The Woodcrest Club in Syosset raised $28,522 last year in last year's Babe Zaharias Memorial Tournament. This year the tournament is scheduled for Aug. 17.

The Muttontown Golf and Country Club the second top producer in last year's Babe Zaharias Memorial Tournaments, earned $69,781, and was the site of this year's kickoff brunch on May 20, for the 1999 event. Several local women attended the kick off event. The golf tournament will raise money to fight breast cancer.

Guest speaker Diane Sackett Nannery brought the room together in spirit, as she talked about her fight against cancer. She is the L.I. Manager, Consumer Affairs, for the U.S. Postal Service. When she first discovered she had breast cancer in October 1993, she immediately became an activist and advocate for the breast cancer cause. She began two national campaigns - one for the issuance of a Breast Cancer Awareness postage stamp - the second of which was just introduced - and a pink wristband to identify the affected arms of cancer patients who can no longer have that arm used for blood pressure readings, IVs or injections.

Ms. Nannery announced her cancer has returned and said she would fight it again and win. She said she would use no procedure more than two years old: the medical knowledge is growing so fast through the research being done. Gary Burd, Exec. V.P. of the American Cancer Society spoke saying all the money raised from the Babe Zaharias Memorial Tournaments would be used for research.

The two speakers made the line of reasoning clear - that there is a great need for money - that there is a great way to raise it - and that it will be used in a great way to save the lives of women and men. Breast cancer affects men as well as women.

Last year's top fund-raising clubs who netted over $20,000 were: the Glen Head Country Club which raised $69,781 for the American Cancer Society; the Muttontown Club raised $63,960; the Middle Bay Country Club raised $40,355; the Old Westbury Country Club raised $37,507; the Fresh Meadow Club raised $35,900; the Cold Spring Country Club raised $30,730; the Woodcrest Club raised $28, 522; the North Shore Country Club raised $27,450; the Inwood Country Club raised $25,686 and the Glen Oaks Country Club raised $22,169.

During the luncheon women from the different golf clubs told how they increased the amount they brought in from the tournament. The Mill River Club offered a chance to get out of a sand trap for $100. It was a great success.

Women from over 70 clubs all over Long Island compete to attend the Big Babe Regional Championship Golf Tournament, sponsored by Chase Manhattan Bank, to be held on Sept. 13 at Glen Head Country Club. Leon Levin has donated pink T-shirts for the tournament and Bette & Court has donated tatersall hats.

The luncheon featured a fashion show with items from Leon Levin, Bette & Court and Babe Didrikson clothing. Beth Sachs, director of the Babe Zaharias Memorial Tournaments presented a vase to Laura Filippi, of Chase for her hard work and personal commitment to the fight. Jaguar, the Big Babe Presenting Sponsor of 1999 offered 24-hour test drives to one lucky winner at each table at the luncheon.

Some of the sponsors present were: Brett Matthews Studios, WALK-FM, Anton Publications, Dany Holdstein's Two Worlds of Fitness, Distinction Magazine, Country Club Sports, The Babe Didrikson Company, Leon Levin, Bette & Court and Windbrella.