Hanes/Yarnall Claim BDGA Individual Titles
By Mark Gaughan
David Hanes put on a ball-striking clinic and added to his family’s Western New York golf legacy Saturday by winning the 102nd Buffalo District Golf Association Individual Championship.
The 27-year-old Hanes hit all 18 greens in regulation in shooting a final-round 69 at Cloverbank Country Club to finish at 8-under par for 54 holes. He won by a shot over 25-year-old Michael Donner. Both Hanes and Donner play out of East Aurora’s Crag Burn Golf Club.
Related: Final Results / Photos
Hanes also hit all 18 greens in shooting 4-under 68 in Friday’s second round, making him a remarkable 36 for 36 in greens in regulation to close the tournament.
“That’s definitely a first for me,” Hanes said. “I had a good strategy coming in here, with the tees being up a little bit, you don’t hit as many drivers. I hit a lot of 2-irons and 3-woods and it gives you 80 to 120 into the greens. My wedges were really good.”
It was the second BDGA Individual crown for Hanes, who also won in 2018. Hanes’ older brother, Billy, won the BDGA crown in 2023. Two other brother tandems have their names on the BDGA trophy – Joe and Emil Pasnik (1954 and 1961, respectively), and Dan and Paul Stetz (1982 and 1987). The Hanes’ are the first brother tandem with three titles to their names.
“Amazing, I love that,” said Hanes. “I’m glad to bring that to the family. It’s an honor.”
At 39, Billy Hanes is 12 years older than David. Billy Hanes has been the dominant mid-amateur golfer in the Buffalo district over the past decade. He was BDGA player of the year in 2015, 2016 and 2017. He won the New York State Mid-Amateur (25 and over) titles in both 2022 and 2023. He was runner-up for the BDGA title in 2020 and 2022 before winning the next year.
Billy already was a budding star golfer at St. Francis High School when the Hanes’ parents, William and Valerie, started bringing little David to the driving range at East Aurora Country Club to swing a club -- in his diapers.
“The only reason I got into golf was because of Billy,” David said. “I’m one of six. I’m the youngest, and Billy’s the oldest. I started hitting balls when I was 2 years old. I wanted to become good at golf because Billy was good at golf. It’s great.”
As great as Billy has played, it would be wrong to say David has been in his shadow. David won the prestigious International Junior Masters at East Aurora CC as an 18-year-old in 2016.
David won the BDGA Match Play titles in 2018 and 2019. He won the Erie County Amateur in 2018. He starred on the golf team at Canisius University. He teamed with Billy to win the New York State Golf Association Four-Ball title in both 2018 and 2023.
All along, superb ball-striking has been the hallmark of David’s game. Donner knows it well because he was a younger teammate of Hanes’ at both St. Francis and in college at Canisius.
“Growing up with him, playing high school golf against him, and playing college golf against him, I know what he’s capable of,” Donner said. “He’s a great ball striker. He doesn’t take any time. He just gets his line, goes up and hits it. It was fun to watch, I love the kid, and we had a great battle out there.”
At 5-foot-9 and 160 pounds, Hanes has an athletic, compact swing with no extra moving parts. Once he has visualized the shot and addresses the ball, he takes one waggle and swings. It’s the routine of a player who is supremely confident in his grooved action. Standing over the ball, there is no time for Hanes’ mind to wander and think about a hazard or whether his car needs an oil change.
“You try to make it the most athletic and reactive sport as you can,” Hanes said. “You don’t want to stand over the ball and think about a shot, unless there’s variables like wind. I try not to think about it too much because that’s when bad things happen.”
Hanes entered the final round tied at 5-under with Donner and 20-year-old Teagan Mauro of Springville CC and Division II Belmont Abbey College.
Hanes’ deadly wedge play was on display early. He hit a high draw with a 56-degree wedge from 110 yards to get to a back pin and made an 8-foot birdie on No. 4. He hit a knock-down pitching wedge into the wind from 110 yards to 10 feet and made birdie on the par-5 eighth. He hit a sand wedge from 77 yards to 6 feet for birdie on the par-4 ninth. At that point, Hanes was 7-under and ahead by two.
But Donner wouldn’t let Hanes run away on the 6,693-yard Cloverbank layout. A slender 6-2 and 157 pounds, Donner was an all-conference player for Canisius in 2022. He works golf operations at Hobe Sound Golf Club in Jupiter, Fla., from October to May, then comes back home to play summer tournaments.
Donner kept himself alive with some clutch par-saving putts (9 feet on No. 8, 6 feet on No. 11, 15 feet on No. 12). Then he bombed long drives and birdied the par-5 14th and the par-5 16th to pull within a shot of the lead.
“I told him I wasn’t going to let go,” Donner said.
Hanes responded on the 367-yard 17th, hitting a 50-degree wedge from 111 yards to 15 feet and making the birdie putt to give himself a two-shot cushion. At that point, Hanes had made just one bogey in 41 holes. Hanes closed with a three-putt bogey on 18, but it was irrelevant as he won by one.
“The Hanes boys had my number,” Donner said after shaking hands on 18, referring to the fact he placed second to Billy Hanes at the recent Crag Burn club championship.
Daniel Weimer, 29, a former Niagara University golfer and a member at Tri-County CC, finished third at 4-under. Crag Burn’s Jacob Dantonio, who just finished his sophomore season at Canisius, was fourth at 3-under. Crag Burn had four of the top seven finishers (Billy Hanes was seventh.)
Crag Burn now has produced seven of the last 20 BDGA men’s champions, with the others coming from Raman Luthra (2009, 2012, 2013) and Jeff Wolnowicz (2006). Crag Burn’s two other BDGA champs are Dr. Jim Smith (1981, 1985) and Mark Balen (1977).
The BDGA women’s tournament also was claimed by a Crag Burn member, 20-year-old Gwendolyn Yarnall. She shot 77-77 to best a field of seven golfers. Jocelyn Wintersteen, who is entering her junior year at Cassadaga Valley High School, finished a shot back in second at 79-76. Wintersteen won the NYS Federation Golf title in June.
Yarnall just finished a freshman season at Division I Augusta University. She won the 2024 Erie County Amateur and was the recipient of the 2024 BDGA Betsy Ulmer Girls Golf Scholarship. Yarnall birdied the par-4 17th Saturday to clinch her victory.
“It feels amazing,” Yarnall said. “I had kind of a rough college season, so it feels great to be back to myself again and playing like I know I can. . . . I think my putting remained the most consistent. I improved a lot over the summer and I’m really proud of it.”
