IT ALL STARTED back behind the since-shuttered Fairview Elementary School in the mid-1990s in Port Angeles.
Fifth-grade teacher and Port Angeles High School golf coach Mark Mitrovich put on a little display for his students, sending a high-arching drive 300 yards over the pond behind the school.
With that one shot, Bobby Rymer, a student in the class, was immediately hooked on the game of golf.
He played in high school on some talented Roughrider teams that also featured current Cedars at Dungeness assistant pro Garrett Smithson, Austin Ball and Dayne Huber.
After graduating in 2001, Rymer headed south, attending Arizona State University’s Professional Golf Management program to learn the business operation, marketing and instructional side of becoming a golf pro.
He graduated from ASU in December 2005.
Rymer was lucky to attend ASU when he did as the golf management program was a victim of state budget cuts that axed the entire program in mid-April.
It had been saved once before in 2008 before the April decision.
Rymer moved back to the Northwest, finding a spot as an assistant golf pro with Pumpkin Ridge of North Plains, Ore., in September 2006 and was promoted to first assistant golf professional in February 2007.
Pumpkin Ridge will host the LPGA Safeway Classic from Friday through Sunday.
The club is comprised of a public course, Ghost Creek, which will host the tournament; and the private members-only Witch Hollow.
Rymer works on the private side, helping run the show in the pro shop, providing teaching lessons, working in event management and with all the other myriad of duties that land in the lap of an assistant pro.
The LPGA has its own event operations management staff, so this week will be relatively normal for Rymer.
He will assist with the LPGA Junior Clinic, helping grow the game with a new generation of potential players, and also continue taking care of his membership at Witch Hollow.
Fans can also attend the Boeing Classic Champions Tour event at TPC Snoqualmie Ridge from Aug. 26 to Aug. 28.
Tickets are $40 but seniors (60 and older) can purchase tickets for $20.
For more information on either event, visit boeingclassic.com or safewayclassic.com.
My thanks to Sonny Carter of the Peninsula Golf Club pro shop for help getting in touch with Rymer.
PT youth football
Port Townsend Golf Club is hosting the Youth Football Fundraiser Golf Tournament on Saturday.
Tournament fee is $40 plus a $10 reduced greens fee for nonmembers.
The format is a two-person scramble, pick your own team.
The Port Townsend Braves youth football organization has stepped up this year to sponsor a seventh and eighth grade team to replace the Blue Heron Middle School team, a victim of budget cuts.
Keeping kids playing football in those grades is crucial for Port Townsend to have any success at all at the high school level, so come out and support this tourney.
Men’s Club tourney
Port Townsend will host its Men’s Club championship on Aug. 27-28.
There will be prizes for gross and net, and the overall gross and net winners will get a tournament champions parking spot.
This tourney costs $50.
For more information on either event, phone the course at 360-385-4547.
Booster tourney
The Sequim Football Boosters Club will host a two-person scramble tourney at Cedars at Dungeness Golf Course in Sequim on Saturday.
Cost is $100 per player, and by prepaying $15 per player for on-course contests, each player will save $5 and will receive 2 mulligans (the maximum allowed) and each player will be entered into the putting, long drive and KP contests.
For more information, phone Jeff and Tara Velarde at 360-460-2979 or email jtvelarde@msn.com.
Hole-in-one challenge
Qualifying for the Port Angeles Chamber of Commerce’s second annual $500,000 Hole-In-One Challenge begins this weekend.
Players can qualify for the final round of the event by playing at Cedars at Dungeness and SkyRidge Golf Course in Sequim, and Peninsula Golf Club in Port Angeles this weekend and also Aug. 26-28.
Qualifying will be open from noon to 5 p.m. on Friday and Aug. 26, and 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday and again on Aug. 27-28.
For $2 per ball, $10 for six or $15 for 20, participants will have the chance to qualify for the final round on Saturday, Sept. 10 at Cedars at Dungeness.
Three closest to the pin shots qualify each day from each course and any hole-in-one carded on those days will also give you a free pass to the finals.
A hole-in-one from the first ball of any player during a qualifying day at any course will receive a cash prize of $500.
In the first round of the finals, finalists will hit one shot from 135 yards on hole No. 9 at Cedars starting at 3:30 p.m.
