Under a bright, sunny sky with 17 mph winds and temperatures hovering around 68°F, twenty alumni and four undergraduates teed off Saturday September 7 at noon at the Beckett Ridge Golf Club north of Cincinnati, Ohio in the 2024 edition of the Fricker Cup.
The prize? Immortality: Having your name and that of your partner inscribed on the trophy and being able to touch the cup with you bare hands without invoking the curse of Fricker!
This year's tournament saw Brad Storts IC '89 and Ed Kendall IC '89 finish with the lowest score among the alumni, 13 under par. This is their first Fricker Cup victory having played in several tournaments.
This year was the first year that a team of undergraduates was invited to play. The Chapter's current Grand Master, Luke King IC'22, Grand Master of Ceremonies Will DeMuessy IC '23, past Grand Master of Ceremonies, Tanner Thompson IC '22, and Parker Fromin IC '22. They played well enough to finish in first and 6th place and said they can't wait to compete as alumni to get their names on the Fricker Cup!
2021 Fricker Cup Champion Ed Kessler IC '86 won the longest drive. Two-time Fricker cup Champion Wes Bren IC '85 won the longest putt on #18. Bren and his partner, Matt Smith IC '87 also won a consolation prize for have the worst score of the afternoon, 3 over par Net 75. They apologized for their group slowing up play that afternoon, noting golf takes longer when you hit more 28 strokes than par!
This year's memorable and successful event was planned by the The Fricker Cup Planning & Rules Committee of John Henry IC '85, Brad Flinders IC '86, Brian Harding IC '86, Ed Kessler IC '87, Jeff Meek IC '87, and Frazer Donaldson IC '88.
The first Fricker Cup was played at Hueston Woods course near Oxford in 2014, ten years ago. Ever since, with the exception of 2020 due to Covid two alumni have had their names added to the impressive trophy. This years format was a partner scramble, with each partner needing to contribute at least 6 drives. A boisterous awards ceremony followed the round at the club house that also featured a table full of Kappa Sigma memorabilia brought by Michael Schoedinger IC '86.
The undergraduates in attendance enjoyed seeing the old Bononia Docets and photos and were pleasantly shocked to learn the truth of Eddie Fricker's identity.
Like previous Fricker Cups, KSTUAA hosted an alumni gathering Friday night open to all Theta-Upsilon alumni whether they were participating in the golf tournament or not. A large group of over 25 alumni and guests gathered at Voodoo Brewery and later at Twin Peaks at David Bouve's suggestion. The group met at Twin Peaks (lots of TV with College football on) after the Fricker Cup Saturday evening and again additional alumni joined the group.
