Enduring and flourishing
Fayette County Open on solid path with bright future
Jeremy Enslen was thrilled to claim his eighth C. Harper Chevrolet Fayette County Open championship and third in a row on Sunday but made sure everyone was aware he cherished more than just what happened on the golf course.
鈥淚t鈥檚 just not all about the golf, it鈥檚 about the camaraderie,鈥� Enslen said following his playoff win over Logan Voytish at Uniontown County Club. 鈥淚t鈥檚 about seeing everyone that you don鈥檛 see all year long, hanging out after each round, enjoying themselves.鈥�
鈥淚t鈥檚 a great group of guys to host,鈥� said Peter Forman, the head golf professional at UCC who helped keep track of the final round scores Sunday. 鈥淭hey all have fun. Everyone is welcome to play. It鈥檚 just a nice golf tournament.鈥�
In charge of running the 2025 tournament were Justin Goletz, Dan Glover and Greg Moore, who each also participated in the event which began with 112 golfers for Friday鈥檚 first round at Duck Hollow Golf Club. The second round was played at Pleasant Valley Golf Club on Saturday before Sunday鈥檚 third round at Uniontown Country Club.
鈥淲here the tournament has gotten to right now is just amazing with how many golfers we had out here today,鈥� Goletz said. 鈥淲e had 28 groups on the course at one time. The finish was really chaotic but it was really great to see how the playoff unfolded and we had everybody on the deck watching. That鈥檚 kind of what we were really hoping for when we did the shotgun start today.
鈥淲e set the tournament up for that shotgun on the last day to have everybody finish right around the same time and sit around and watch the leaders and celebrate the champion like we did.鈥�
Enslen and Junior Open champion Sevi Vecchiolla of Laurel Highlands were both presented their champions flags in front of their peers.
鈥淚t was nice to have another junior champion, a different name, hopefully they will continue to play (in the Fayette County Open) as well,鈥� Goletz said. 鈥淥ne of our past junior champions actually took second today, he lost in a playoff (Voytish). That was cool to see him do so well. That鈥檚 the future.That鈥檚 what we have here, a lot of the older generation who have been playing in this, I think I鈥檝e played 28 or 29 times now, and then we have the new generation of the high school kids and recent graduates coming out.鈥�
The final round of the 36th Fayette County Open was broken down into six flights along with the Junior Open which featured four golfers from local high schools.
鈥淚 think the way we structured the tournament really lends itself for a variety of different golfers,鈥� Goletz said. 鈥淵ou don鈥檛 just have to be single-digit (handicap) to play in the Fayette Open anymore, you can be anybody, come out here, have a good time, play with your friends the first two days then hopefully compete for something on the last day.鈥�
As Goletz spoke the cheerful buzz of golfers and others mingling on the UCC deck could be heard in the background.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 the best,鈥� Goletz said motioning to the congregation. 鈥淕olf is a unique sport. You meet so many great people and it鈥檚 a sport that you can continue to play as the years go on. I鈥檝e seen people who when I was young, they were the young guys playing out here. Now they鈥檙e the older guys and you see the younger guys coming in. There鈥檚 a little bit of a changing of guard.
鈥淲hat鈥檚 nice is everybody is here on the deck, everybody is getting along, everybody is sitting down and sharing stories about old Opens or when they played together. That鈥檚 what this is all about, just sharing memories and having a good time. That鈥檚 what we hope to get out of the tournament here.鈥�
The trio are looking ahead to the 2026 Fayette County Open.
鈥淲e already started planning for next year,鈥� Goletz said. 鈥淲e have the dates set, first weekend in August. 鈥淚 help Dan a lot but Dan Glover is the heartbeat of this tournament. I mean he works tirelessly, he has everything organized, he runs the communications with all the players, he gets all the emails out, or organizes all the signups.
鈥淲e were close to capacity by mid-June this year. That鈥檚 never happened before. And we had a wait list. We unfortunately had to turn six or eight players away.
鈥淗opefully we can continue the momentum we鈥檝e built up into the future.鈥