Annual memorial golf tournament tees off

PLEASANT VALLEY — Tommy Berlinghoff died in January 2008 at the age of 23 due to a brain aneurysm, but his memory lives on, as 122 golfers headed to James Baird State Park on Monday, Aug. 10, for the second annual Thomas J. Berlinghoff Memorial Golf Tournament.

Last year’s tournament, held at Silo Ridge Country Club, raised over $10,000, part of which helped purchase a scoreboard for the Webutuck soccer field, where Berlinghoff developed into one of the team’s stars. The scoreboard was dedicated to him at a varsity game last September. The rest of the money raised went towards a scholarship fund, given last year to graduating seniors Chris Matteo and Colleen Trainor, and to assisting a local food drive.

This year, the food drive and scholarship are going to be the memorial fund’s priorities. The scoreboard, which has been running since last fall, will be operating off solar power hopefully within the next month, according to Kathy Berlinghoff, Tommy’s mother.

“Tommy was into the green initiative,� she explained, “and he was very interested in solar power. We thought it would be a neat idea.�

Kathy said that this year’s tournament went “beautifully,� with just as many participants coming out to support the memorial fund as last year.

“We haven’t done all the final numbers, but we’ve raised over $8,000, which is great in these economic times,� Kathy added.

Two teams tied for first place in the four-man scramble tournament, led by Team Petkovich (Jim Petkovich, Andrew Hufcut and Josh and Rick Lattrell) and Team Wilbur (Jim Wilbur, Paul Stadler and Steve and Nick Deprodocini). No one was lucky enough to take home the hole-in-one prize, a Ford Edge made available by Rhinebeck Ford. Additional winners included Josh Lattrell and Lana Morrison for longest drive, and Michael Reynolds and Pam Malarchuk for closest to the pin. Norm Fontaine won the 50/50 raffle, and numerous local businesses contributed items to other raffles.

Kathy Berlinghoff thanked all the families, community members and businesses that helped make the day a success. The tournament has no plans on stopping in future years, and while the family is hopeful for a memorial soccer tournament in the coming months, they are taking the events one step at a time.

“For us, on some level it’s a painful thing,� she acknowledged. “It’s a stark reminder that we lost [our son]. But on the other hand, it’s amazing to see all his friends and everybody who knew him coming out and really having a wonderful day in his memory. It’s worth all the work, and knowing my son, he would have loved to have been there.�

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