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John Elliott Shoots a Final Round 66 to Capture 35th Annual Otesaga Hotel Seniors Open in Cooperstown

2017-09-08

COOPERSTOWN, N.Y. – John Elliott of Westerly, R.I., carded the low round of the tournament with a 66 on Friday to win the 35th Annual Otesaga Hotel Seniors Open in Cooperstown, N.Y.

Elliott, who was three shots off the lead entering Friday’s final round, finished with a three-day total of 205, eight-under-par, to win the tournament by one stroke over Kirk Hanefeld of Hamilton, Mass.

Elliott, the 2014 Otesaga Hotel Seniors Open champion, took home $6,500 of the total purse of $65,600. Elliott becomes the third repeat champion in tournament history, joining Tom Joyce in 1991, 1994 and 1995 and John Gentile in 1997 and 2004.

“I didn’t play well the first two days, but today was a good round,” Elliott said. “Kirk Hanefeld was great all week and I really thought we were heading to a playoff.

“This is such a great place. I hadn’t been to Cooperstown before I came in 2014, but now I can’t wait to come back.”

John Elliott (second from left) accepts his winner's check following the final round of Friday's Otesaga Hotel Seniors Open in Cooperstown, along with (from left) Pathfinder Village resident Ashley Dhanraj, Leatherstocking Golf Course PGA Profesional Dan Spooner and Daryl Forsythe, former chairman of NBT Bank. (Craig Muder/National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum)

Hanefeld was the only golfer to break 70 in each of the three rounds, carding a 69-69-68 for a seven-under-par 206. First-round leader Alan Schulte of Fishers, Ind., finished tied for third with Mark Tucker of New Hartford, N.Y. at 207. Jerry Courville of Stratford, Conn., and second-round co-leader Craig Thomas of White Plains, N.Y., finished tied for fifth at 209.

A total of 84 senior golfers participated in the traditional post-Labor Day event that is hosted by the Otesaga Hotel and its Leatherstocking Golf Course, with NBT Bank the presenting sponsor.

Proceeds from this event benefit Pathfinder Village, located in nearby Edmeston, N.Y., a residential community dedicated to children and adults with Down syndrome. Annually, the Seniors Open raises more than $50,000 for scholarships for Pathfinder Village.

Hall of Fame President Jeff Idelson (left) accepts a check to benefit the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum from part of the proceeds of the Otesaga Hotel Seniors Open along with (from left) former NBT Bank chairman Daryl Forsythe, Pathfinder Village resident Linda McCord and Hall of Famer Tim Raines. (By Photographer Milo Stewart Jr./National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum)

Proceeds also benefit the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum educational programs, which enable the world-famous Museum to fulfill its educational mission and care for its collections.

For more information on the Seniors Open and a complete list of scores, please visit www.otesagaseniorsopen.com.