The 45th Hartnett Golf Classic

The Fr. Richard G. Hartnett, S.J. Memorial Golf Classic, which is dedicated to raising money for Jesuit’s financial aid program, was moved this year, from an annual springtime event to the fall.

The result? The 45th Hartnett Golf Classic was perhaps the best ever.

On Monday (Oct. 23) at Carrollwood Country Club, the fun and fellowship were on full display as the Hartnett Classic generated a record total of more than $65,000! (Scroll down for sponsors and photos.)

A full field of some 140 Jesuit alumni, parents, and supporters enjoyed the ideal conditions on the immaculate Meadow and Pine courses at CCC, along with the camaraderie and kinship. The oldest continuously run charity golf event in Tampa, the Hartnett Classic always supports a worthy cause: Jesuit students with demonstrated financial need.

As it has for years, the Gonzmart Family of Restaurants served as the event's Exclusive Platinum Sponsor, and numerous other loyal sponsors supported the event. Please see below a full list of sponsors. Thank you sponsors!

The $65,000+ raised Monday directly benefits the 33% of Jesuit students who receive financial assistance. In large part due to events such as the Hartnett Classic, which generates funds through sponsorships, player registration, and raffle sales, Jesuit can provide so many with financial aid.

Bethsy Boggiano-Vargas, P ’20, ’22, ’24 and Laura-Elizabeth Ware, P ’25 served as the Mothers' Club's Hartnett Committee chairs. They, along with numerous Mothers' Club volunteers, Dads' Club volunteers, and Jesuit's Development Office, made the event operate smoothly and set the tone for a wonderful day.

The winning team Monday was the foursome of Chris Bedell, P ’27, Matt Camara, Justin Squires, and Sam Teske, P ’26, who fired a 57 in the best ball format. The runners-up were Kirk Asche, Andrew Hagemann, Rick Kerper, and Tim Nalls ’91 (58). And the 3rd-place finishers were Thomas Bencivenga ’17, Kaiser Hartmann ’17, Arik Jahnke ’17, and Chase Shimberg ’17 (58). The Longest Drive winner was Colin O'Connor, and the Closest-to-the-Pin winner was Jon Beavers.

Scroll below to view photos from the Hartnett Golf Classic. There are dozens of great photos from the event: two large photo galleries from can be accessed on Google Drive, click here and click here to view and download those galleries.

Thank you to all who helped make the 45th annual Fr. Richard G. Hartnett, S.J. Memorial Golf Classic a success, we look forward to seeing you next fall!

2023 Fr. Richard G. Hartnett, S.J. Memorial Golf Classic Sponsors

Premier Tournament Sponsor
Richard Gonzmart ’71 – Gonzmart Family of Restaurants

Golf Ball Sponsor
Luis Crespo and Associates – Luis Crespo ’75

Exclusive Beer Sponsor
Pepin Distributing Company – Greg McLeod, P ’25

Hat Sponsor
TD Bank, Chris Papp ’98

Beverage Cart Sponsor
Bay Food Brokerage, Chris Chatterton ’05

Golf Towel Sponsor
Gallagher Insurance – Grant Podsobinski ’04

Golf Cart Sponsor
ReliaQuest, Brian Murphy, P ’27

Lunch Sponsor
Al Dato ’60

Driving Range and Putting Green Sponsor
Doug Bogle, P ’26

Closest-to-the-Pin Sponsor
Precision Painting Group, Inc.

Coozie Sponsor
A Care Connection: Kevin Healey

Breakfast Sponsor
Triton Construction - Ragan Schultz, P ’26  

Hole-in-One Sponsor
LAND ROVER

Silver Sponsors
Edward Jones – Anthony Battaglia P ’26
The Dilkhush Family

Hole Signs
Stephen M. Barbas
Richard M. Zabak
Corish Insurance
Diaz Fritz Group General Contractors
TrueEye Experts
Watson Sloane PLLC
Michael Jaap
Smith & Associates Real Estate

 

Hartnett Golf Classic history

Fr. Richard G. Hartnett, S.J. dedicated 62 years of his life to Jesuit High School. He was a graduate of the Class of 1930, a Jesuit priest, teacher, alumni chaplain, school archivist, and historian. In 1979, Jesuit's Alumni Association established the annual Fr. Richard G. Hartnett, S.J. Golf Classic to raise money for the school's financial aid program for needy students. The tournament's original organizers included James J. "Buddy" Clark '38, Manuel Corral '37, Victor DiMaio '42, Sam Ferlita '38, and Sal Urso '44. Their intent was to bring together Jesuit alumni and friends to benefit the Fr. Hartnett Endowment Fund, and as a way of honoring Fr. Hartnett's lifelong commitment and service to Jesuit High School. The Classic now raises more than $40,000 annually, and for more than four decades has provided hundreds of thousands of dollars to help Jesuit's financial aid program. Fr. Hartnett passed away in 2004, but his legacy and impact on the school lives on in the minds of thousands of Jesuit alumni, and with the annual Fr. Richard G. Hartnett, S.J. Memorial Golf Classic, which is believed to be the Tampa Bay area's longest continuously running charity golf event.