2008: In the inaugural Arctic Fundra, AJ Ianello and Andrew Arnold paired to win the event with a score of 6-under par. The tournament was held at Dauphin Highlands Golf Course in Harrisburg, PA, and the event was shortened to 32 holes due to darkness / concern for the health of Derrick Garman. Proceeds benefited the American Red Cross. Weather: High of 37, Low of 24, Wind speed 7 mph.
2009: In 2009, The Fundra was delayed 12 months as heavy snowfall covered the northeast. Fundra enthusiasts were still willing to play, but all local courses refused to open with 2 feet of snow on the ground. Weather: High of 46, Low of 30, Wind speed 8 mph.
2010: The 3rd Arctic Fundra, hosted by Four Seasons Golf Course in Landisville, PA, ended when Brixton Albert and Mike Turner birdied the first playoff hole to defeat Keith Brown and Erik Goserud. Due to a frost delay, the event was held over 27-holes. The funds raised were donated to Penn State's Dance Marathon. Weather: High of 32, Low of 21, Wind speed 25 mph.
2011: Andrew Baker and Brian "Bob" Hungarter clinched the 4th annual Fundra in a 3-way playoff, when Baker drained a 12-foot Birdie putt in pouring rain on the first playoff hole at Four Season's Golf Course. Jay Ingram and Corey Wenger, along with the team of AJ Ianello and Erik Goserud, fell victim to Baker's putt and had to settle for 2nd place. The 2011 event raised money for The National Alzheimer's Association. Weather: High of 50, Low of 28, Wind speed 6 mph.
2012: Brixton Albert became the first two-time Fundra champion as he and partner Jay Ingram ran away with the title over Andy Tompos and Steve Brenner. Albert and Ingram carded a 4-under par total over 27 holes at Briarwood Golf Course in York, PA. Due to weather delays, this year's event was actually played in early 2013, and benefited cancer research. Weather: High of 37, Low of 32, Wind speed 16 mph, 0.2 inches of rain.
2013: 2013 was a big year for AJ Ianello. He significantly improved his shoulder strength, he held down a serious relationship, and he teamed with Fundrarookie Tom Meredith to become only the second two-time winner of The Arctic Fundra.
What began as a promising day for many teams at Groff's Farm Golf Course, turned into a two-horse race after the first 18 holes. Defending champions Brixton Albert and Jay Ingram fell to an opening round 77, prompting their withdrawal before the final 9. Ingram was battling an ACL injury and Albert was battling fellow competitor Andy Tompos, whose heated arguments clearly affected both teams. Kevin Goserud and Keith Brown were also in trouble when Kevin decided to eat hot dogs before playing the finishing 9 holes.
Meredith and Ianello opened with a solid 71 in tough conditions, but leaders Andrew Baker and Erik Goserud relied heavily on Baker's putting to fire a 69 heading into the final 9. After trading bogeys, Baker and Goserud held a 2 stroke lead with 5 holes to play before Meredith sunk a long birdie putt and Goserud 3-putted the 6th hole to square the match. Ianello birdied the 26th hole, to put his team up 2 strokes going into the last hole. Conservatively laying up, Ianello and Meredith both made bogey while Goserud's birdie putt lipped out giving the veteran and the rookie the 2013 championship. Donations were made to The American Cancer Society and Liberty in North Korea. Weather: High of 41, Low of 28, Winds speed 16 mph.
What began as a promising day for many teams at Groff's Farm Golf Course, turned into a two-horse race after the first 18 holes. Defending champions Brixton Albert and Jay Ingram fell to an opening round 77, prompting their withdrawal before the final 9. Ingram was battling an ACL injury and Albert was battling fellow competitor Andy Tompos, whose heated arguments clearly affected both teams. Kevin Goserud and Keith Brown were also in trouble when Kevin decided to eat hot dogs before playing the finishing 9 holes.
Meredith and Ianello opened with a solid 71 in tough conditions, but leaders Andrew Baker and Erik Goserud relied heavily on Baker's putting to fire a 69 heading into the final 9. After trading bogeys, Baker and Goserud held a 2 stroke lead with 5 holes to play before Meredith sunk a long birdie putt and Goserud 3-putted the 6th hole to square the match. Ianello birdied the 26th hole, to put his team up 2 strokes going into the last hole. Conservatively laying up, Ianello and Meredith both made bogey while Goserud's birdie putt lipped out giving the veteran and the rookie the 2013 championship. Donations were made to The American Cancer Society and Liberty in North Korea. Weather: High of 41, Low of 28, Winds speed 16 mph.
