Special to the Putnam Town Crier

The 18th St. James Memorial Golf Tournament, which has been under the direction of Sam Markley, hit the jackpot in Markley’s grand finale.  For the first time in its illustrious history the tournament surpassed the $50,000 mark in gross revenue.

In front of a full field of golfers Markley the tournament’s mastermind announced that after 18 great years he was relinquishing the reins.

“It’s been a great run.  The 18 years has been fun and have flown by.  I’m pleased that I’ve been able in some small way to give back to the school that I graduated from many years ago,” said an emotional Markley.

Markley continued, “My son Joe mentioned the other day, ‘Dad there are 18 holes on a golf course.  You’ve put in one year for each hole.’  He’s correct in his analysis, which makes it a little easier to give the leadership to someone else.”

As a parting token of appreciation for all the hours and energy that Markley’s poured into the event, St. James Pastor Father John O’Neill presented him with the championship trophy from the 1999 St. James CYO championship basketball team that Markley coached.

“Sam’s a wonderful man who’s devoted his time to the success of this tournament.  He’s a parishioner who’s always there to help in any way whenever we call on him.  I’m thankful to God for giving us Sam for these 18 wonderful years,” said Father O’Neill.

As a coincidence the final Markley tournament was a fight to the finish line.  Three teams were one stroke apart for the 2015 St. James title.  The winning team, which was sponsored by Zip’s Diner, won the event with a score of 16 under par on the par 72 layout.  The winning foursome was comprised of Kevin Cole, Joe Markley, Billy Panteleakos and Billy Bartholic.

Two teams finished with identical scores of minus 15 tied for second place.  The second-place finisher by virtue of matching cards was the foursome of Guy Lahaie, John Herlihy, Doug Daigneault and Michael Panteleakos.  They edged out third-place finishers James Martin, Justin Cyr, Joey Derrico and Aaron Vargas of 85 Main.

Alan Parsons, Pete Palazzo, Charles Panteleakos and Keith Olsen captured the prize for the team that finished exactly in the middle of the field.  Cole, as he’s done many years in the past, was crowned the Long Drive champion.

Following tournament tradition, Markley presented four non-golf related awards to individuals or organizations who have been staunch supporters over the years.  The Jack LaGarde Citizenship awarded went to longtime St. James School basketball coach Michael Fortin.  The Albie Page Award was presented to Spiro Haveles, while the Gertrude Markley Award in honor of Markley’s late mother, went to community activists and volunteers Jack and Mary Jane Burke.  The Father John O’Neill Pastor’s Award was given to Premier Chevrolet for providing a new automobile each year as a hole-in-one prize.

In a special presentation Markley surprised the audience by presenting a plaque to Troop D of the Connecticut State Police.  The award was accepted by eight golfers who are either current members of the force or retired troopers who live in northeastern Connecticut.

“This has been a great way to close out my 18 years with the tournament.  It’s been hard work but very rewarding thanks in large part to the unwavering support I’ve received from my wife Cathy.  She’s been the behind the scenes person and the glue that’s kept things together,” noted Markley.  

“This year’s tournament has been successful also because of the support I’ve received from two cherished advisors and hardworking community individuals, Lynne LaCharite and Ron Coderre,” Markley noted in his concluding remarks.

Although Markley is a man of average stature, his golf cleats will be hard to fill.  His size nine golf shoes have left a huge imprint on St. James Church and School.