Sarg Fontanini dies at 96 - Golf News
After losing Seve Ballesteros, Bettye Danoff , Mario Camicia and Teruо Sugihаra, the world of golf faced yet another setback after another legend, Sarg Fontanini passed away at the age of 96.
Mike McCоy, five-time Iowa Amateur champion, looked really sad on the demise of his idol and said that Fоntаnini was a great person and a perfect gentleman. People like him are born in centuries.
“He was a very sweet person”, said McCoy. “He was so happy in life. When he played, he was fiercely competitive. Obviously, he had talent beyond belief. But he always had a smile".
He went on to say that "in today’s world, where egos are so big, Sarg was humble and down to earth. They just don’t make them like him anymore”.
Golf has always been regarded as a gentleman’s game. Fоntаnini was a golfer, which means he was also a gentleman.
Bob Boxwell, a golfer that played numerous rounds of golf with Fоntаnini, told that he always enjoyed playing with him. It was always a pleasure when Fоntаnini was on the course and displaying some good shots to challenge his opponents.
“He never bragged about anything,” Boxwell said. “I’ll tell you, he was one of told the nicest guys I’ve ever played golf with. One super guy. And a terrific golfer”.
Fоntаnini was a Des Moines golf icon. He was the first Iowan Amateur to participate in the Masters Tournament in 1957. He earned the Masters card after qualifying for the 1956 US Amateur’s quarterfinals.
Playing Masters was one of his biggest achievements of life. In 1997, he said in an interview: “That was probably my most memorable experience in golf”.
He played golf for eight decades, a unique achievement that no golfer has been able to record so far. Moreover, he also won different tournaments in every decade.
Fоntаnini moved to Des Moines from Italy with his family when he was just 1 year old. In 1929, he joined the Wаkonda Club in Des Moines as a caddie and started his golfing career. As a caddie, he started earning 50 cents a round.
In his long golfing career as a player, he won more than 80 tournaments. In 1995, he was inducted in the Iowa Golf of Fame for his great contribution to the sport.
Highlights of his career include four Des Moines City titles, two Herman Sani Invitational events and a Northwest Amateur tournament.
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