Eastern Navajo Fair golf tourney tops last year’s numbers

ALBUQUERQUE

With 19 teams signed up, the Eastern Navajo Fair Golf Tournament was deemed a success as players vied for various prizes.

The annual event was held at The Championship Golf Course at University of New Mexico in Albuquerque on Monday.

“We had a really good turnout,” ENF golf coordinator Mark Freeland said while adding that this year’s number topped last year’s total of 18 teams.

“It’s really good to see a lot of former professional Indian cowboys being in the field, especially the bulldoggers,” he said. “A lot of them retired and they picked up golf as a secondary sport and it’s challenging.

“It challenges your intellect, and it challenges you mentally and physically, so I’m glad they’re out here,” he added.

This year’s event was the fifth time ENF has hosted a benefit golf tournament. Of those years, the last two have been held at The Championship Golf Course.

“I think the golf tournament is something that everyone looks to,” Freeland said. “I got a lot of feedback again this year. As we continue to grow, we want to make this a better tournament.

“I’m glad that we’re here today,” he added. “It’s a beautiful day and the conditions here at the golf course are great. It’s in really good shape and that is why I chose to have it here.”

With 19 teams, the event raised $9,500 in the four-man scramble with some of that money going back to the usage of the golf course as well as the food that was catered.

“A big chunk of that goes back to the golf tournament and whatever’s left goes back to the fair,” Freeland said.

The golf tournament director says the proceeds raised will help will offset the overhead cost of the fair while noting that most of the money is earmarked for the Miss Eastern Navajo Pageant Contest on Friday. He’s hoping that it can also fund the Elderfest festivities, which is scheduled for Thursday.

“A lot of the money gets raised by sponsorships,” Freeland said. “The sponsorships help pay for our events and they help us to generate more revenue.”

The winning golf team of Vernon Livingston, Ed Miles Harvey, George Tsosie, and Victor Madrid shot 14-under par 72, as they beat out the team of Marcus Tulley, Julian Aldaz, Rick Lucero, and Arvind Patel by one stroke.

“We started off with an eagle and everybody just worked together,” Madrid said of his team’s cumulative score of 58. “I mean, it was teamwork, man. Everyone was hitting shots, hitting the green. It’s easy to golf when you have good drives, chips, and putts.

“We just had a good round of golf,” he added. “But, man, teamwork is everything.”

As for the eagle, the winning team scored that on the 18th hole to start Monday’s competition.

“It was all about the approach shot,” Harvey said.

“I mean, this guy was hitting in the 315, 320 range,” Harvey said of Madrid. “It was up to us to hit that second shot and getting within putting distance.

“We left a lot of putts out there but the distance we were getting with our approach was the difference,” Miles said.

Miles, who hails from Tselani/Cottonwood area, also credited the play of Livingston and Tsosie.

“Victor wasn’t the only one,” Miles said. “George and Vernon played well, too. Playing with them really challenged me to mentally step up.”

Tsosie, who is the senior member of the group at the ripe age of 65 years old, acknowledged the difficulty of the NCAA course, which boast fairways ranging 220 to 660 yards.

“The course is tough, but we all contributed,” said Tsosie, who started playing golf in his mid-30s.

With the help from his friend Augustine Largo, the pair built an 18-hole reservation golf course in Iyanbito in the 1990s.

“We started off using tires, trying to get the ball into the tire,” Tsosie said. “We went to using a coffee cup and then we ended up building the 18-hole golf course rez style for the community.”

Tsosie said the rez golf course in Iyanbito is no longer in use, but it helped propel his amateur golf career as he has won numerous tournaments over the years. Last fall, he teamed up with Livingston as the pair captured the Western Navajo Fair golf tournament in Page.

“George and I have been on a roll,” Livingston said. “We’ve been practicing and playing at different places, so we’re always playing somewhere.”

As for Monday’s round of golf, the Fort Defiance native credited Madrid for his long-range expertise.

“We played really good, and Victor led us with his drives,” Livingston said. “He got us to all the greens and that’s what made a difference. We were either chipping in or putting in our shots, even on par-4s and par-5s.”

When asked to elaborate on his game, Madrid says his involvement with the New Mexico Golf Tour has fueled his desire to improve his game.

“I try to focus on my golf technique and just getting it down,” said Madrid, who is a Miyamura High alum. “I actually play in a tournament every month with the New Mexico Golf Tour, so that’s been awesome.

“Hopefully, I can get into the top 10 next year,” he added. “Honestly, I hope to be the No. 1 in the New Mexico Golf Tour and after that who knows, maybe I can get into a US Open qualifier.”

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