Before he teed off, Brian Sutti wanted to make sure he did one
last thing. Staring out into the fairway, Sutti lifted his pink
ball to his lips for a brief good-luck kiss. But the bright pink
ball was more than just his golfing superstition, it was a symbol
of remembrance for his friend Kelly Freitas, who passed away of
breast cancer last July.
At San Juan Oaks Golf Course on Friday, Sutti wasn’t the only
golfer remembering Freitas.
HOLLISTER
Before he teed off, Brian Sutti wanted to make sure he did one last thing.
Staring out into the fairway, Sutti lifted his pink ball to his lips for a brief good-luck kiss. But the bright pink ball was more than just his golfing superstition, it was a symbol of remembrance for his friend Kelly Freitas, who passed away of breast cancer last July.
At San Juan Oaks Golf Course on Friday, Sutti wasn’t the only golfer remembering Freitas.
Almost a year from the day of her passing, 148 golfers from around the area gathered at the golf course for the first-ever Kelly Freitas Memorial Golf Tournament. The scramble-structured tournament split the 148 golfers into teams of four. The winners, the team of Alfonso Castillo, Phil Fortino, Bill Fixsen and Susan Fixsen, were given a $400 prize and their names engraved on a trophy after scoring a total of 54.
The event was the largest tournament in the golf course’s history, said Manny Freitas, the event organizer and Kelly Freitas’ widower.
The soldout event included a banquet dinner, a raffle and a silent auction, and more than 30 volunteers helped organizing it. Organizers expected more than $10,000 would be raised over the one-day event.
“I’m speechless,” said Freitas.
Freitas admitted it was an emotional day for him, but he was happy to see the large turnout and the amount of fun everyone was having.
“We did this so people would remember her,” he said. “I made her a promise I would do that. I want people to remember her as a person – and her smile.”
He continued, “I don’t want people to remember her as cancer patient.”
Freitas wanted to create something that would make people think of something other than cancer when they thought of his wife, he said. Golf ended up being the best way to do that.
“This is something she would be proud of,” he said.
Earlier in the year, representatives from Relay for Life contacted Freitas, who is also the director of golf at San Juan Oaks Golf Club, on creating a golf tournament that would benefit cancer research. Freitas quickly agreed, and eventually the tournament morphed into something for his wife.
“It didn’t start that way, but it’s my baby now,” he said.
And everyone seemed to enjoy his golfing baby. Regardless if it was on a belt, golf ball or shirt, pink was a popular color on the green.
The slogan “Beat cancer with a club,” was posted at every hole, and Alan Travasso took it to heart.
Travasso, who was another friend of Kelly Freitas, had family history with cancer.
“I’m playing for my grandma,” he said, holding his driver in his hand. “And I’m going to make sure I beat cancer with a club.”
Teammate Andrew Braddock joined the tournament to remember Kelly Freitas and her fighting spirit, he said.
“She was definitely a fighter,” he said. “She was always had a smile on her face. She was always having fun.”
Braddock continued, “She was a good woman and didn’t deserve what happened to her.”
He wanted to celebrate her life with friends, he said.
And that’s what Freitas hoped for.
“That is what it’s all about,” he said.
Proceeds from the tournament will be split into two, with half going to Relay For Life and half going to Freitas’ family, Freitas said. The family will send half of their portion to the Triple Negative Breast Cancer Foundation and use the rest to create a foundation in Kelly Freitas’ name.
“This helps keeps her spirit alive,” Freitas said.
