Week of Sussex, Wisconsin
June 7, 2001

It was a long drive from Corning, NY to Sussex, WI and a treat knowing we would stay with my aunt and uncle Glennie and Jim Barbera who live nearby in Germantown.

Aurora Healthcare does a terrific job sponsoring the event, first hosting a great party at one of their health facilities for all players, pro-am participants and volunteers. I played with guys from Johnson Controls (they put the roof on the new Miller Park, home of the Brewers) and their guests from Aurora. The pro-am on Thursday turned out to be very cold. My mom (who drove in from Grand Rapids) and my aunt came out at the turn to watch, but since it was rainy and VERY cold, they turned around, yet we played on. We had a great dinner upstairs at the Ironwood Club in front of the fire. We thought we had seen the last indoor fire in Denver in May; never thinking it would be nice to sit by the hearth in June!

The first day we teed off at 9:40 on the back nine, and we had many layers of clothing to protect us from the weather. All was well as I was even-par for the day, and then #16. It is a blind par 3 uphill, with a figure 8 green, and the pin was on the top level. I hit a 6 iron into the wind, up the hill, and the 9 spectators cheered, waited, then screamed - the ball sat on the lip of the cup for a moment, and then dropped in for a hole-in-one. It was very exciting, I could not believe it, my 9th hole-in-one. In 1999, Val's dad Jerry Brennan tied me when he had his seventh hole-in-one, but two days after he made his, I had my 8th. So one of the first things I said, was, "Val, we have to call Jerry!" One more note, the hole was playing so difficult that day that there were only 2 of the 135 players on hole #16 scored under par: one birdie, and one hole-in-one! Glad one was mine!

I finished the day at 2-under-par 70, and was pleased to have started so well. Knowing we would play late on Saturday based on our good start, we decided to try to get to another ballpark: the new Miller Park, home of the Brewers! In fact, they were hosting the hot Cubs, who had won 10 in a row. We drove the 20 minutes to the park, and quickly bought 2 tickets at face value from a young man wearing a Cubs shirt. Their group had two extra seats, and so we were in. Well, we could have been sitting next to Bob Uecker, we were so high, but he is one of the Brewer announcers, so his seats were very good in the press box for this game! The Cubs won their 11th in a row, and we saw Sammy Sosa in person for the first time, but the ballpark is really great. They have the roof that can open in good weather, but this night it was raining quite hard (surprise), so the roof was closed. They had the most people to watch a game in the park to date, over 42,000, and probably the most of any game I have attended. Truly worth the trip.

Saturday the rains continued, and there was a 3 hour and 45 minute delay, so our 1:40 tee time was now 5:25. We played and got in 9 holes before they called us in for darkness, and would have to play 9 more Sunday morning at 7 am, then begin again with the final 18 later in the day. The wind was howling at 5:45 a.m. Sunday morning on the top of the hill at Ironwood. Val and I think this is the earliest and coldest of all time. Day 2 ended with a couple of bogeys, and I had 76.

We continued for the 3rd round at 12:10 Sunday afternoon, and although still cold, there was no rain. 27 holes in one day, I finished at 74, and really was playing better than my tie for 14th finish indicates. Many good chances, but still a fun hole in one, and one truly devoted group of relatives and fans who came to watch all or part of the 54 freezing holes.

Thanks to my mom, Carol Ertl, Glennie and Jim Barbera, Judy and Wayne Dannenbrink, Arlene and Ken Steib, Yvonne and Hal Rosene, JoAn Touchett, Ellen Brunette, Eugene Steffen, Larry Barbera and his nephew Jack, Lisa and Russ Kohl, Dave-Sarah-Erin Berka, and University Park members Helen and Bob Liebl, and David Walsh and his grandson.

Sue E.

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