Golf team is on par with today's tournament to fund season
By Lindsay Sauvageau JOURNAL CORRESPONDENT

To Mike LeBlanc, who has been playing golf in the Westminster area for the past 29 years, the concept of denying interested and dedicated teens the opportunity to play is a sad situation indeed.

"I used to play at Oakmont myself and the team uses our greens and practices here all the time. It's sad to find out that they're going to drop something so many kids are interested in," he said.

LeBlanc, who is the resident golf pro at the Westminster Golf Course, is now trying to help the Oakmont Golf team stay alive, coordinating the team's charity golf tournament to take place today.

The tournament comes as a response to the school committee's removal of the funding for the sport after cuts from the failed override. The money they raise will help return the $5,379 gifted to the school district to keep the team's program by the Oakmont Booster Club. LeBlanc hopes the money raised by the tournament will continue to keep golf alive at Oakmont.

"I have two nephews who will be going to Oakmont. One is going there this year and he's going to be playing golf. I'm not doing it just for him, I'm doing it for all the kids who want to play," he said.

The tournament will take place today at the Westminster Country Club. The tournament will begin with a shotgun start at 10 a.m. and last until 2 p.m. The cost to play is $300 per foursome ($75 per player) and the Westminster Country Club has agreed to kick back the greens fees to the Oakmont team. For each foursome, the team will receive roughly $120. Because golf is a fall sport, the time was quickly running out for the team to put together a tournament like this one but LeBlanc says despite much of the planning being done by-ear and through word-of-mouth, it looks like it will be a success.

"Right now the pro shop has 13 foursomes and in talking to the parents it looks like we'll have another five or six teams that have committed," he said on Wednesday morning.

Aside from the game play, the tournament will also end with a buffet and prizes. LeBlanc says there may also be a raffle available. Inside the pro shop, LeBlanc says the team also has a donation box which they have been using to collect funds.

In the end, LeBlanc says the tournament isn't about the money or the sport, but about the Oakmont players themselves.

"Regardless of how anyone voted on the override, even the nay-sayers still feel for the kids and they should support a worthy cause like this," he said. "Even if you can't play and you don't have the money to sponsor a team, we'll accept all donations, big or small."

To make a donation to the Oakmont golf team visit the tournament or call the Westminster Golf Course Pro Shop at (978) 874-5938.