Tom Todd golf gathering deemed a success

Tom Todd, Missouri State Representative for the 163rd District, right, with wife, Pat, left, hosted the first-ever Tom Todd 4-Person Golf Scramble held last Friday at the Malden Country Club/Hank Watson Municipal Golf Course in Malden. Photo provided [Click to enlarge]

Nineteen teams showed up for the first-ever Tom Todd 4-Person Golf Scramble held last Friday at the Malden Country Club/Hank Watson Municipal Golf Course in Malden.

Todd, a resident of Campbell, emphasized the event was not billed as a political event but purely a social gatheriing. Todd is the Missouri State Representative for the 163rd District.

Todd explained that the 163 Legislative Committee had approached him about putting on a fund raiser for him. He agreed on the condition that the event be put on in such a way as to build a sense of comraderie and excitement,. and to improve communications and relationships among constituents. He believes the event accomplished those goals.

"I went out of my way to make sure to invite a cross section of people representing all walks of life," said Todd.

To help build enthusiasm for the event, the 18-hole tournament offered cash prizes for the top two winners in both Championship and A flights, along with prizes for the longest drive on a par 5 hole and for the closest to the hole on four par 3 holes. According to Todd, a four-man team sponsored by Downing Farm & Home took the top prize in the Championship Flight.

With an 18 under par round, the team of Ashley McMillian, Brandon Stone, John Downing and C.W. Knauts won the $500 cash prize. Dave Dirks, Kyle Blake, Chris Cohen and Matt Hartman finished second with a 17-under round and took home a $280 cash prize.

In the A Flight, Dale Abernathey, Kenny Abernathy, Shawn Forthman and Kyle Black came in first with a score of 6 under par and took the $500 cash prize. Coming in second was the four-man team of Joey Kerperien, Seth Baker, Matt Baker and Casey Wright. They shared the $280 second place cash award.

The golfers took a break at noon to enjoy a lunch prepared by the Malden Country Club staff before resuming play.

Beyond the fund-raising goals of the 163rd Legislative Committee, Todd felt the event met his personal main objectives--to get input from people from all over and that they would come away with feeling that they had an opportunity to make new relatioships and build on old ones.

"This was simply an opportunity for me to get out and meet and visit with people," said Todd, who attended the event with his wife, Pat. Participants, he said, represented nearly every community in his district, including Kennett, Holcomb, Bernie, Qulin, Clarkton and Malden, and a broad range of the political spectrum--Reublicans, Democrats and Independents. Among them were fellow Democrat Steve Hodges, state representative for the 161st District, Jim Pemberton, chairman of the Dunklin County Democrat Central Committee, and Bud Hunt, publisher of Delta Publishing Company.

"Tom Todd is an honest, good man, who works hard. Dunklin County is very lucky to have such a good man," commented Pemberton.