Page 54 - South Mississippi Living - November, 2019

SPORTS & OUTDOORS coast golf update
TEE-OFF
wi Tommy
SLAVIC LARGEST ON THE PLANET
story by Tommy Snell photos courtesy of The Slavic Invitational
The Slavic Invitational, affectionately known as “The Largest Golf Tournament on the Planet”
by those who delivered roast beef sandwiches, shrimp spaghetti and crab soup to 1,100
golfers September 20-
22, sent nobody home
hungry, thirsty or
disappointed. Biloxi,
surrounding cities and
six world-class golf
courses pleased 2,200
participants and guests.
Biloxi Mayor Andrew
“Fo Fo” Gilich wore
a smile that stretched
from Jackson to
Hancock County as
more than 1,000 rooms
were booked along the
Coast. “The impact on
the community is huge,
but more than that, it’s
the flavor of the event
itself. We had a player
from Germany this year, and we’ve hosted golfers from the Philippines and Buenos Aires in the past.”
Since 1974 when Rock Sekul won
the inaugural event, the “well-oiled machine” known as the Slavic Lodge and its volunteers has grown into a major event. Collins and McDonnieal might have hoisted the Stanovich
flavorful dialect on and off the course. Stag Pitalo and his crew cooked for the masses Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights while Faye Misko and her army of 100 served sit-down
meals with an efficiency that left everyone saying, “How did they do that?”
Faye and her six golf course chairs, Jerry Ann Rosetti, Serena Gilich, Arlene Sidaway, Robin Rodolfich, Kalin Lloyd and Tracy Butirich, welcomed golfers with a “We have the meat” motto that brings golfers back each year. Armed with pistolettes and Slavic gravy since 1986, Misko orchestrates a smorgasbord that makes golf
secondary.
“It’s not a challenge anymore,” added the
President of the Ladies Auxiliary. “All of us really
enjoy meeting the golfers during the day and the ladies at night.” Golfers
visiting from several states and sometimes other countries will say, “the feeling is mutual.”
Trophy with a 196 total, but the 1,100 players won the “tournament.”
Biloxi Point characters speak
54 SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living • November 2019
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Slavic Invitational winners Wayne Lyons, Aaron Collins, Grant McDonnieal and David Leckich.