Galante and Pannell Smash Their Way To Long Drive Titles
BETHPAGE, N.Y. (October 8, 2022) – Golf balls were flying all day at the Bethpage Polo Fields for the 2022 Lexus Long Drive Championship. The second annual iteration of the event featured an exciting finish and two new champions. Robert Pannell of Wheatley Hills won the Men’s Championship with a drive of 351 yards, while Claire Galante of Nassau Country Club took home the championship belt on the Women’s side with a drive of 273 yards in the final.
On a cool fall day, most of the driving distances were based on the competitors carry distance as the wet conditions offered little roll. Pannell was consistent all day, cracking 350 yards in regulation to punch his ticket to the final. In addition, he hit three other drives over 345 yards.
“I was just trying to come out here and have fun,” said Pannell. “My friends had been saying I should do the event. I had no expectations because it was my first one but it was a fun event, super professional and just good to be a part of. I felt like I caught a couple really well in the final round and all you need is one good one.”
Galante, a sophomore on Hofstra’s women’s golf team, showcased her power in regulation as well, blasting a drive of 266 yards to enter the final as the top seed. She bested that number three times in the final.
“I’m normally a pretty long hitter and I told myself to just hit it straight and do the best I can,” said Galante. “Averee [Dovsek] texted me before this and told me to defend her title so it was fun and feels really good to be able to do that.”
Dovsek, a former women’s golfer at Hofstra, was the captain of the team during Galante’s freshman year and also the women's champion of the inaugural Lexus Long Drive Championship in 2021.
Jack O’Hanlon of Bethpage finished runner-up on the men’s side after a top drive of 351 yards in regulation. O’Hanlon broke his driver in warmups and was going to use a three wood in the competition. However, a last-minute switch to Michael Auerbach’s driver - another competitor in the Long Drive competition – gave O’Hanlon the juice to get into the finals.
Renna Chang of Colonial Springs was arguably the most consistent competitor in the field, missing the grid just three times in 20 swings. Chang was the Girl’s Long Drive champion and finished runner-up in the Championship Division. Her drive of 258 yards in regulation was the second-longest by a woman in the competition.
Defending champion Tyler Hosking of Mendham just missed the finals but claimed the Mid-Amateur Division title with a long drive of 339 yards. Hosking still holds the mark for longest drive in the event’s two-year history, with a drive of 356 yards last year.
Grant Faber of Stonebridge secured the Junior Division Championship on the boy’s side, with an impressive drive of 319 yards. Jillian Susa of Crab Meadow won the Junior Girl’s title with a 240-yard drive.
Jayden Guan, a Youth on Course member, was the Boy’s Champion, crushing a 283-yard drive to win that title. In the Senior Division, Scott Williams of Blue Hill took home top honors with a 285 yard drive on the Men's side, while Alexis Alland of MGA e-Club won the Women's Senior divison.
In the second year of the Lexus Long Drive Championship, nearly 100 golfers blasted away on the Bethpage Polo Fields, wowing the crowd with consistent drives over 300 yards, despite the less than favorable conditions.
With four different champions in the two-year history of the event, the 2023 Lexus Long Drive Championship promises to be another exciting installment of the championship schedule.