2014: One of the most congested leaderboards in Fundra history saw 3 teams tied after regulation at 7-under par. To determine a winner, Perennial contender Brixton Albert and Fundra rookie Marc Snyder, the Zen-master Jay Ingram along with past champion Andrew Baker, and the defending duo of AJ Ianello and Tom Meredith went to the first tee for a sudden-death playoff. All three teams managed to make par on the opening hole at Four Seasons, but after 5 of the 6 players bogeyed the second, Ianello's par secured the first ever back-to-back championship for he and partner Tom Meredith. Donations were made to The National Alzheimer's Association. Weather: High of 54, Low of 26, Wind speed 2 mph.
2015: Meredith & Iannello failed in their attempt for an unprecedented third consecutive Fundra title, against one of the strongest fields in tournament history. The defending champions finished at a respectable even par, but needed to reach 4 under par in order to join Scott Johnston/ Brixton Albert and Kevin Goserud/Andrew Arnold in the playoff.
Gary Brown & Erik Goserud entered the 27th hole at 5-under only needing a par to win, but after both players found the greenside bunker an outright victory seemed unlikely...and so did a playoff, as the duo sloppily made double-bogey to end the dream of what would have been the first title for each player.
As the playoff began, it was apparent that Scott Johnston's partner Brixton was nowhere in sight. Claiming he "had to meet my Dad's friend", Albert seemingly disappeared into thin air leaving Johnston alone to face Kevin Goserud & Andrew Arnold in sudden death. On the first playoff hole, Johnston shenked a wedge from 100 yards with Arnold inside of 10 feet for birdie, making victory imminent for Goserud/Arnold. But Johnston hit a miraculous recovery to 5-feet and made the par putt, matching Arnold's 4 after a missed birdie attempt.
The second playoff hole was halved when both Johnston and Arnold made impressive birdies with approach shots coming to rest inside of 8 feet. On the third playoff hole, a short par 3, Johnston short-sided himself and Arnold continued his impressive play with a laser-iron coming to rest 10-feet from the hole. Johnston, partnerless, refused to be intimidated and made a gutsy up-and-down to yet again miraculously extend the playoff.
While Brixton Albert was likely eating donuts, his partner foraged on with the honors on the fourth playoff hole. Johnston's drive found the trees, and he ended up with a 10-foot par putt to extend the match. His heroic play finally fell short against the Goserud/Arnold team, as the 10-footer slid past the hole and gave Andrew Arnold his 2nd championship, and Kevin Goserud his first.
Notes: The Fundra was held at Four Seasons Golf Course, in a 27-hole Scramble-Alternate Shot-Better Ball format. Record highs in the 60's made for the warmest Fundra to date. Gary Brown smelled an orange on the 13th hole, coming dangerously close to incurring a 1-stroke penalty. Marc Snyder overslept and missed the event. Donations were made to A Week Away & The Alex Federman Scholarship Fund. Weather: High of 64, Low of 44, Wind speed 4 mph.
2016: With Andrew Arnold letting adult life prevent him from defending his title, Kevin Goserud was left with no other option than to draw a teammate randomly for his defense attempt. As fate would have it, he drew the most successful player in Fundra history, AJ Iannello. With many other strong teams in the field, it was difficult for any team to pull away in one of the most brutally cold and rainy Fundras to date. But with clutch birdies on holes 16 & 18, Mike Turner and veteran Jay Ingram opened up a 4 shot lead going into the final 9 holes of better ball. What looked like a run away turned into a match when AJ Iannello and Kevin Goserud steadied their round at 1-under through 26 holes, and Ingram/Turner recorded consecutive bogeys on holes 24&25 to drop to 4 under. But Mike Turner's clutch 8-footer for par on his 26th hole all but sealed the 9th annual Fundra, and a Jay Ingram par on the last put the duo in the books as 2 x Arctic Fundra champions. Money raised benefitted Breast Cancer awareness. Weather: High of 39, Low of 28, Wind speed 10 mph. Rain throughout the day.
