David Mork
On March 24, 16 members of the Niners played nine holes on the IronOaks Palms Course, with 9 of the 12 members of the Arizona State Champion Hamilton High Boys Golf Team (HHGT) and their coach Steve Kanner. The HHGT has won the Arizona State Championship nine times and has a 3-peat going for the second time. Coach Kanner is in his 21st year at Hamilton, and the team has won the State Championship for the years 2005-09, 2014, and 2019-21. Each Niner who made a significant contribution to the HHGT Boys Tax Credit Fund was teamed with at least one of the HHGT members.
The cumulative total for the past eight events has raised $17,575 for the HHGT Boys, which is used to supplant their travel and golf budgets. This year’s event raised $4,000 towards that total. The HHGT Boys coach Steve Kanner stated during the post-event pizza party that this event is the largest fundraiser for the HHGT Boys. The major sponsor for the event was ArizSota Business Consulting Company, and David Mork is the CEO. For the first time, the HHGT Girls team (four members and their coach, Jackie Walker) played with the Niners, due to the Niners Board and members at the recent annual luncheon dedicating raffle funds to the HHGT Girls team, which raised $1,100. Pizza and beverages were sponsored by the Niners and Oakwood HOA3 for the teams, members who contributed to the tax credit fund, and the Niners Board. Oakwood Pro Shop gift cards, sponsored by ArizSota Business Consulting Company, were awarded to the low gross player for both the HHGT Boys and the HHGT Girls teams. For the HHGT Boys, Anawin Pikulthong had a gross score of 32 (playing from the blue tees), and for the HHGT Girls, it was Flora Tao, with a gross score of 39 (playing from the white tees), and the low net was awarded to Rohan Singh, a member of the HHGT Boys, with a net score of 33 (also playing from the blue tees). All players received Oakwood Pro Shop gift cards, as a “thanks for playing” gift.
Many times during the event, the HHGT members could not tee off until the group in front had hit their second shot. Many HHGT Boys players were hitting their drives 275 to 300 yards. The 2021 Arizona State Division 1 Championship was played at OMNI Tucson National Sonoran Course, and HHGT Boys won for the third year in a row. Many of the HHGT players had not played the Palms course before, and they really showed the “grandpas” how youth can make a difference in a golf event. As has been said before, “These kids are good!” Thanks to the teams, their coaches, Game Manager Len Dolins, the contributing players, the Niners Board, and the staff at the Oakwood Golf Club for making the event a success!