BLUEFIELD COLLEGE VICE PRESIDENT RUTH BLANKENSHIP (LEFT) CONGRATULATES FINCASTLE ON THE MOUNTAIN’S JACK COMPTON (CENTER), GARLAND GREEN (RIGHT), RICK COMPTON (NOT PICTURED) AND DONNIE HANKINS (NOT PICTURED) FOR WINNING FIRST PLACE IN BC’S 15TH ANNUAL GOLFERS’ CHALLENGE.
NEW PEOPLE’S BANK’S SUSAN BRADLEY (RIGHT) ACCEPTS THE BC GOLFERS’ CHALLENGE SECOND PLACE PRIZE ON BEHALF OF HER WINNING COLLEAGUES J.W. KISER, JEFF CAUDILL, MATT CLARKE AND AARON SUMMERS.
BLUEFIELD COLLEGE VICE PRESIDENT RUTH BLANKENSHIP (FAR LEFT) RECOGNIZES THE GOLFERS’ CHALLENGE THIRD PLACE TEAM FROM CITIZEN’S BUILDING SUPPLY: RICKY BROWN (SECOND FROM LEFT), DARRELL BROWN (CENTER), JOHNNY BROWN (THIRD FROM LEFT), AND ANTHONY CATRON.
LARRY SLAGLE (FOREGROUND) WATCHES HIS PUTT FIND THE HOLE AS HE AND DR. DAVID BAILEY (BACKGROUND) COMPETE IN THE 2016 BLUEFIELD COLLEGE GOLFERS’ CHALLENGE FOR STUDENT SCHOLARSHIPS.
Twenty teams sponsored by local individuals, organizations and businesses competed in the captain’s choice scramble, and prizes were awarded to the top three scoring teams, including first place to Fincastle on the Mountain’s team of Rick Compton, Jack Compton, Donnie Hankins and Garland Green.
Second place went to New People’s Bank’s team of J.W. Kiser, Jeff Caudill, Matt Clarke and Aaron Summers. Citizen’s Building Supply of Bluefield won third place with the foursome of Johnny Brown, Darrell Brown, Ricky Brown and Anthony Catron.
In addition to first place Fincastle, second place New People’s Bank and third place Citizen’s Building Supply, 17 other teams competed in the BC Golfers’ Challenge, thanks to the generosity of individual or corporate team sponsors like Tammy Lynn Outdoor Advertising, Fincastle on the Mountain (teams two and three), New People’s Bank (team two), David Bailey & Associates, Stelio and Betty Corte Charitable Foundation, WVVA, Brickstreet Insurance, Ethel Bowen Foundation, First Community Bank, Lawson Products, Bluefield College faculty, BC President David Olive, Josh Cline, Neel Rich, Mr. and Mrs. John Blankenship, and Harold Brewster.
Tammy Lynn Outdoor Advertising, one of the leading outdoor advertising companies in the region, owned and operated by Bud and Tammy Acken for more than 20 years, served as primary corporate sponsor of the event. Valley Food Services provided a light breakfast before the tournament, while New Peoples Bank sponsored lunch at Fincastle after play.
Other corporate level sponsors who supported the Golfers’ Challenge, but did not field a team included Douglas Equipment and the JAM Family Foundation. Additional sponsors included Edward Via Virginia College of Osteopathic Medicine (VCOM), Ramey Automotive Group, Brenda Long, Cindy Carter, Southern Gas & Oil, Bank of Marion, Clinch Valley Printing, Bankers Advertising, Thompson and Litton, Delta Dental, Clinch Valley Medical Center, The Stout Group, Bob Houck, Larry Slagle, Sara Reid, Rev. Rod Hale, Marty Hall, Jr., Rick Compton, Bud Acken, Cameron L. Forrester and Hal Keene.
In addition, several local and regional businesses and individuals contributed to the success of the tournament. Those were the Draper Valley Golf Club, First Century Bank, Greater Bluefield Chamber of Commerce, Hometown Service Center, Lowes, Mefcor Outdoors, Pipestem Golf Club, The Railyard, 3300 Artesian, Blue Ridge Gatorade, Twin Falls Resort State Park, Wal-Mart, Wolf Creek Golf and Country Club, Lee Riffe, Michael Harris, Larry Slagle, and Jeff Bloomer.
“We also want to thank Chef Rick and the staff at Fincastle on the Mountain,” said Chris Catron, director of development at BC and coordinator of the Golfers’ Challenge. “And, we appreciate the Bluefield College coaches, athletic staff members, and student-athletes for their continued dedication to making this event possible.”
Bluefield College has hosted its annual Golfers’ Challenge since the fall of 2002 in an effort to provide vital scholarship assistance to BC student-athletes. Proceeds from the event go to the BC Fund for Scholarships.
“The Golfers’ Challenge is always a great opportunity for local golfers to compete against one another, but also to support student-athletes at Bluefield College,” said BC vice president Ruth Blankenship. “Proceeds from the event are a much-needed source of financial aid for our students. In fact, 100 percent of Bluefield College students depend on some form of financial aid, like the BC Fund. Without it, they might not otherwise have the opportunity to attend college.”