2017: Mike Turner and partner Jay Ingram were unable to defend their championship, with Mr. Turner being stranded in Ohio. This was a big opportunity for the rest of the field, as the trophy was open for the taking. Fundra warriors were ready for the most trying of conditions yet, light snow forecasted in the early hours with highs predicted to never breach freezing. Unfortunately the meteorologists did what meteorologists do and got things completely wrong, leaving the field disappointed with only the second snowed out Fundra in 10 years. The day was instead filled with bowling, below average diner breakfasts, and laser tag. Snow now has two more Fundras than Erik Goserud, and is approaching the all-time record of 3 titles held by Lancaster's own AJ Iannello, whose name is frequently misspelled. Weather: High of 34, Low of 8, Wind speed 10 mph. 4-5 inches of snow throughout the morning.
2018: For the second consecutive year, Mike Turner and Jay Ingram missed out on the chance to defend their 2016 title, but this year it wasn't due to the weather. Mike Turner claimed to have business with "family" in "Ohio" and the Zen Master was left alone to draw his partner on the first tee. Zen Master Jay paired with AJ Iannello, and although both are past Fundra champions, they couldn't stop the onslaught of Andrew Baker & Gary Brown. Nor could the rest of the field, as the closest anyone got to the leaders all day was 2 strokes. Baker's steady play and Gary's nice legs combined towards what could have been a historic victory. Going into the last at 9 under par with the Fundra scoring record in sight, Baker picked his ball up relying on Gary's 6-foot par putt to win. But that 6-footer turned into a 5 putt quadruple-bogey 7 which thankfully was caught on camera. Even with the putting disaster, Brown and Baker (Associates) had enough of a cushion to still take home the Sportsmanship trophy over runners-up Scott Johnston & Brian Hungarter. A note on Hungarter who did not complete the round - Hungarter was last seen checking his pulse on the 26th hole and a man resembling Hungarter was reported in the Four Seasons parking lot hours later, but this was never confirmed. The Goserud brothers were paired together for the first time ever, and Erik still has not won in a record 9 attempts. Weather: High of 45, Low of 33, blustery wind throughout the day.
2019: Played on 1/11/2020, the 2019 Fundra looked unlikely to occur due to a snowstorm that blanketed The Quad days before the event. With a bit of luck and Terri Morton magic, the Fundra took place as scheduled, though many of the usual suspects were missing from the field. Making their first appearances in the Fundra were average golfer Shawn Hall, 6' 7" John Finneran, and local Four Seasons legend Andrew Fergusson, who rose to fame in the early 2000's for using a putter that loosely resembled a meat hammer. Fergusson also notably shot 162 in the Big 2-Man Scramble after taking a 95 on the last hole, so his local celebrity brought some high profile attention to the event. After birdie-ing the first 5 holes, it looked like Shawn Hall & Ryan DeLorraine were on their way to a runaway victory, but a long stretch of boring golf left the door open for other teams to join the hunt. Among these teams were defending champions Gary Brown & Andrew Baker, and the largest team the Fundra has ever seen - rookie John Finneran & winless Fundra vet Steve Brenner. Their 13-foot combined height and quarter-ton combined weight was an intimidating force, as Finneran & Brenner fought their way into a playoff. After DeLorraine left a 20-foot birdie putt short on the 27th hole, it was ultimately down to Baker & Brown to match the 1-under pace set by Finneran & Brenner, which they did. With Finneran long gone for some sort of marital event, Brenner was left to fend for himself in the playoff against a dehydrated Gary Brown and sleep-deprived Baker. On the second playoff hole, Brenner sunk a 12-foot birdie putt to take home the title, and break his streak of 5 Arctic Fundras without a victory. It's notable that there was some controversy over the decision to extend the event from 23 to 27 holes, leaving the Ferguson-Elliker duo out of luck as they fell from the lead over the course of added play. Donation was made to the National Resource Defense Council. Weather: High of 64, Low of 37, steady winds from the NorthEast.
Gary Brown & Erik Goserud entered the 27th hole at 5-under only needing a par to win, but after both players found the greenside bunker an outright victory seemed unlikely...and so did a playoff, as the duo sloppily made double-bogey to end the dream of what would have been the first title for each player.
