On Golf
Young golfers excel at charity
Zach Herr and Emily Gimpel experienced at an early age what it was like to see a loved one suffer with cancer. But rather than wait until they were older to help, they took the initiative to raise money to fund research of the deadly disease.
The work of Herr, 14, of New Hope, and Gimpel, 16, of Lafayette Hill, earned them the national Presidents' Youth Leadership Award, given jointly by the United States Golf Association and the American Junior Golf Association to a boy and girl who "demonstrate leadership, character and community service."
They will be honored tomorrow night at the AJGA Rolex Tournament of Champions in Cape Girardeau, Mo.
Herr founded the Zach Attacks Cancer Foundation to benefit Fox Chase Cancer Center, where his mother had undergone radiation and chemotherapy treatments for colon cancer.
"To see the pain in her eyes and in the eyes of other people, you really want to do something to help, and help with golf," said Herr, entering his freshman year at Council Rock North High School, who won the Golf Association of Philadelphia Junior Championship last month.
Herr, a member at Jericho National Golf Club, organized a benefit golf tournament at his club. He put up $2,000, which he said was "from mowing lawns," toward reserving the course, and wrote away for items for live and silent auctions.
The first event in 2008 raised $60,000. The second annual fund-raiser, held on June 8, brought in close to $25,000, although revenue is still being tabulated.
"Even with the recession and the fact that money's tight, we got a lot of help from a lot of people," Herr said.
Gimpel, a member at Whitemarsh Valley Country Club, started a group called Junior Golf Clubs Cancer when she was 11 after her cousin was diagnosed with leukemia and a young member at her club was found to have cancer. The money benefits the St. Christopher's Foundation for Children.
"We started collecting old golf clubs and selling them," said Gimpel, who will be a senior at Mount St. Joseph Academy. "We sold them to golf shops and then we put them up on eBay. Clubs we don't sell we've given to The First Tee of Montgomery County."
Last year, Gimpel's group sponsored an outing at Whitemarsh. The club sales and tournament have raised $35,000, and another golf event is scheduled for Aug. 28.
Women's Open coming. The U.S. Women's Open begins July 9 at Saucon Valley Country Club in Bethlehem, but the championship has some special events planned for Tuesday's and Wednesday's practice days.
A "Celebration of Women in Sports" Tuesday features such scheduled guests as soccer's Julie Foudy, gymnastics' Shannon Miller and basketball's Rebecca Lobo and Michelle Marciniak. Seven-year-old golf prodigy Kyle Lograsso, a cancer survivor formerly of Bucks County, will conduct a clinic Wednesday hosted by ABC's Robin Roberts.
Information can be found at www.2009uswomensopen.com.
Pebble Beach dreams. Ian Bellah, a member of The First Tee of Philadelphia, will play in a selection event July 14 in Rogers, Ark., to try to earn an invitation for the second straight year to the Walmart First Tee Open at Pebble Beach in California.
Bellah, 17, is a senior at Lower Merion High. The First Tee Open, an event on the Champions Tour, will be held the week of Aug. 31.
Oops Dept. The name of Scott Hunter, assistant pro at Overbrook Golf Club, was inadvertently left out of the list of Philadelphia Section PGA members competingat the PGA Professional National Championship at Santa Ana Pueblo, N.M.
Contact staff writer Joe Juliano at 215-854-4494