Cash and prizes await!
Peninsula club championship
Peninsula Golf Club member Rick Parkhurst won his first championship by shooting a 2-under 142 total to win by one stroke over Mike DuPuis and Bob Brodhun.
Parkhurst ended an eight-year title run by Mitrovich, who finished in a fourth-place tie with Greg Thomas at 2-over 146.
Peninsula head pro Chris Repass reports that “the competition was close down the stretch with DuPuis barely missing a 15-foot birdie putt on the last hole to force a playoff.”
PGC member/guest
Mitrovich was able to overcome any disappointment in losing the club championship by claiming another Peninsula Golf Club title, that of Member-Guest champion with his playing partner, Chimacum High School golf coach Mitch Black.
They torched the field in this contest, shooting a 14-under gross 58 on Sunday to take the title by 17 shots.
Head pro Repass reports that “Mitrovich shot 63 using his own ball, and Mitch still helped him on five holes.”
It bears repeating: The high school golf coaches on the Peninsula are not to be messed with on the course.
Full results for the club championship and member guest are available on Page B2.
Jefferson Amateur set
Discovery Bay Golf Club of Port Townsend will host the Jefferson County Amateur on Saturday and Sunday.
Entries will be accepted until Thursday, so don’t delay if you have yet to get in the contest.
The new event will crown the best golfer in all of Jefferson County but you don’t have to be a county resident to participate.
Anyone with a valid GHIN index is eligible to compete.
The $100 entry fee includes two tournament rounds on the weekend and a practice round on Friday, plus continental breakfast and range balls.
Registration is available by downloading an application from discoverybaygolfcourse.com or stopping by the pro shop and picking one up.
Golfers will be recognized for their performance based on handicap, and the champion will be crowned based on the low gross 36-hole total.
Golf with police, sheriff
The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Foundation will hold its first golf tournament at Discovery Bay on Saturday, Aug. 27.
The four-person scramble will tee off at 1 p.m.
Registration will start at 11 a.m. Cost is $300 per team or $75 for individual golfers.
If you are a single player, event organizers will match you up with some playing partners.
Teams comprised of police, sheriff, fire and other law enforcement disciplines will compete for a traveling trophy for the lowest scoring public-safety team.
Additionally, a Port Townsend High school foursome will compete against Chimacum High School players for their own traveling trophy, similar to the Widge Black Memorial trophy the two squads compete for in high school basketball.
The cost includes green fees, carts, a raffle ticket, lunch and afternoon appetizers.
There are some great raffle prizes including putters, wedges, a Taylor Made Driver, a fairway hybrid, gloves, balls, a new bag and numerous gift certificates from local businesses.
For more information, phone tourney co-chairs Milt Morris at 360-379-1602 or Tim Perry at 360-437-1355.
Calling all Cougs
SkyRidge will host the 10th annual North Olympic Washington State University Cougar Golf Tournament on Sunday, Aug. 28.
The four-person scramble will include a barbecue lunch at noon and a 1 p.m. shotgun start.
Cost is $40 per person and carts are $12 a seat.
The fee includes lunch, golf, range balls, prizes, hosted beverages (it is a Coug event after all!) and KPs.
A $40 per team honeypot is available.
Mixed male/female teams are welcome and SkyRidge can help find a team for you if you are a single.
Cedars events slated
Entries are being accepted to the Cedars at Dungeness Women’s Golf Association fall invitational, Days of “Whine and Roses,” to be held Sept. 19-20.
Monday’s format will be a partner scramble with a 1:30 p.m. shotgun start.
Golf will be followed by awards and dinner at 7 Cedars Casino with a no-host happy hour and hosted dinner.
There will also be a putting contest, awards for long drive and KPs.
Tuesday’s game will be a partner best-ball contest with an 8:30 a.m. shotgun start.
Tuesday special events will include a raffle and awards for long drive and KPs.
An awards luncheon will follow golf with gross and net prizes awarded in each division.
Cost for the Invitation is $40 for Monday and $95 for Tuesday for a total of $135 per entrant.
Entry forms may be obtained by calling Pat Conway at 360-683-8980, or by visiting www.wswpla.com, and clicking on Invitationals.
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Golf columnist Michael Carman can be reached at 360-417-3527 or at pdngolf@gmail.com.