BY TIM IRVING
“One putt, over a four-day weekend makes the difference, that’s so much pressure, more pressure even, than being a goalie.”
Former Amerks and Sabres goalie and current Sabres broadcaster Marty Biron says it as well as any. The Amerks Hall of Famer teed it up with four other celebrities, Symetra Tour players, health care or school workers, media personalities and a sponsor representative to raise money for their charities and to experience the golf course that in two days time will be a proving ground for future LPGA stars.
Singer and songwriter for the band Daughtry, Elvio Fernandes, Syracuse athletic director John Wildhack, Olympic speedskater Dan Jansen, Bills Wall of Famer and broadcaster Steve Tasker along with Biron played for their respective charities in a scramble format as part of the Symetra Tour’s Danielle Downey Credit Union Classic.
Jansen and his wife Karen Palacios-Jansen, hosted 2019 US Amateur Champion and now first-year pro Gabriela Ruffels in North Carolina in May at a Symetra Tour event and won the Future of Women’s Golf pro-am on Monday.
“I started when I was ten but played sparingly during my skating career, ” Jansen said. “Once I retired, I got more hooked on it, then met my wife, who is a teaching professional and from that point on, I’ve loved it ever since.”
Palacios-Jansen is more than just a teaching professional, she was the LPGA National Teacher of the Year and produces her own golf fitness videos called Cardiogolf.
Tasker is a rare throwback to both the LPGA Locust Hill days and now Brook Lea. He sees a comparison to what the Bills have in Josh Allen to the players on the Symetra Tour.
“You see the results of the hard work Josh puts in and the results and it’s nice to open people’s eyes to the hard work that these women put in. They can see the strides they’re making and it’s a fun energy,” Tasker said.
Biron doesn’t play a lot of golf, in fact, he said he had to take back some clubs from his son, Jacob, for the tournament.
“I’m excited to talk about the difference between the golf ranks and the hockey, my experience (coming up through the AHL),” Biron said.
Team Biron, featuring Symetra pro Sarah Hoffman, COVID unit nurse manager at URMC Meghan Flanagan, 13WHAM Sports Director Mike Catalana and the Associate Director of Cardiovascular Nursing at URMC, Anna Lambert won the pro-am with Lambert draining two birdie putts, the last one to win the event.
Wednesday is the Symetra Tour Pro-Ams at Brook Lea and play gets underway on Thursday.
Click here for pairings for Round 1 of the Danielle Downey Credit Union Classic
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