ROCHESTER, N.Y. (FLX) — The unofficial slogan for the FLX Tour’s annual Genesee Invitational is “every dog has their day,” and on Sunday at the Valley, two dogs had their day.

Forty of the Tour’s best and brightest teed off Sunday at Genesee Valley Golf Course for the two-man best ball tournament. It was a day that had it all; rain, sun, laughs, tears, wedges left behind and the Big Guy getting plunked by a ball.

“Just a quintessential FLX Tour event from start to finish,” FLX Tour Co-Commissioner Shane Driffill said. “Not the drama of the Classic’s playoff, or the scandal of the Grand Open, just good dudes playing good golf.”

Though nothing could quite match the intensity of the Churchville Classic playoff hole this year, there was plenty of drama at the Invitational. The first group teed off at 9:30 a.m. and among them were Ben Annal and Eric Spanbeur, who set the pace with a -8.

The leaders in the clubhouse watched on with aniticpation as the groups behind them chased up the leaderboard. Three different teams had a chance to tie or take the lead on hole 18, but all three fell short of their aspirations and finished tied for second with a -7; leaving Annal and Spanbeur as this year’s champions.

And celebrate the title they did! Ben left shortly after the round was completed to head to Toronto for an Oasis concert.

“A weekend to tell the grandkids about one day,” Annal said.

Spanbeur, meanwhile, was seen after buying rounds of shots for passerby at the Champions Luncheon at Shamrock Jack’s, so many shots that an ambulance was called at one point, reportedly.

The lives of these two are about to change forever, while the others in the field look up and hope that one day they’ll know that feeling.

The team of Shane Driffill and Tim Dorsheimer was one of the three teams tied for second place, another silver medal for the blonde-haired commissioner after coming so close in the Churchville Classic playoff last month. Elsewhere, Ryan Netchke’s back has to be hurting after carrying his partner Matt Driffill for 18 holes. The short kings team also tied for second, thanks to the Rhyno’s heroics.

“He deserved better,” Matt said of his partner’s performance. “He laid it all on the line, played with all class and nobility. I had no business in hat one this year, let’s be honest.”

The team of Kyle Pierce and Scott Stedman rounded out the podium, also tied for third place with a -7. Pierce’s putt on 18 to force a playoff narrowly missed the mark, and with that Annal and Spanbeur were launched into the Hall of Champions.

Other notable reports from the course:

— Matt Vaughn Rowell inquired about the Churchville driving range about a half hour before the first tee time. He made it on time and played valiantly.

— Josh Valletta left a wedge on a green on the back 9, holed out from 120 yards (for bogey), and played all 18 holes this year (counting every stroke with confidence and conviction en route to a +55)

— The Big Guy, Brier Koroly, was struck by a golf ball mid-round. He fought through the injury and finished the round with grace. According to Tour historian’s knowledge, this was the second instance in Tour history of a pro getting hit by a ball during competition. We were all surprised it’s only happened twice really.

— Newcomer Victor Sanchez Jr., the only player in the field of 40 to make his debut, played with guts and focus as he filled in for newly-minted Golden Boy Todd Horne. He was presented the ol’ Belle for his efforts.

— Play came to a halt about midway through the action as a downpour of rain splattered about. It quickly blew over and play resumed without issue. Weather’s a hoax, as always. Don’t ask about the Grand Open. It’s fine.

— All the smiles you see in the article photo at the top were because someone ripped serious ass right as the self timer on the camera was going off. Impeccable timing by an unknown fart master there.

All in all it was a fantastic event and another legendary chapter in FLX Tour history.

With three of the four major tournaments in the rear-view mirror for the season, all eyes turn to the FLX Cup at Ravenwood Golf Course on Saturday October 4.

Tour officials are expecting the largest field in FLX history, and the largest purse for the champion ever, but something no one can expect or predict is who will be crowned the 2025 Young Man of the Year. With a ton of points up for grabs on an individual basis, there are tons of outcomes on the table.