As the playoff began, it was apparent that Scott Johnston's partner Brixton was nowhere in sight. Claiming he "had to meet my Dad's friend", Albert seemingly disappeared into thin air leaving Johnston alone to face Kevin Goserud & Andrew Arnold in sudden death. On the first playoff hole, Johnston shenked a wedge from 100 yards with Arnold inside of 10 feet for birdie, making victory imminent for Goserud/Arnold. But Johnston hit a miraculous recovery to 5-feet and made the par putt, matching Arnold's 4 after a missed birdie attempt.
The second playoff hole was halved when both Johnston and Arnold made impressive birdies with approach shots coming to rest inside of 8 feet. On the third playoff hole, a short par 3, Johnston short-sided himself and Arnold continued his impressive play with a laser-iron coming to rest 10-feet from the hole. Johnston, partnerless, refused to be intimidated and made a gutsy up-and-down to yet again miraculously extend the playoff.
While Brixton Albert was likely eating donuts, his partner foraged on with the honors on the fourth playoff hole. Johnston's drive found the trees, and he ended up with a 10-foot par putt to extend the match. His heroic play finally fell short against the Goserud/Arnold team, as the 10-footer slid past the hole and gave Andrew Arnold his 2nd championship, and Kevin Goserud his first.
Notes: The Fundra was held at Four Seasons Golf Course, in a 27-hole Scramble-Alternate Shot-Better Ball format. Record highs in the 60's made for the warmest Fundra to date. Gary Brown smelled an orange on the 13th hole, coming dangerously close to incurring a 1-stroke penalty. Marc Snyder overslept and missed the event. Donations were made to A Week Away & The Alex Federman Scholarship Fund. Weather: High of 64, Low of 44, Wind speed 4 mph.
2016: With Andrew Arnold letting adult life prevent him from defending his title, Kevin Goserud was left with no other option than to draw a teammate randomly for his defense attempt. As fate would have it, he drew the most successful player in Fundra history, AJ Iannello. With many other strong teams in the field, it was difficult for any team to pull away in one of the most brutally cold and rainy Fundras to date. But with clutch birdies on holes 16 & 18, Mike Turner and veteran Jay Ingram opened up a 4 shot lead going into the final 9 holes of better ball. What looked like a run away turned into a match when AJ Iannello and Kevin Goserud steadied their round at 1-under through 26 holes, and Ingram/Turner recorded consecutive bogeys on holes 24&25 to drop to 4 under. But Mike Turner's clutch 8-footer for par on his 26th hole all but sealed the 9th annual Fundra, and a Jay Ingram par on the last put the duo in the books as 2 x Arctic Fundra champions. Money raised benefitted Breast Cancer awareness. Weather: High of 39, Low of 28, Wind speed 10 mph. Rain throughout the day.
2017: Mike Turner and partner Jay Ingram were unable to defend their championship, with Mr. Turner being stranded in Ohio. This was a big opportunity for the rest of the field, as the trophy was open for the taking. Fundra warriors were ready for the most trying of conditions yet, light snow forecasted in the early hours with highs predicted to never breach freezing. Unfortunately the meteorologists did what meteorologists do and got things completely wrong, leaving the field disappointed with only the second snowed out Fundra in 10 years. The day was instead filled with bowling, below average diner breakfasts, and laser tag. Snow now has two more Fundras than Erik Goserud, and is approaching the all-time record of 3 titles held by Lancaster's own AJ Iannello, whose name is frequently misspelled. Weather: High of 34, Low of 8, Wind speed 10 mph. 4-5 inches of snow throughout the morning.
2018: For the second consecutive year, Mike Turner and Jay Ingram missed out on the chance to defend their 2016 title, but this year it wasn't due to the weather. Mike Turner claimed to have business with "family" in "Ohio" and the Zen Master was left alone to draw his partner on the first tee. Zen Master Jay paired with AJ Iannello, and although both are past Fundra champions, they couldn't stop the onslaught of Andrew Baker & Gary Brown. Nor could the rest of the field, as the closest anyone got to the leaders all day was 2 strokes. Baker's steady play and Gary's nice legs combined towards what could have been a historic victory. Going into the last at 9 under par with the Fundra scoring record in sight, Baker picked his ball up relying on Gary's 6-foot par putt to win. But that 6-footer turned into a 5 putt quadruple-bogey 7 which thankfully was caught on camera. Even with the putting disaster, Brown and Baker (Associates) had enough of a cushion to still take home the Sportsmanship trophy over runners-up Scott Johnston & Brian Hungarter. A note on Hungarter who did not complete the round - Hungarter was last seen checking his pulse on the 26th hole and a man resembling Hungarter was reported in the Four Seasons parking lot hours later, but this was never confirmed. The Goserud brothers were paired together for the first time ever, and Erik still has not won in a record 9 attempts. Weather: High of 45, Low of 33, blustery wind throughout the day.
