The first St. Bonaventure Golf Invitational was held in 1989 at the par 70, 6,400 yard layout of Bartlett Country Club in Olean, New York. Five years later, in 1994, the tournament was renamed to bear the name of former St. Bonaventure golf coach Leo E. Keenan, the man who's inspiration began the tournament five years prior.
Keenan was a professor of English at St. Bonaventure for over 40 years and coached the Bonnies from 1967 to 1987. During his tenure as coach, Keenan amassed a record of 172-90-10, including three undefeated seasons. In 1967 St. Bonaventure won the ECAC Regional Championship under Keenan's guidance. Keenan was the first coach to take a St. Bonaventure team into international competition, journeying to the famed St. Andrews in Scotland in 1971 and 1973.
Although he retired as coach in 1987, he remained active, planning and running the tournament that bore his name until his passing in 2002. Every year it has gained in prestige and the caliber of competition has grown, due in large part to Coach Keenan's efforts.
Although many people called him Coach, Professor or Leo, he preferred to be thought of simply as a 'Bonaventure Man.' Keenan was most certainly that, giving the majority of his professional life in unwavering service to his alma mater.
Keenan St. Bonaventure thanked Keenan for his dedication and devotion to the university in 1993, when he was inducted to the St. Bonaventure Athletic Hall of Fame.
Like Coach Keenan, his players were staunch competitors who lived by the rules and never failed to act like gentlemen. The loyalty of his former players is a testament of his impact on their lives. It was Keenan's attitude of hard work and leadership that led to the creation of the Leo Keenan award in 1989, given to a Bonaventure golfer that best exemplifies hard work and leadership in the classroom and on the golf course.
In 1995, Coach Keenan's tournament grew again, going from an 18-hole competition to 36 holes. Since 1998, all 36 holes have been played at Bartlett Country Club. |
