Hornet Golfer Earns Medalist Honors at 13th Annual Simons Cup

Weather conditions at the 13th Annual Simons Cup may have been frigid, but Ben Krempasky’s play can only be described as “red-hot.”

Honesdale’s senior battled a challenging course and the elements in earning medalist honors Friday afternoon at Woodloch Springs.

Krempasky tore up the front nine at this Lackawanna League All-Star event. Ben carded an eagle and a birdie en route to a sizzling round of 35.

That score is the lowest in the history of the Simons Cup, but it didn’t stop the Northern Division from dropping a close decision to the South.

Scott McClarney guided the Southern Division to a score of 200, while Bob Salitsky directed the North to a stroke total of  215. McClarney is the coach at Mid Valley and Salitsky mentors the Carbondale varsity.

“I’m very surprised with the high level of competition,” Hall of Fame Coach Bob Simons told TWI Sports. “The weather conditions were tough, but the boys still played excellent golf.”

With the win, the South extended its lead in the event to a margin of 7-2.

The format for the first four years of the Simons Cup was different, pitting the Lackawanna League all-stars against their counterparts from the Wyoming Valley Conference.

Local Links Legend
This year’s edition of the event was the 13th in the series, which honors PA’s all-time winningest high school golf coach.

Bob Simons has been at the helm of Paupack’s varsity golf team for 39 years now. Over the course of these four decades, he’s compiled an eye-popping record of 507-173-18 (.726 winning percentage).

No Buckhorn golf team has ever finished below .500 and this season’s team was no exception. A solid mix of youngsters and veterans helped Paupack to a surprising 10-win campaign.

The Bucks once again qualified for the Lackawanna League play-offs, but were eliminated by North Pocono, 8-1.

“We had a very good season,” said Coach Simons. “I’m pleasantly surprised by how well we did despite our youth and inexperience. I think the future is looking pretty bright for us.”

Coach Simons won’t comment as to his long-term future plans ...other than to say that he will definitely be back for a 40th season on the local links.

“I still enjoy it,” he said with a smile. “I love working with the kids. That’s what it’s all about.”

Out on the Course
Woodloch Springs is one of the region’s toughest courses.

The PGA style layout measures 6,579 yards from the gold tees. Par is 72 for the 18 holes, which feature narrow fairways and challenging greens. On this particular day, however, Krempasky brought the course to its knees.

Ben strolled around as if he owned the place, carding a birdie and an eagle on his way to medalist honors. The highlight of Krempasky’s electrifying round came when he holed out an 85-yard approach on #5.

That eagle propelled him to the day’s lowest score, a 35.

“Ben shooting a 35 really didn’t surprise me too much,” said Honesdale Coach Dan O’Neill. “He’s a good golfer who’s capable of posting a sub-par round pretty much any day.”

Krempasky tore it up at pre-districts and districts this fall. Ben fired identical scores of 76 both times he played at the Elmhurst Country Club. These performances catapulted him to regionals, where his season came to a disappointing end.

“Ben ran into a little bit of trouble that day,” Coach O’Neill said. “He struggled off the tee, but that doesn’t take away from a great season.”

Other local players who competed at the 13th Annual Simons Cup included: Jordan Rogers & Landon Roberts of Honesdale, Dakota Brooks & Alex Howe of Western Wayne.

Rogers carded a 41 and Roberts shot 45. Brooks posted a 51 and Howe fired a 43.

Brian Mahlstedt paced the victorious Southern Division squad with a round of 37.