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It was but a matter of time before Rico "Suave" Velez put it all together in a Gaspar Invitational.  He's been close several times, but no one could stop the Freakin' Rican Bomber on a very windy Sunday afternoon at Lake Jovita.  Rico posted a score of 78, and blew up his 23 Quota with a +9, becoming the December 2023 Jose Gaspar.  He also grabbed one of the Skins, with an eagle on hole #6.  1st place was worth $365, and the Skin paid another $26, for a total of $391 in prize money.

We had a nice field of 58 players, and we lost 2 to illness right before the event.  I wanted to personally thank everyone for wearing the green ribbons yesterday to support Lymphoma awareness.  My wife battled through diffuse large B-cell non-Hodkin's lymphoma 3 times, beating it each time with her incredible strength, before passing away from a deadly immune system disease last December at only 43 years old.  So many of you brought dog food, treats, bowls, leashes and treats, among other great things, and I will be going over to the Humane Society this week to deliver everything to help their cause.  It really meant a lot to me during this tough month.  Vanny and I got engaged 6 years ago today at Anna Maria, with Debbie and Bill "Big Pole" Kilichowski helping me to surprise her on the beach.  It's been a very difficult year for me, filled with a lot of lonliness and heartbreak, and the only time I feel "normal" is when I'm with all of you, my Pirate friends, on the golf course or having a bite to eat and drinks somewhere after golf.

When Bill and I arrived at Lake Jovita 2 hours before our shotgun start, the wind was howling, accompanied by cold misty rain.  Within an hour, the rain had stopped, and the weather got nicer.  The wind continued to make golf tough, and the temps did continue to drop a bit.  Out of 43 golfers in the Points Game, only 16 beat their Quota.  2 hit it exactly, and 27 missed their Quota.  That goes to show you how great of a round those at the top played.  Big shout out to Rico, also the top dancer on our Pirate Golf Tour, for ignoring the elements to win his first Gaspar Golf event.

Our runner-up was Toby Sager, who shot 81, and beat his 21 Quota with a +6.5.  Our Skallywag of the month won $121 for 2nd place, and also won a Skin and 2 Closest-to-the-Pins!  What a performance!  Toby collected $26 for his Skin, and another $80 for 2 CTP's, for a total payday of $227.

We ended up with 2 players tied for 3rd place, and had to go to the scorecards to break the tie.  Fabian "Fireball" Zamora and Eric Tolliver both were at +6 after 18 holes, with Eric having a career best round of golf in very tough conditions!  Both made par on the #1 handicap hole, but due to Quota handicapping, Eric wins 3rd place and the title of Deckhand.  They will split the $40 in prize money.  Fabian also captured a Skin, so he wins another $26, for a total of $46 for the day.

Our one and only green-eyed bandito, Frank Perez, won the Coveted Wench title this month, shooting a 94, and missing his 24 Quota by -7.

Next month, we are at Mission Inn on El Campeon.  Last Season, we teed off in the 40's, so we're hoping for a bit warmer weather this Season on one of the top golf courses in Florida!