The Metropolitan PGA held their annual junior awards at next year's site of the US Open, The Black Course. Presenting awards on behalf of the PGA were guest speaker and PGA touring professional, Loren Roberts.

Steve Gavosto was the recipient of two awards, for his third place finish in the NYC Championship and his overall third place finish in the points standings for the senior division of the Junior Golf Program. "Mr. Roberts remembered me from last year when he was also our invited speaker," said the four-time junior champion from Glen Cove. "He asked me why I hadn't received the top award for being the overall points champion again," Steve said. "I told him that this was my first year in the senior division of the junior program and we had some great golfers that I had to compete with. Yet, I could have won it all, but I went to some out-of-state and other local tournaments and missed a few Jr. PGA events. But that was no excuse, because the last Jr. PGA tournament at Bethpage Yellow, a course that I usually eat up with a sub-par round, I shot 75 and finished in sixth place. If I would have had a good round, I would have won it all, because the golfers who finished ahead of me didn't make it into the top ten slots that day." Steve had just finished his fourth consecutive day of competition that week and Friday's tournament at the Bethpage Yellow may have been too much. However, Steve will be competing in the Jr. PGA Honors Series before the first snowfall. Fresh Meadow CC is scheduled for Nov. 4 and he has a good opportunity for a win. Good luck, Steve.

Joe Speranza slumped in his chair at Webster's Lounge at the Litchfield Beach and Golf Resort after he had just finished his tenth round of golf in six days. He was limp in his chair and could barely lift his libation to his dry lips. "This year was one of the toughest competitions that we ever had," he said. "The level of play and course conditions were spectacular," remarked Joe, one of the Southern Hardware Invitational Tournament's founders. Speranza, who outscored all left handers in the tourney noted that all his golf led to a "happy ending" with him breaking into the top ten finishers. His eight place final standing was secured on the last day with his crisp iron shots at the very difficult Pawley's Plantation golf course. "The competitors were all hyped up for the matches and the Litchfield Resort gave us one fabulous course after another. Administering the tourney has been a logistics nightmare with more and more golfers wanting to participate. We've had to limit the number of entrants to the matches because it is just too much," Joe said. The people at Litchfield did a great job, especially guest services Supervisor, Jim Dapolite, so it won't be too hard to figure where we will wind up next year."

Other action by Glen Cover golfers include Joe Ceci who had a spectacular hole-in-one on the 7th hole measuring in at 178 yards at the treacherous Wassasaw Plantation. Joe, a general manager at the Forest Hill Field Club in Bloomfield, NJ, was quite pleased and is waiting to receive his plaque which he wants to display in his office. That's Joe's first hole-in one. Other local competitors included Frank "The Tank" Bellock, who in the past has had brisk exchanges with tourney officials. "I made friends with the refs at the morning breakfast calabash (buffet) and none of them got on my case. These guys weren't so bad this year; I guess with all the events happening from Sept. 11 everyone was a little toned down, me included," Frank said. Frank dropped below fifth place this year and blamed it on Carmen Electra. Frank explained that "Carmen Electra" is the moniker that he gave his flashy plum-colored driver. "She (the driver) just was not performing like she had in the past and I was spraying most of my tee shots, but I'll get her in shape for the next series of events coming up probably in February. Frank's opening afternoon round at Litchfield CC yielded an eagle on the par 5, 501-yard 16th hole. "It wasn't a pretty shot," Frank jovially said, "but it hit the flag and went in." The groups from Maryland and New Orleans took the top spots led by David Twardowsky, Commander Bill Rose USN and Rick Larsen. Hopefully next year the top honors will go to some of the local talent.