The 25th Francis Ouimet Golf Marathon was a strong success on Monday, raising over $320,000 towards scholarships. In the midst of the successful fundraising, Tedesco Country Club was well represented thanks to the father-son duo of Michael and Oliver Zmetrovich.
The Zmetrovich pair accounted for two of the 41 overall participants who took part in the marathon, held at the Juniper Hill Golf Course. To make the experience one the father-son duo won’t likely forget anytime soon, the pair teamed up to raise $27,025, making the Zmetrovichs, who are Marblehead natives, the leading fundraisers.
Michael Zmetrovich, a former Ouimet Scholarship recipient and the Ouimet Chairperson at Tedesco, credited his fellow Tedesco members for a true team effort.
“That’s the most that we’ve ever raised,” Michael Zmetrovich said. “I’ve been doing this for 20 years with the generosity from Tedesco members. All this money has been pledged from various Tedesco Country Club members.”
This year’s Ouimet marathon marked the third time in which Zmetrovich participated in the event with his son. Michael, 49, and Oliver, a 17-year-old rising senior at St. John’s Prep, had the added bonus of using the marathon as a father-son bonding experience. The team played 150 holes of golf in a full day of action that began at 7:00 a.m. and ended at 4 p.m.
“It was great,” Zmetrovich said. “We had a great day and we had a lot of fun. We played alternate shot, which can be a difficult format. It’s a tough format to play. We had a lot fun making shots and birdies. It was great. Anytime you can bond with your son or your child, it’s a great time.”
The younger Zmetrovich is a star member and captain of the St. John’s Prep swim team, but he enjoys golf as well. Zmetrovich said he was happy to see his son reignite his interest in playing golf through the marathon on Monday.
“We were both looking forward to it,” Zmetrovich said. “Oliver just finished his swim season so he was looking forward to having some time off. He was looking forward to playing golf and this sparked his interest back in golf, so that’s great.”
Zmetrovich, who has been a member at Tedesco for 23 years, has strong involvement with the Francis Ouimet Scholarship Fund and notes that the cause is a positive one.
“I’m very involved with the Ouimet Scholarship Fund,” Zmetrovich said. “I was a Ouimet Scholar when I was in high school and I started to caddy. I’m very involved with it. It’s a four-year renewable scholarship so it’s a pretty unique scholarship opportunity for kids. You have to provide three years of work to golf, whether it be in caddying or in the pro shop. It’s 100 percent need based and it’s a great opportunity for kids.”
