Strokes_09-26

Jeff Green | Jul 02, 2009

Andrew Fazackerley and Edward Goodfellow are all smiles after playing 24 hours of golf for their Strokes Fore Hopes fundraiser for cancer

Spectators gathered on the sidelines at Rivendell Golf course in Verona on Friday morning to witness the last strokes swung by 21-year-old Andrew Fazackerley and 25-year-old Edward Goodfellow, two local golfers who for the second time completed Strokes Fore Hopes, a 24-hour golf marathon to raise money for the South Eastern Ontario Cancer Clinic in Kingston.

Though understandably fatigued, the two men, flanked by an entourage of family and friends, walked to their final hole in excellent spirits and made their final putts after golfing 8 and a half full rounds sans golf carts and covering close to 80 kilometres on foot.

The two teed off Friday morning at 10:00 am after breakfasting with 160 supporters at a pre-tee off fundraiser at the Rivendell Golf Club in Verona. They golfed their first nine holes in just 40 minutes. Unfortunately Edward was forced to play in flip flops for most of the day and night, having blistered his feet early on in the day.

The two young men spent a long hot Friday and according to both “a seeming endless” Friday night on the greens but once again the pay off was big come Saturday morning, even bigger than last year’s total of $170,000, when the government matched the $17,000 they raised 9:1.

Edward’s mother Cathy Goodfellow reported that while the final numbers were not yet in, she estimated the boys raised in excess of $30,000, which with the 9:1 government initiative will total more than $300,000.

Strokes Fore Hopes has visibly grown in size and public awareness. The two young golfers made the front cover of Ontario Golf magazine in 2008 and Cathy Goodfellow said, “The event’s really snowballed this year.”

Their sponsors have increased since last year and were visible in the men’s apparel and accessories and also in the generosity of the donated silent auction items, which included a signed photograph from Mike Weir along with an inspiring letter recognizing the efforts of the two young gentlemen.

This year, Revell’s of Verona donated a car for any golfer on the course Friday who shot a hole in one.

Also on board this year was Chorus Entertainment of Kingston, who aired numerous spots on their newscasts and radio programming prior to the event and who broadcast live all day Friday and Saturday morning.

Local DJ Tim Dirken of lite 104.3FM caddied alongside Edward and Andrew all night long, along with Scott MacLeod, the editorial director of Flagstick, an Eastern Ontario Golf magazine.

The increased awareness payed off early when an $11,000 anonymous donation was put towards the cause.

Most importantly the young men had the continued support of family, friends, the Rivendell Golf Club and many other local businesses and individuals, who stayed the course all night long alongside the two young men.

In the morning, after many hugs and kisses, congratulations and a surprise thank you from a clown, the two young men headed into the club house for a more than well-deserved breakfast, quite relieved that they did not have a scheduled match to play like they did last year.

In the words of Cathy Goodfellow, “We were only successful because of the community support that surrounded us.”

Way to go, Edward and Andrew, with yet another unbelievable accomplishment.