Hagopian captures fifth straight title

Philadelphia—There’s no place like home!

That’s how Mark Santerian feels after shooting a 78 to lead a Philly medal sweep in golf—the first such occurrence in AYF history.

Santerian was very much surrounded by familiar turf since this was his dad’s course and he’s been playing it ever since he was old enough to hold a club.

Dedgwood Country Club wasn’t in Philly, either. Players took the drive to New Jersey to launch their assault on the fairways.

The greens fees came donated, courtesy of the father and uncle, who share ownership. Considering the cost, it proved quite a savings for the AYF.

“My family’s in the golf business and I’ve been playing since the age of 3,” said Santerian. “I was after the gold at my family’s place.”

It almost didn’t occur. Santerian found himself trailing by 5 shots after the turn to teammate Peter Tashjian. The two dueled it out until the 13^th when disaster struck Tashjian. He took a 9 on the hole and carded his own death warrant.

After stumbling through the front 9, Santerian found his game and shot 6 pars and a birdie down the stretch to leave any doubt. Tashjian finished with an 81 followed by another Sebouh, Danny Dakko, with a 91. The course is considered challenging with wide fairways and spotty bunkers. It’s ideal for a sand player.

In all, seven men teed off, somewhat of a disappointment given the number in previous years. In the end, Santerian had his dad to thank for his first gold medal in the sport.

“He gave me a heads-up on the course but couldn’t see me play due to a working schedule,” added Santerian. “Weekends are very busy in this business and it’s understandable. He sounded very happy when I called him with the news.”

The score was quite a contrast over the 88 he fired a year ago for bronze. The 18-year-old is a freshman at nearby Drexel University, majoring in business and engineering. He’s a Dean’s List student there with grant money between $10,000-$15,000 for academics.

At Malvern Prep where he attended previously, Santerian played four sports and posted a 3.65 GPA.

Golf wasn’t the only sport on his mind this weekend as he took a second in the triple jump and a third in the long jump in addition to running a relay. The best he’s shot at home is a 76.

“I’ve never really played competitive golf,” he admitted. “It’s more of a hobby with me. As long as it’s practical for me, I’ll keep playing it that way.”

Women’s Division

If Michelle Hagopian isn’t the most formidable golfer in recent AYF history, then who is? Make that the AYF sports arena.

For five years, she has dominated this sport, using it as a springboard to secure three gold medals for Granite City and the high scoring title. She can throw a baseball out of sight (159’4”) and send a discus (96’6”) to uncharted land.

The 47 she shot in golf was merely a chip shot against cousins Liz (66) and Ani (68). The past two years, she had fired a 43 to win handily. Her best score ever for nine holes was 38.

Of the five athletes from Granite City, four were Hagopians: Michelle, a sister Megan and cousins Stephen and Liz, joined by Stephen Haroian. Like the fairy tale, they hail from “The Little Chapter That Could,” finishing sixth overall with 27 points.

“We went out and had a good time on the links,” said Michelle. “To be quite honest about it, the turnout was disappointing. If it wasn’t for the Hagopians, the event would have been scratched.”

Her best shot came on the Par 4 8^th hole when she 2-putted for par after an excellent drive and follow-up.

The 21-year-old is a journalism major at University of Missouri looking toward grad school and a masters. She’s summa cum laude at 3.94 and works as a teaching assistant on the copy desk for The Columbian Missourian. Hard news or sports, makes no difference to this “Lois Lane” character.

An added bonus on the day was sharing golf laurels with her dad Jeff, who fashioned an 81 to win the Cory Tosoian Memorial Trophy for the third time. Sixteen players teed off for the alumni, hailing from such places as Detroit, Providence, Greater Boston and Canada.

Hagopian the Elder wound up posting a 5-shot victory over a competitive field that included former AYF medalists Mark and Chris Kanian, along with their dad Mark Sr.

Medalist honors aside, Hagopian also secured the longest drive of the day with a 270-yard shot.

“My dad got me started on golf when I was 13 and we’ve bonded on the course,” said Michelle. “He’s my role model.”

***

Men’s Golf Scores

Mark Santerian (Philadelphia) – 78

Peter Tashjian (Philadelphia) – 81

Danny Dakko (Philadelphia) – 91

Chris Attar (Detroit) – 103

Women’s Golf Scores

Michelle Hagopian (Granite City) – 47

Liz Hagopian (Granite City) – 66

Ani Hagopian (Detroit) – 68

Alumni winner

Jeff Hagopian (Granite City) — 81

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Tom Vartabedian

Tom Vartabedian is a retired journalist with the Haverhill Gazette, where he spent 40 years as an award-winning writer and photographer. He has volunteered his services for the past 46 years as a columnist and correspondent with the Armenian Weekly, where his pet project was the publication of a special issue of the AYF Olympics each September.