborside Resort & Spa (with whale watch tickets) and Burlington, Vermont's Inn At Essex Resort with four ski passes at Smuggler's Notch Ski Resort, A fun weekend in Springfield - with accommodations at the Springfield Marriott and four tickets to Six Flags New England and the Basketball Hall of Fame, box seats for four for a Red Sox game, James Taylor concert at Tanglewood for six (including the picnic basket!), great sports collectibles, and more!

Thanks to all of you, we had a great time, and the event raised $15,200 for the Robert J. Kenny Memorial Scholarship Fund at the Clara Barton Camp for the second straight year! Over the 15 years of its existence, the KC participants and sponsors have raised over $150,000 to help kids with diabetes. To all of you who were there - whether it was your first or your 15th time at the KC - WE THANK YOU! Please spend some time at this website, checking out the photos of KC 2008 as well as those of years past, the KC's wonderful Sponsors, Friends, and Volunteers, and the Classic's Hall of Fame which features an All-Time Kenny Classic Players Directory. Leave us feedback in the Guest Book - we check it! Bookmark the site, and come back often! Hope to see you all for the 16th Anniversary Kenny Classic on June 26, 2009!