The first major golf tournament of the year will be contested this week in Augusta, Georgia. For some, it’s the unofficial start of spring, watching the world’s top golfers compete among the blooming azaleas for a famous green jacket. The 81st Masters will officially begin with early morning tee times on Thursday and conclude with a championship ceremony Sunday evening. Sometime in between, though, it’s guaranteed, the conversation at Augusta National will steer toward one of Siena College’s most celebrated benefactors.
That inevitable moment will probably come on the 15th hole, as a golfer addresses a critical 2nd shot. It was on the 15th hole back in 1935, where Gene Sarazen scored a rare double eagle, holing his approach from 235 yards away to win the 2nd annual Masters. That improbable shot gained the fledgling golf tournament global attention and is remembered forever as the shot heard ‘round the world.
Sarazen, known as The Squire, won 7 major championships in all and competed into the 1970’s. In 1978, the New York native received an honorary degree from Siena. Soon after, the golf prodigy who dropped out of school in the 6th grade to provide for his family, had an epiphany — his legacy away from the golf course would involve Siena College. So, The Squire raised a $100,000 endowment to start a scholarship fund that would benefit students with financial need.
Today, the Sarazen Scholarship endowment stands at over $2.3 million. Every year, 22 Siena students who reflect the high personal, athletic, and intellectual ideas of Sarazen and his wife Mary receive annual $5,000 scholarships. Since 1981, nearly 150 students have been named Sarazen scholars, benefiting from more than $1.6 million in scholarship money.
To support the endowment and to honor its namesake, Siena hosts the Gene & Mary Sarazen Invitational Golf Tournament every year. This July 27 will mark the 36th edition of the tournament. Friends of the College are encouraged to tee it up at Schuyler Meadows Club in support of the scholarship and in honor of Sarazen. Of course, its Masters week, a time when every golf fan is remembered of The Squire.
