CONGRATULATIONS TO THE MAD ANTHONYS ON ANOTHER SPECTACULAR EVENT!

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Last updated: June 9, 2009 9:26 a.m.
Top 3 teams
1. P.C. Drouin, Keith Busse, Aaron Busse, Richard Brady, Jason Redden (117)

2. Jarrod Turner, Doug McKibben, Ryan Campbell, Matt McKibben, Jon Loomis (120)

3. Josh Teater, Chris Moore, Robert Stone, Joe Garretson, Cory Leeper (121)

‘Now I’m inside the ropes’

Blumenherst gets pro experience at Mad Anthonys

ThumbnailCathie Rowand | The Journal Gazette / Amanda Blumenherst reacts to missing the putt on the ninth hole at the Mad Anthonys Charity Classic for Children at Sycamore Hills Golf Club on Monday.

Amanda Blumenherst used to walk the fairways of Sycamore Hills Golf Club, watch the professional golfers hit balls and sign autographs, and dream of the day she'd be one of them.

So it was with a sense of pride, strangeness and even trepidation that she arrived at the Mad Anthonys Charity Classic for Children on the other side of things.

"This is so much fun, but it's also bizarre. It seems like it's come full circle. I was watching this tournament when I was 7 or 8 and now I'm inside the ropes. It's really exciting, but it feels so strange how quickly time passes," said Blumenherst, the Fort Wayne native and reigning U.S. Amateur champion.

In some respects, Monday was her initiation into the pro ranks. She unveiled her fresh swoosh-adorned golf bag and apparel, courtesy of a new sponsorship deal with Nike, and this was her first time playing in a pro-Am as a pro.

Monday's Classic raised money for the Children's Hope House on the Lutheran Medical Campus, a non-profit organization that provides low-cost lodging for families of hospitalized children.

But the Pro-Am also provides a significant amount of income for up-and-coming golfers like Blumenherst.

"For a Mini-Tour player, these really help in offsetting expenses," said Jenny Gleason, who has played LPGA events since 2003 but is full-time on the Duramed Futures Tour this season. "I try to play in as many money pro-ams as I can, not only for the charity but because the money does help. Times are really tough. Not only are the LPGA and Futures tours losing sponsors, but so are individuals."

All of the 15 pro golfers at Sycamore Hills, including Blumenherst, received $2,500 for playing.

The two-best ball event was won by the team of Komets player P.C. Drouin, Keith Busse, Aaron Busse, Richard Brady and Jason Redden, which shot a 117.

The celebrity players, who included 15 pro golfers, actor Danny Chambers and Drouin, were charged with entertaining the paying members in their group and the estimated crowd of 1,000 spectators.

"It's a little nerve-wracking," said Blumenherst, who grew up playing Sycamore Hills until she moved to Scottsdale, Ariz., at 14. "People are coming out to watch me, which is a little bit of a change. In college golf, there are about five people who come out to watch. This will be good practice."

Blumenherst attended Duke, where she was a three-time national player of the year. She will play in her first sanctioned pro tournament, a Futures Tour event, Thursday in Decatur, Ill.

She can't wait.

"It's great that I worked hard over the past several years. And I made it," Blumenherst said. "Now I'm a professional. It'll be tough but it'll be a lot of fun, too."

To which Gleason had some advice.

"Just be patient and have fun with it," said Gleason, who drove to Fort Wayne from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and then had to go to Decatur for the Futures Tour event.

"The season's long and professional golf is hard. It's living out of a suitcase. It's great, don't get me wrong, but it's all about what you make of it."

jcohn@jg.net

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