Sports

Wensley Golf Tournament benefits YMCA Livestrong program

Jane Wensley, the late Ward 3 Municipal Light Board commissioner who passed away in March. This year’s Livestrong Golf Tournament was renamed in her honor.

WESTFIELD- The Greater Westfield YMCA will host the third annual Livestrong golf tournament on Saturday, Sept. 7 beginning at 9 a.m. at the Worthington Golf Club in Worthington.

This year’s tournament has been renamed in honor of Jane Wensley, the Ward 3 representative on the city’s Municipal Light Board who passed away earlier this year. The tournament is now called The Jane Wensley Memorial Golf Tournament.

“Jane really launched the golf tournament for us. So with the blessing from her family, we were able to rename the golf tournament in honor of her,” said Andrea Allard, CEO of the Westfield YMCA.

The funds raised from the tournament will benefit the Livestrong Foundation, an organization that helps those who have survived cancer and those who are actively fighting it. Wensley had battled cancer during her life, which led to her trying to give back and help those who are in the same fight as she was.

Registration for the tournament is at the Westfield YMCA on Court Street until Aug. 30. The cost is $65 per golfer with a golf cart, or $20 for lunch only.

The tournament will be nine holes at the Worthington Golf Club, Wensley’s home course, with the maximum number of golfers capped at 64. The event will be played with a four-person scramble format. This means that a team of four golfers will each hit one drive to start off each hole. The team then collectively decides which of their four shots was the best, and all four will then continue from that same position.

Allard noted that there will be no rain date for this year’s tournament. Should there be some light rain, the tournament will go on, unless there is severe weather.

Prizes include the longest drive in the tournament, the closest shot to the pin, and for the best team in the men’s, women’s, and mixed divisions.

There will also be a raffle.

“We have different items that we get donated. We have restaurant gift certificates, golf gift certificates, a lot of different items,” said Allard, “We have grills and ski tickets — whatever we can conjure up.”

She added that the YMCA and Livestrong are still seeking donations from individuals and businesses to raffle.

They are also seeking sponsorships. Sponsor recognitions include a logo display on tee signs across the course.

One hundred percent of the funds raised from the tournament will benefit the Livestrong Foundation, which sometimes runs classes in the Westfield YMCA. One such class is the upcoming Livestrong at the YMCA class, which is a 12-week exercise class for those who have gone through or are currently going through cancer treatment. It is a free class that is largely funded by the golf tournament.

For more information about the tournament, call Allard at 413-568-8631 or email [email protected].

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