[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 105 (Wednesday, July 25, 2001)] [Extensions of Remarks] [Page E1424] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] TRIBUTE TO WAYNE DeFRANCESCO, 2001 PGA CLUB PROFESSIONAL CHAMPION ______ HON. BENJAMIN L. CARDIN of maryland in the house of representatives Wednesday, July 25, 2001 Mr. CARDIN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Mr. Wayne DeFrancesco, an assistant professional at the Woodholme Country Club in Baltimore, Maryland. Mr. DeFrancesco has just won the 34th annual PGA Club Professional Championship and has done so in dramatic style. He won the Club Professional Championship with an amazing three stroke victory, overcoming a double bogey on the fourth and a bogey on the fifth hole. He solidified his win with a 17 foot, par-saving putt on the twelfth hole and a 15 foot uphill birdie on the sixteenth hole. Mr. DeFrancesco became just the third person ever to win this championship wire-to-wire, but the first in tournament history to have sole possession of first place in all four rounds. This great victory is of little surprise considering that Mr. DeFrancesco has devoted a lifetime to the sport. He started his career as a Washington D.C. area high school champion and as letterman for Wake Forest University. Over the last twenty five years, Mr. DeFrancesco has won countless numbers of regional tournaments while at the same time working as an instructor in clubs along the East Coast. He has served as an editor to the Washington Golf Monthly Magazine and as a guest instructor on the Golf Channel. In 2000, he was recognized for his expert instruction as #42 among golf's greatest teachers, by Golf Digest. We are living in a time when golf has a renewed excitement. Tiger Woods and Annika Sorenstam have captured the imaginations of people from all across the country. They have done so with skill, perseverance, and a strong work ethic that have brought this great game to new heights of popularity. In that same spirit Wayne DeFrancesco has mastered his craft. Mr. Speaker, I want to congratulate this fine athlete on a terrific accomplishment and I wish him the best of luck when he competes for the PGA Championship at the Atlanta Athletic Club in August. ____________________