2019: Played on 1/11/2020, the 2019 Fundra looked unlikely to occur due to a snowstorm that blanketed The Quad days before the event. With a bit of luck and Terri Morton magic, the Fundra took place as scheduled, though many of the usual suspects were missing from the field. Making their first appearances in the Fundra were average golfer Shawn Hall, 6' 7" John Finneran, and local Four Seasons legend Andrew Fergusson, who rose to fame in the early 2000's for using a putter that loosely resembled a meat hammer. Fergusson also notably shot 162 in the Big 2-Man Scramble after taking a 95 on the last hole, so his local celebrity brought some high profile attention to the event. After birdie-ing the first 5 holes, it looked like Shawn Hall & Ryan DeLorraine were on their way to a runaway victory, but a long stretch of boring golf left the door open for other teams to join the hunt. Among these teams were defending champions Gary Brown & Andrew Baker, and the largest team the Fundra has ever seen - rookie John Finneran & winless Fundra vet Steve Brenner. Their 13-foot combined height and quarter-ton combined weight was an intimidating force, as Finneran & Brenner fought their way into a playoff. After DeLorraine left a 20-foot birdie putt short on the 27th hole, it was ultimately down to Baker & Brown to match the 1-under pace set by Finneran & Brenner, which they did. With Finneran long gone for some sort of marital event, Brenner was left to fend for himself in the playoff against a dehydrated Gary Brown and sleep-deprived Baker. On the second playoff hole, Brenner sunk a 12-foot birdie putt to take home the title, and break his streak of 5 Arctic Fundras without a victory. It's notable that there was some controversy over the decision to extend the event from 23 to 27 holes, leaving the Ferguson-Elliker duo out of luck as they fell from the lead over the course of added play. Donation was made to the National Resource Defense Council. Weather: High of 64, Low of 37, steady winds from the NorthEast.
2020: Played on 11/21/20, a month earlier than the usual, this year's field saw a few new faces and was 25% Hungarter. One notable absence was Terri Morton and her coveted Terri Dogs, but the Fundra must go on. There was a bit of controversy after the first 18, as Steve Brenner took Aleve without checking the label. It was later confirmed there are no calories in Aleve and Brenner/Finn, the defending champions, continued their title defense without penalty. After the first round, all 6 teams were within 6 shots, but one of the tightest Fundra races to date turned into a 3-horse race with 5 to play. Team Goserud/Pasic and Baker/Brown were sitting at 9 under, with Brenner/Finn just one back. A costly triple-bogey 7 on the 5th hole ended the title defense for Brenner/Finn, while Baker/Brown and Goserud/Pasic managed to make it to the 8th tee tied at 5 under par. After Baker and Goserud hit good drives on 8, it was up to Gary Brown and Edin Pasic to create some distance going into the final hole. Brown topped his approach shot, literally about 12 feet, but sank a 15-footer for par to redeem himself going into the 9th. Meanwhile, Pasic hit an all-Bosnia chip to 3 feet which Goserud converted for birdie and the one shot lead. Standing on the 9th tee, with the gallery behind the green, Pasic hit the shot of his life. With a drop-kick 3-wood in the air, Pasic began screaming and celebrating before the ball hit the green, landing a few feet from the hole and settling within 10 feet of the cup. Baker hit a solid approach on the 9th to 25 feet, but after a 3-putt bogey Goserud and Pasic comfortably 2-putted for par to secure a 2-shot victory and Goserud's first Fundra title in 13 years. Donations were made to the Milagro House and Lancaster County Food Hub. Weather: High 53, low of 41, overcast with 6 mph winds.
