The 16 under par score by Brian Sylvester, Mike Sylvester, Tracy Cook, Dwayne Weber and Will Rathje was impressive and helped them earn first place at the 16th annual Wayne Pruden Memorial Golf Tournament Monday at the North Battleford Golf and Country Club.
The -16 score helped dethrone Wayne Pruden's son Matt's team, who were one stroke back. But with the beautiful weather, the smiling faces and community support no one could be disappointed with the day on the golf course.
For 16 years, businesses and residents of the Battlefords have been teeing up and raising money for the Battlefords Union Hospital Foundation in memory or a great community member, family man and friend, Wayne Pruden.
The premier golf tournament of the season, the Wayne Pruden Memorial, often has more than 200 golfers registered for what has become the motto of the tournament - great golf, great food and great company, all for a great cause.
Once the numbers are tallied from this year's tournament, the overall funds raised for the BUH Foundation should total more than $300,000.
That money has been put towards numerous hospital equipment and improvements over the past 15 years. This year's tournament will help supply the emergency department with a specialized piece of equipment - a Glidescope Video Laryngoscope. This device has a camera on the end to see down a patient's throat and helps in securing airways.
Not only do the many golfers look forward to the event, which makes it sensational, but the support of the community with prizes and sponsorship is second to none. Few go home without a prize, but everyone can leave the tournament knowing they helped to contribute to improving health care in the Battlefords.
The volunteers are also an integral part of the golf tournament and Monday Pat Gotto was presented with the Wayne Pruden Memorial Golf Tournament Spirit of Giving Award. Gotto was surprised by the honour, but as she is called "the ace in the hole" and an "unsung hero" of the fundraising committee, she was truly deserving of the award and will continue to serve as a friend of the committee.
The tournament concluded at the Western Development Museum with the annual banquet and, after a hot day on the golf course, and good excuse to skip work, everyone was able to leave knowing that again the Wayne Pruden raised the bar for golf fundraiser in the area and the hard work will pay off in full for the BUH Foundation.
