April 14, 2009 — Gene Borek, the longtime head professional at Metropolis Country Club in White Plains, N.Y., and one of the most successful club professionals in Met Area history, died at his home in Hartsdale, N.Y., on April 14 after a long battle with cancer. He was 72 years old.  

Mr. Borek joined Metropolis as Head Golf Professional in 1980 and remained in that position for 25 years. He previously worked as head professional at Sunningdale Country Club in Scarsdale, N.Y., and got his start as a professional at Pine Hollow Country Club on Long Island in the 1960s.

Following his retirement from Metropolis in 2005, the club awarded Borek an honorary membership. He was at the club on a regular basis, maintaining the many friendships and student-teacher relationships he had established over the years.

“Once in a great while an organization is fortunate enough to have a true treasure in their ranks,” said Neda Birbrower, President of Metropolis Country Club. “Metropolis had one in Gene Borek for over 25 years and we will miss him enormously.”

Borek, a native of Yonkers, N.Y., was regarded as one of the best club pro players of the modern era. He garnered national attention when he shot a course-record 65 in the 1973 U.S. Open at Oakmont, a record that was broken two days later by the championship winner, Johnny Miller.

Additional national honors included Mr. Borek winning the PGA National Stroke Play Championship twice and the PGA National Match Play Championship once.  He competed in 11 PGA Championships and 10 US Opens, and is credited with winning more than three dozen tournaments worldwide.

On the local level Mr. Borek had a truly successful career. He won the Met PGA Championship three times, was twice Met Player of the Year, won three Long Island PGA Championships, two Long Island Open titles, two Westchester PGA titles and the 1980 Westchester Open. Mr. Borek is a member of four Halls of Fame (Metropolitan PGA, Westchester Sports, Yonkers and Metropolis).

In addition to being an outstanding player, Mr. Borek was a respected teacher, mentor and all-around professional. His list of non-playing honors and awards includes being named Met PGA Professional of the year in 1972, Met PGA Teacher of the Year in 1996, and the 2003 recipient of the Met PGA Bill Strausbaugh Award for Club Relations and Mentoring.

Borek was also on the final ballot for the MGA’s highest honor, the Distinguished Service Award, in 2004. He was nominated for that award based on his tireless service to golf, which included longtime support of the Westchester Caddie Scholarship Fund, the Industrial Home for the Blind, and The First Tee.

MGA Executive Director Jay Mottola said, “The Met Area has always been blessed with the best club professionals in the country, and as a player, teacher and supporter of the game, Gene was among the best of the best. He was always supportive of the MGA and our events and programs, and in particular he was one of the first professionals to champion our GOLFWORKS student intern program.”

The immediate past president of the MGA, Les Schupak, is a Metropolis member and has many fond recollections of Gene. “He was a consummate professional,” said Schupak. “It just wasn’t teaching that he was so good at. The game was in his DNA, and he was filled with anecdotes and stories. He knew the Rules as well as any golf pro who played the game. He was also very focused on junior golf and the achievements of juniors in every walk of life. He saw The First Tee as being very important. He also loved Metropolis and knew how good of a golf course it is, and that was a prime reason why we have as many tournaments as possible for the MGA, the WMGA, and the Westchester Seniors.”

Mr. Borek is survived by his daughter, Coleen, sons Robert and Wesley and by his wife, Joan.