JOE FEENEY
PERSONAL – Joe grew up in the Sacramento area and now lives with his wife Laura and daughter Ayla (6). Joe sells dirt and sand and has done well enough for himself that he can attend work meetings by putting his phone down on the tee box and talking into it while he’s about to tee off.
TIE TO THE MONTEMAR - In 1966, a man named Dick Schultze mortgaged his house and founded an audio equipment store named Sound of Music in St. Paul, Minnesota . By 1981, Dick had grown his small store into 9 locations. Then one day, a massive twister tore through a tiny town called Roseville, destroying everything in its wake, including one of Dick’s 9 stores. Dick was crushed, so was his store, Dick’s dick was fine, Rob, but this tornado was the second worst thing that could have happened. Dick, along with the help of all 65 of his employees, went through the leftover rubbish of the tornado and grabbed anything they could salvage. Then, 6 days after the tornado, Dick and his employees were in the parking lot selling this merchandise out of a storage trailer. Customers flocked in by the thousands. People wanted to see the tornado damage and to – Get the Best Buy!
The sales event was so successful that two years later Dick renamed his company from Sound of Music to the store you all know today -- Best Buy. This particular twister leading to the devastating destruction and eventual name change of Dick’s company, took place in Roseville… but not the Roseville Joe Feeney now calls home. This was Roseville, Minnesota and, ironically, the start of Joe’s journey to the Montemar.
You see… had that tornado never happened, Dick wouldn’t have learned of a better way to sell his equipment, he wouldn’t have had the idea to sell out of much larger “super-stores,” Best Buy wouldn’t be what it is today, and Joe Feeney wouldn’t be playing in the Montemar.
25 years after a tornado changed the course of Dick’s life, it’s path would cross with Joe’s. Dick kept building stores, and the by the year 2006, Best Buy had opened approximately 12,000 stores nationwide, including a big shiny one in San Diego, California. Joe was in his college years at San Diego State, drinking and partying and having the time of his life. His cousin, Ryan, was also at SDSU and doing the same. Ryan needed a job, and what do ya know….
Dick was hiring. Ryan got a job at Best Buy. One day, Ryan let Joe know that he met this guy at work. Joe wasn’t sure what that meant by “met this guy” but Ryan clarified, “he’s kind of weird and talks about dick a lot, not the owner of our company, Dick… but like actual dick… which is kind of weird, but he’s also super cool and I think we should all be roommates together… we could be the three amigos.”
Joe wasn’t scared of a guy who liked dick and he loved the idea of being the three amigos. Four hours later – at least how I picture this story in my mind – the lease for the house on bond street in Pacific Beach was signed and Joe Feeney and Rob Flournoy had just become roommates and best friends.
This relatively small moment – moving into a new house with a new roommate – ended up becoming a huge turning point in Joe’s life and a true Montemar moment. Not only did Joe find a best friend, he also found a wife. No, Rob and Joe are not married. Joe’s wonderful wife, Laura, also the mother of his daughter, lived in the house next door. That was close to 20 years ago.
The two, Joe and Flo, hit it off so well that they’ve been next to inseparable ever since. When Joe moved back near his hometown of Sacramento, to live in a small house in downtown Roseville (California) with Laura, Flo followed along. The three lived in happy harmony for many years.
Time passed and life happened and eventually Flo found himself living down by the coast, madly in love with Jaci, and recently hired by Santa Clara Fire. When Flo heard that his new bestie, Simon Gober, was moving north and would be living less than 10 minutes from his other bestie, Joe Feeney, Rob made the move and bought a house between the two.
Flo introduced the rest of us to Joe and now it feels like he’s been here all along. Crazy to think that a twister and a man named Dick made it all possible.
ADDITIONAL CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE MONTEMAR – Aside from being an all-around good human and fun guy to golf with, Joe is a member of the Original Ocho and has been instrumental in getting this thing off the ground. Joe is going to donate a prize this year for sure and I’m excited to see what it is.
WHAT NEEDED TO HAPPEN IN 2023? - For Joe Feeney to win Joe will have to forget about playing to win. If he swings hard while smiling and having fun with his buddies, without putting any make-believe pressure on himself, Joe will be in the running come Sunday. He’s a returning player with the game, the payment points, a generous handicap, a playing partner he found at Best Buy, and course experience.
WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED IN 2023? – Joe did exactly what needed to happen last year and came up just short. He played for fun, peppered par 3s, and had a blast. At the end he came up just a handful of places short. A little luck here or there in the random pairings and Joe could have easily come away with a jacket.
WHAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN IN 2024? For Joe Feeney to win Joe will have to forget about playing to win. If he swings hard while smiling and having fun with his buddies, without putting any make-believe pressure on himself, Joe will be in the running come Monday. He’s a returning player with the game, the payment points, a generous handicap, a playing partner he found at Best Buy, and two years of Montemar experience under his belt.
ODDS TO WIN – 22-1
FUN FACT – Joe seriously believes the Raiders have never had a single call by the official go their way.
MONTEMARS PLAYED – 2 (2022 – Sacramento, 2023 - Scottsdale)
MONTEMAR ROUNDS PLAYED – 5 (2022 – Yoche, Darkhorse/2023 – TPC Scottsdale, TS-Oodhaam, TS Piipaash)
LIFETIME POINT TOTAL – 375 (7th)
JACKETS WON – 0
TOP 3 FINISHES – 0
TOP 5 FINISHES – 0
TOP 10 FINISHES – 1 (6th at Scottsdale in 2023)
RECORDS – 1 (CTP Top 10 finishes in a round – 3 at TS Piipaash 2023)
TOURNAMENT HANDICAP - 21
INVITED BY – Original Ocho
PLAYERS INVITED - None
