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‘Rez golf’ presents unique challenges

‘Rez golf’ presents unique challenges
golfers standing amid sagebrush

Navajo Times | Adron Gardner
Virgil Charleston, left, chips as Clif Kanuho looks on during the 8th annual Rez Golf Tournament in Steamboat, Arizona July 22.

STEAMBOAT, Ariz.

Even seasoned golfers will admit the Wagon Trail to Lonesome Pine Golf Course does present its challenges.

Just ask the father/son duo of Robert and Eric Frazier, winners of this year’s 8th annual Rez Golf tournament on Saturday, which drew an all-time high of 68 golfers.

“Definitely the putting,” said Eric Frazier. “Being from Albuquerque, I’m not used to putting in the dirt. It was really challenging but it was really fun. I would like to do it again.”

With 50 years combined experience, the duo has lost count of how many golf courses they have played, but this experience was something new for them.

“We’re pretty good players but we’ve never played in this tournament,” the elder Frazier said. “We were just trying to make par because the putting was so difficult. That is what it came down to.”

With a two-man scramble format, the pair carded a 64 and edged Bennett Johnson and Calvin Castillo by one stroke for the first place prize of $350. The latter team took home $250 while the team of Marcus Tulley and Donald Benally placed third with a score of 66 that paid them $150.

The tournament also gave other prizes away which included the longest drive turned in by Olin Littleman, who drove his ball 290 yards on the first hole. Tyrone Eddie came within 8-feet, 4-inches on the 8th hole to earn the closest to the pin award.

With family in the Black Mesa area, Robert Frazier said they have passed by the Rez Golf course numerous times but each time they drove by.

“I always wanted to play here but we really didn’t have the opportunity to make the time to do it,” he said. “We got entered more or less to see what happens.”

The winning team was teed up with the third place winners but Eric Frazier said they really didn’t pay attention to what the Tulley/Benally pair was doing.

“We just played our game,” he said.


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About The Author

Quentin Jodie

Quentin Jodie is the Sports Editor for the Navajo Times. He started working for the Navajo Times in February 2010 and was promoted to the Sports Editor position at the end of summer in 2012. Previously, he wrote for the Gallup Independent. Reach him at qjodie@navajotimes.com

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