25th edition of the Franklin Cup set for this weekend at Country Club of Greenfield

Country Club of Greenfield’s Dave Kennedy will make his 25th appearance as the Franklin Cup celebrates its 25th anniversary this weekend at CCG.

Country Club of Greenfield’s Dave Kennedy will make his 25th appearance as the Franklin Cup celebrates its 25th anniversary this weekend at CCG. STAFF FILE PHOTO

By JEFF LAJOIE

Sports Editor

Published: 09-26-2024 6:28 PM

A quarter century of competition will be celebrated this weekend at the Country Club of Greenfield, as host CCG will tangle with Crumpin-Fox Club in the 25th annual Franklin Cup.

The yearly event, which alternates between the two clubs, will hold two sessions on Saturday (four-ball and alternate shot), before singles matches will conclude action on Sunday.

CCG holds a 14-9-1 edge in the Franklin Cup, which has featured 134 different players in its history — 60 for CCG and 74 for CFC. CCG veteran Dave Kennedy is the only player to have competed in every event since its inception, and he’ll once again be representing his home club this weekend.

Crumpin-Fox held serve at home at last year’s event, cruising to a decisive 17-7 victory. Home course advantage has played a big part in the Franklin Cup, and CCG has never lost on home soil. Two years ago, they edged out a 13-11 decision over CFC when the event was last played there.

CCG will once again be captained by Andy Lesenski, who won the club championship earlier this summer. It’ll be the 11th appearance for Lesenski in the Franklin Cup, and eighth as a member of Team CCG.

Lesenski’s team includes some impressive veterans, with Kennedy making his 25th appearance and boasting an impressive 39-20-7 all-time record. Kennedy’s 42.5 points is tops in the history of the event by a sizable margin.

Other veterans on the CCG roster include Nate Burdick (22nd appearance, 32-24-4 record), Wil Conant (10th appearance, 9-14-4), Jason Kelton (10th appearance, 17-9-1) and Chris Bourbeau (eighth appearance, 9-9-3).

Cody Booska will make his CCG debut and fourth overall appearance this weekend. The club championship runner-up to Lesenski, Booska last played in the Franklin Cup in 2014, and has a 5-3-1 record all time in three prior appearances as a CFC member.

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Captain’s picks Mike Archer (second appearance) and Jamie Crocker (fifth) are also on the roster, while Justin McCloud (second), Gunnar Moore (second) and Brady Booska (first) will look to make their imprint as relative newcomers to the event.

Fresh off a win last year, Team Crumpin-Fox Club is attempting to do something it’s never done before — win titles in back-to-back years.

Captain Keith Burch will guide the Foxes into this weekend’s competition, fresh off winning the club championship earlier this month at CFC. It’ll be the 15th appearance at the Franklin Cup for Burch, who has amassed a sparkling 23-12-4 record over his career. That includes a 2-0-1 record during last year’s team win over CCG.

Franklin Cup veteran Mark Waskiewicz will make his 12th appearance for CFC, and he’s also been a team standout over the years after compiling a 23-8-2 record in the event.

Dave Donoghue will play in his 11th event overall and seventh as a CFC team member, while Chris Stoddard (ninth appearance), Tim Brandl (fourth), Brendan Creagh (fourth) and Nick Stern (third) are other vets on the roster.

Jeff Houle, Tim Crowley, Alex White and Shane Powell will all play in their second Franklin Cups for CFC, while captain’s pick John Marchefka is the lone rookie on the visiting side for this weekend’s competition.