By John Zimich
The 2019 version of the John A. Allan Invitational at the Fox Hill Country Club saw plenty of drama and a very emotional week for the eventual winners.
Dr. Tom Biscotti and partner John Mikewicz saw a six-stroke lead going into the final nine holes vanish as the father-son team of John and Zach Mulhern came from far back to draw even after the eighth hole of the championship nine-hole shootout.
Dr. Biscotti, the golfing dentist, got word on the fourth hole Saturday that his father had passed away.
Playing with heavy hearts, the Biscotti-Mikewicz twosome went out Sunday morning to fire a blistering eight-under par 63 and a lead of six strokes going into the final nine-holes.
But the tide turned quickly as the Mulherns caught fire and the six-stroke lead evaporated. That happened when Zach Mulhern had consecutive birds on the 13th and 14th holes while his father produced birds on the 16th and 17th holes to draw even going to the 18th hole.
That set up all of the drama and emotions on the 377-yard 18th green after Zach Mulhern’s 30-foot putt just slid past the edge of the cup for his bird.
Up next was Dr. Biscotti, who had a 12-foot bird to win the match. He said after making the putt he was asking for divine intervention from his late father, noting he wanted to make it for his father and make him proud of me.
The winning putt also had a considerable break to it with Dr. Biscotti also crediting Mikiewicz with a good read.
Mikiewicz, who won a two previous Allan titles with Dr. Biscotti, said this was the most emotional weekend of his golfing career. A former King’s College standout golfer, Mikiewicz noted it definitely was some kind of intervention that occurred after receiving word of the death of Dr. Biscotti’s father and that the two-time Allan champs played their best golf of the event from that point on.
Allan nugget–Tourney committee honored longtime member and veteran golfer Wally Kuharchik prior to the championship shootout. Kuharchik, who won several John A. Allan Invitational events with partners like the late Art Brunn, Sr. and Ron Pieczynski, won a 2019 Allan flight.
The 2019 event marked a milestone for Kuharchik, who was playing in his 58th consecutive Allan tournament.
