BY RUTH ANNE LAWSON
Highlands News-Sun Staff Writer
(All photos taken by Ruth Anne Lawson/Highlands News-Sun staff)
Golfers hit the links in the Robert C. Saffold Sr.’s Memorial Golf Tournament to keep his legacy alive. The second annual golf tournament was recently held at Sun ‘N Lake Golf Club and the event was a four-person scramble format with nine teams of four hitting the Turtle Run course to raise money for the Robert Saffold Sr. Foundation.
“We had a very good turnout but not as much as the first year,” said Robert C. Saffold Jr., president of the Robert C. Saffold Sr. Foundation. “I think last year the awe of it all and his old friends came to the first one and now the second one is depending on me. It was not as big but it was as nice. We gave away over $2,000 in prizes. Our goal was to raise $10,000 this year and we raised about 80 percent of that so I’m very pleased with the community turnout. We had over 60 sponsors so we could pull this off.”
The foundation helps underprivileged children. It was a nail biter with the top three teams being separated by just two strokes.
When Saffold Sr. passed away he left big shoes to fill but his son Robert Saffold Jr. has stepped to the plate to keep his father’s ambitions going.
Saffold Jr. said, “The tournament is in honor of my father Robert Saffold Sr. and it is to follow something that he started over 50 years ago here in Highlands County. He did golf tournaments for 42 years straight here in Highlands and surrounding counites. He would take kids on a university campus tours to get them orientated to life after high school and along with that he also used the proceeds from the golf tournament to take unprivileged kids to the Florida Classic football game (annual football game between Florida A&M University and Bethune-Cookman University).”
Safford Jr. continued, “I, as his son, am doing the best I can to pick up the torch and continue his legacy. He has a strong legacy in this area to the point that he was given the key to the city on Nov. 11, 2014, in Sebring. I just want to carry on the legacy of someone that I am very proud of and I’m proud to be following in his shoes.”
In close second and just one stroke behind was the quartet of John Perry, Tyrone Perry, Anthony Gordon and Carmen Davis with 62.
Plans are underway for the third annual Robert C. Saffold Sr. Memorial Golf Tournament. For more information about the foundation visit birdease.com/saffoldfoundation.