Sources say a registration form for the FLX Cup will be sent to pros in the coming days. Until then, stay sharp and hit ’em straight!

Editor’s note: Figures below are preliminary results pending review by FLX Tour Head of Numbers Tim Dorsheimer (08/26/25)

2025 Genesee Invitational results

Rank	Tour Pro	Net Score	YMOTY Points
1	Ben Annal	-8	40
1	Eric Spanbauer	-8	40
T2	Tim Dorsheimer	-7	38
T2	Shane Driffill	-7	38
T2	Matt Driffill	-7	38
T2	Ryan Netchke	-7	38
T2	Scott Stedman	-7	38
T2	Kyle Pierce	-7	38
T5	Danny Driffill	-5	32
T5	Brandon Moynihan	-5	32
T5	Dan Driffill Sr.	-5	32
T5	Nick Kozak	-5	32
T5	Sean Sawyer	-5	32
T5	Patrick Moynihan	-5	32
T5	Mike Petote	-5	32
T5	Alex ‘Dooley’ Mikalajo	-5	32
9	Boston Siwiec	-4	24
9	Brendan Milward	-4	24
T10	Chris Miers	-3	22
T10	Nathan Wirth	-3	22
T10	Joe Mortillaro	-3	22
T10	Josh Valletta	-3	22
T10	Mike DiMuro	-3	22
T10	Vaughn Rowell	-3	22
T10	Ryan Wirth	-3	22
T10	Lou Englert	-3	22
T10	Nico Mattle	-3	22
T10	John Laganello	-3	22
15	Dan Riesenberger	-2	12
15	Chad Christ	-2	12
T16	Nick Hawes	E	10
T16	Jimmy Franz	E	10
T16	Tom Dieure	E	10
T16	Brier Koroly	E	10
T16	Mykola Prokopenko	E	10
T16	Kevin Moynihan	E	10
T16	Jonathon Thorpe	E	10
T16	Jarred Schrader	E	10
20	Brandon Burris	5	2
20	Victor Sanchez Jr.	5	2

2025 Young Man of the Year standings

*Preliminary results pending review by FLX Tour Head of Numbers Tim Dorsheimer (08/26/25)

Rank	Tour Pro	YMOTY Points
1	Dan Driffill Sr.	110
T2	Alex ‘Dooley’ Mikalajo	108
T2	Shane Driffill	108
4	Matt Driffill	100
5	Tim Dorsheimer	97
6	Ryan Netchke	95
7	Scott Stedman	94
8	Eric Spanbauer	90
T9	Chad Christ	89
T9	Boston Siwiec	89
11	Danny Driffill	88
T12	Nick Kozak	76
T12	Mykola Prokopenko	76
14	Sean Sawyer	72
15	Chris Miers	70
16	Ryan Wirth	69
17	Brandon Moynihan	68
18	Kyle Pierce	67
19	Mike Petote	66
20	Jonathon Thorpe	64
21	Dan Graves	61
22	Zach Steadman	59
T23	Nick Hawes	58
T23	Tom Dieure	58
T23	Lou Englert	58
T26	Mike Mortillaro	57
T26	Brier Koroly	57
T28	Dan Riesenberger	52
T28	Patrick Moynihan	52
30	Shane Partiss	51
T31	Joe Mortillaro	50
T31	Nico Mattle	50
T33	Ben Annal	48
T33	Nathan Wirth	48
T35	Josh Kowalski	42
T35	Mike DiMuro	42
T37	Vaughn Rowell	39
T37	Evan Santiago	39
39	Jarred Schrader	38
40	Dom Trento	36
T41	Brendan Milward	32
T41	Josh Valletta	32
43	Chuck Pace	31
T44	Brandon Burris	26
T44	Jimmy Franz	26
46	John Laganello	24
47	Gene Ferrera	22
48	Jasson Jobson	20
49	Kevin Moynihan	10
T50	Todd Horne	8
T50	Michael Converse	8
T50	Steve Nally	8
T50	Kenny Rogers	8
T50	Jesse Cramer	8
54	Victor Sanchez Jr.	2