News

2012 Year in Review

Updegraff Award: Fred Boice
Established in 1990, the Updegraff Award is the AGA’s highest honor given in recognition of those who, by their actions, exemplify the spirit of the game. The award is named for Dr. Ed Updegraff of Tucson, honoring his lifetime contributions and dedication to amateur golf in Arizona.
Fred Boice, the 2012 recipient of this award, is a fellow member at Tucson Country Club and, as it turns out, is one of Dr. Ed’s best friends. Fred, an Arizona native, served as a member of the AGA’s Board of Directors and has held several positions on the board at Tucson Country Club.
Along with his lifelong involvement with golf, Boice has served on many civic organizations such as the Tucson conquistadores, but most prominently was a driving force with the University of Arizona’s Board of Regents. He was the first person to serve two terms as its president and established the Regent’s Tuition Task Force to address affordable education. Fred was also President of the UofA Foundation, served on the boards of Junior Achievement, Tucson Airport Authority and Tucson Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce.
When asked about this year’s recipient, Dr. Ed’s response was, “I can assure you he is very deserving of this award. I don’t think people really know how civic-minded he is.” We couldn’t agree with you more! Congratulations, Fred!

Doc Graves Volunteer of the Year: Bill Burgesser
Each year the AGA staff honors an individual (other than an executive committee member) who most exemplifies volunteerism through his or her commitment of time and effort to the association. In 2010, this award was named after Robert “Doc” Graves, a long-time AGA volunteer who exemplifies the selfless contributions of time and dedication to serving golf in Arizona.
In 2012, we honored Bill Burgesser with this prestigious award. Bill moved to Superstition Mountain over 12 years ago from the Dallas area after a long and successful career as an architect. Like so many others, after being retired for a time, the inevitable question comes up…what am I going to do to fill all this spare time?
Upon reading an AGA article almost a decade ago seeking course raters, Bill took the initiative and became an active AGA volunteer. Since the he has poured his energy into becoming an expert in the USGA Course Rating System. He has been on over 240 ratings throughout Arizona and internationally, racking up in excess of 30,000 miles in the process.
With Bill’s background in architecture and need for exacting measurements and planning, taking a role on the AGA Course Rating Team was a natural fit. The rating process itself is very analytical and that exemplifies Bill’s approach: thorough, precise and accurate.
Bill is also a member of the Course Rating Committee which meets periodically during the year to review ratings, develop policy for the department and guide educational efforts for new and existing Course Rating Team members. He’s represented Arizona at numerous USGA national course rating calibration seminars with other members of the Course Rating Team and has been a key contributor to the team’s top national ranking.
Congratulations Bill! We look forward to many more years of having you as a part of the Arizona Golf family.

Player of the Year: Andy Aduddell
2012 marked the rookie year for Andy Aduddell’s participation in AGA tournaments. However, it didn’t take long for him to make his name known.  A former Texas All-American, Andy made his decision to play competitive golf again after taking 10 years off from the sport in order to pursue his Air-Force career. 
Andy started the year representing Arizona at the International Amateur Championship at the Lima Golf Club in Lima, Peru along with team-mate Jay Anderson. He finished fourth in the individual portion.
His first event with the AGA, the 88th Arizona Amateur Championship at the Gallery, proved that his game had not suffered much, as he won the championship, beating Michael Anderson 1up He immediately followed that with a victory at the 2012 AZ Mid-Amateur Championship two weeks later.
2012 Accomplishments
Winner – 88th Arizona Amateur Championship; Winner – 2012 AZ Mid-Amateur Championship; 4th – International Amateur Championship, Lima Peru; Member of 2012 Goldwater Cup Team; Member of the USGA Men’s State Team: Arizona

Masters Player of the Year: Pat Geare
Pat had a very successful 2012 season, leading the Masters division in points and placing 8th overall in the Open Performance Points ranking.  A winner in two events this year, and a runner-up in the Senior Match Play Championship after going extra holes, he showed throughout the year that he deserved the distinction of the 2012 Masters Player of the Year.  Pat was also a member of both the AZ/UT and Goldwater Cup teams.
2012 ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Leader- AGA Masters Performance Points – 842.5; Winner –Short Course; Winner – Northern Divisional Four-Ball- Master Division; 2nd – Senior Match Play – Masters Division; 2nd – Divisional Team Classic; 2nd – Billy Bell Tournament; 4th – Senior Stroke Play- Masters Division; 5th-  AZ Mid-Amateur Championship; Member of Goldwater Cup Team; Member of AZ/UT Shootout Team

Senior Player of the Year: Rusty Brown
Rusty has always been one of the most consistent players in the AGA, and his record this year shows it.  Moving up to the Senior Division in 2012, he was able to finish the year strong with a win at the AZ Senior Match Play Championship. He finished in the top 10 in four open division events, proving he can still play with the “kids”.  Rusty was also a member of the Goldwater Cup Team.   
2012 ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Winner – Senior Match Play – Senior Division; 3rd – AZ Four-Ball Championship; 6th – AZ Publinks Championship; 6th –San Tan Amateur; 6th –Short Course; Member of Goldwater Cup Team

Legends Player of the Year: Allen Eaker
The leader of the Performance Points Ranking for the Legends, Allen Eaker played very well in both of the Divisional Championships this season.  He also added a win at the Northern Divisional Four-Ball and was a member of the Goldwater Cup Team.
2012 ACCOMPLISHMENTS
Leader- AGA Legends Performance Points – 272.5; Winner: AZ Northern Divisional Four-Ball – Legends Division; 2nd: Senior Match Play – Legends Division; 5th: Senior Stroke Play – Legends Division; Member of Goldwater Cup Team

Mayfair Award: Trey Martin – 71.86 Scoring Average
The Mayfair Award is presented to the AGA member with the lowest stroke average from selected events during the season. To qualify, a contestant must:1) Compete in at least one USGA qualifying round in AZ AND at least two AGA individual major championships, or 2) Compete in at least one USGA qualifying round in AZ AND at least one AGA individual major championship AND the NCAA Finals. Additional individual competitions that count toward this award are the Pacific Coast and Southwestern Amateurs (when contested in AZ), AZ Open, PING AZ Intercollegiate, ASU Thunderbird Invitational and the U.S. Open, Amateur, Mid-Amateur & Junior Amateurs. A contestant must return a minimum of twelve 18-hole scores from all above listed competitions and all rounds will be used to determine the scoring average.
Trey satisfied the eligibility requirements posting 22 rounds from the following tournaments:
Arizona Amateur Championship; Arizona Stroke Play Championship; Southern Amateur; Falcon Amateur; Northern Amateur, Southwestern Amateur; Arizona Mid-Amateur Championship; US Mid-Amateur Qualifying