Well, except for the 44 golfers competing in the Wednesday Travel League’s Commissioner Cup at Shorewood Country Club.

“This is the rare tournament where the high score is the overall winner,” Travel League Commissioner John Waterman said.

The event, held in memory of former commissioner, Bruce “Java” Chrabasz, who passed away 11 years ago, has been played as a tribute to him ever since.

“We called him the commissioner of the league,” Waterman said of Chrabasz. “To be honest, he just wasn’t the greatest golfer, but he enjoyed playing when he played with us. One time he wasn’t there and we jokingly said, ‘He’s not here, who is going to be the commissioner today?,’ which meant who is going to be the high score, so we started calling it an award every week. He unfortunately passed away in 2014 while on a golf trip with some of the guys down south and we automatically named the Commissioner Award after him.”

OBSERVER Photo by Christian Storms Jim Ellman Sr. watches his approach shot from the fairway at Shorewood Country Club on Wednesday.

Each week the award is given to the highest-scoring golfer, but Chrabasz’s impact on the league and event goes beyond just the competition.

On top of giving out an award in his honor each week and having one of the league’s signature events in his honor, many of the competitors wore the colors of Java’s favorite football team, the Cleveland Browns.

“Just to remember him,” Waterman added. “He was a big Cleveland Browns fan, so we try to get everybody to wear the Cleveland Brown colors. Everybody is given a special Cleveland Browns golf ball with a logo on it, and in your foursome you take turns playing one hole with that ball and the next hole you give it to the next guy. You keep a separate score just for what you get with that ball for a team competition, and if you lose the ball you’re out automatically.”

In the mini game, among the 11 teams at Shorewood CC there were six teams that managed to still have the ball by the end of the round.

“My team lost. Our guy hit it deep into the woods on the very first swing,” Waterman said, laughing. “We never even got to use it. It’s fun for a little extra game.”

OBSERVER Photo by Christian Storms Jeff Marsowicz watches his shot from the fairway at Shorewood Country Club during play in the Wednesday Travel League.

At the end of the Commissioner Cup’s at Shorewood Country Club Katie Michalak may have had the highest score on Wednesday, but she took home the trophy.

“We had a giant orange cup and in it we had a goofy prize,” Waterman added. “We put some fruit snacks in it and then one guy had the cute idea to give her 43 hershey kisses, one kiss from each guy.”

After the event, the league made its way back towards the city and had a banquet at one of Java’s favorite hangouts, the 4th Ward Dunkirk Falcons Club.

“Java’s big hangout was the Dunkirk’s Falcon Club in the 4th Ward in Dunkirk,” Waterman said. “We always go there afterwards. We have it catered and everything. We do our festivities up there, presentations and everything. It’s nice because some of his old friends who aren’t even golfers will be invited just for the memory of their friend.”

With the event still going strong within the league, it shows just how much Bruce “Java” Chrabasz meant to the members of the Wednesday Travel League, and he still is among the league leaders in third place in Commissioner Cups.

“It’s funny, because once in a while you’ll see a Pittsburgh Steelers fan wearing a Cleveland Browns shirt,” Waterman said. “You’d never see it any other time, but it just goes to show how much we liked the guy.”