The 2nd Annual Sambursky/Gennett Men’s Pro-Am was held Saturday, Feb 20. was once again a big hit, with 10 “amateurs” and 10 “pros” duking it out on the tennis courts for BTC bragging rights.

With $400 in prize money the tone was set. The amateurs came prepared, ready to knock off their favorite pros and friends to claim 1st place. The pros,vying for the $80 1st place prize, rose to the challenge of the amateurs, bringing out their best shots when needed, aiming at both pro and amateur without prejudice.

The format included four sets of no-ad tennis. Players drew numbers out of a hat to determine who they paired with, playing with a different partner against a different team each round. Luck of the draw is a factor, and one must be ready to roll with the punches each round.

All in all, everyone had a great time. The amatuers more than held their own, coming up with some surprising yet well skilled shots. Some of the pros on the other hand exhibited signs of rust and wear, and will be honing their skills in the off season after a less than stellar performance!

L-R Mark Dolan, Parker Gennett, Edwin Gerard & Joe Fanara1st place went to Mark Dolan of Syracuse and our sponsor Parker Gennett, who defeated Edwin Gerard, Binghamton University junior and Joe Fanara 10-7 in a super tiebreak. The point breakdown is listed below:

Pros:
Edwin Gerard 11.. not so nice to coach, played brilliant
Mark Dolan 10.. a great performance from a senior citizen
Jordy Asher 3.. best pro am finish since 84′ must be the racquet
Bill Mendler 3.. 1st non final pro-am finish ever…35??
Faisal Mohamed 2.. was nice to coach or could have finished higher
Dan Levene 0.. great to see an old familiar face at BTC
Vladimir Victr -4.. very respectful addition from Hartick College
Michael Starke -7.. will be joining Drill with Bill next week
Shawn James -9.. his 1st place prediction was a bit off
Collin Crawford -10 ..will be joining Michael in Drill with Bill!

Amatuers:

Joe Fanara 10.. the old man still has the magic
Parker Gennett 9.. stick to tennis and forget the Formula 1
Jeff Conklin 8.. couragous effort
Tim Saunders 2.. The “Bite Me ” shirt wasn’t quite enough
Don Krebbecks 0.. Same score as Dan Levene, a legend
Dan Sambursky -1.. His pros let him down this time
John Thornton -4.. Bragging rights at IBM with victory over Pat
Mike Musok-6..The surprise gift did not leave enough preparation time
Bill Mirch -7.. will be joining Michael & Collin in Drill with Bill
Pat Clas -9..Actually, great effort for a 1st year player. Shoud receive bonus points for hitting a pro (Michael). Way to avoid double digits

Special thanks to our sponsors, Dr Sanbursky & Dr Gennett, who put up the entire prize money. Their support makes this great event possible.

Rumour has it that the women want a pro-am of their own. I thought equal rights was over with. Stay tuned!