2021: Played on 1/2/22, the 2021 Fundra began as many do, with Gary Brown dancing. What ensued was a record-setting finish for defending champions Edin Pasic & Erik Goserud who became only the second team to defend their title (the other being Tom Meredith & AJ Iannello). Pasic/Goserud set a new scoring record at 8 under par. After a 65 on the opening 18, team Pasic/Goserud stood at -15 heading into the final 9 holes of modified alternate shot, with an 8-shot lead over the nearest pursuers. Although the 8-shot lead shrunk to only 2, Goserud/Pasic held off a charge from Brian Hungarter and rookie Randy Wilder who made up ground behind a 1 over par alternate shot. Ultimately, Hungarter/Wilder claimed 2nd place with a 6 under finish. One notable absence from the Fundra was AJ Iannello, breaking his streak of 11 Fundras played in a row. He was in Scottsdale or somewhere no one cares about. Weather: High of 60, Low of 29, overcast, wet, winds reaching 12 mph.
2022: Played on 12/31/22, the 2022 Fundra saw many firsts. The first Derek McCarty sighting, the first Time Tim Chubb appearance, and some new babies born primarily to boost the field in about 15 years. The first Fundra divorce in history also took place, as team Pasic/Goserud, the two-time defending champions, opted not to defend, instead leaving the field open to pure chance. As fate would have it, a few dangerous teams emerged as a result. Gary Brown & AJ Iannello, newcomer Derek McCarty paired with the always-dangerous Scott Johnston, and a familiar pairing of past champions Andrew Baker and Brian "Bob" Hungarter all found themselves in immediate contention. But the entire field remaining tight following the first 18 holes. While Brown & Iannello lead at a strong -11, McCarty & Johnston were right behind at -8, with the teams of Goserud-Hungarter and Baker-Bob hovering at -6; all still within striking distance during the always challenging alternate shot format. Even past champion Tom Meredith and his newcomer partner Tim Chubb were in contention at 4 under, and even made a move to get to 5 under after 22 holes, before faltering later on the back. Next to fall in the alternate shot was the team of Goserud & Ryan Hungarter, taking a costly 8 on the 6th hole to drop them to 4th place. While Hungarter-Baker tried to make their move with an eagle-birdie-par finish, it ultimately was not enough and the 15th annual Fundra became a two-horse race. Gary Brown holed a tricky 3-footer on the 26th hole to maintain a 2-shot lead heading into the last, and after Johnston-McCarty failed to apply any real pressure on the last, it was up to Iannello & Brown to seal their victory with a 2-putt from 30 feet. The tournament was certainly still in question until Iannello's lag putt left Brown only a few inches for a tap in, giving Iannello his 4th Fundra (the most in history) & Brown his 2nd while setting a new scoring record at 10-under par. Donations were made to GiveWell. Weather: High of 53, low of 48, overcast & light rain with 11 mph winds.
2023: Played on 12/30/23, with some notable absences including defending champion AJ Iannello and perennial contender and all-around good guy Tom Meredith. The 23' Fundra also did not have defending champions for the 2nd consecutive year, as AJ had to go witness the birth of his first child or something. This left the field open to completely random teams. The first 18 holes set the stage for Steve Brenner & Gary Brown to run away with the title, opening up a 6 shot lead heading into the treacherous final stretch of modified alternate shot. But some hopefuls were lingering, with Brian Hungarter & Ryan DeLorraine and Erik Goserud & rookie Matthew Stouch trailing the -12 lead at 6 under par. Also still in contention were the teams of Derek McCarty & Newcomer Jeff Smith at 5 under, as well as Scott Johnston & Edin Pasic not out of it at 4 under par. Goserud & Stouch got off to a hot start, birdieing 3 of the first 4 holes in alternate even with a short missed birdie putt at the second. Meanwhile, Brown & Brenner began to relinquish their lead with several early bogies. The record breaking alternate-shot pace set by Goserud & Stouch would not be conceded, finishing that format at an astonishing 4 under par for 9 holes and not only completing the largest comeback in Fundra history, but doing so by 3 shots. They also tied the all-time scoring record of 10 under par. Brenner & Brown ended up tying for 2nd place with Hungarter & DeLorraine, who played well but not well enough. Weather: High of 42, Low of 29, overcast with 8-12 mph winds.
