Hundreds participate in Pinetree Country Club golf tournament honoring late Gene Siller
Aug. 25—KENNESAW — About 200 golfers hit the links of Kennesaw's Pinetree Country Club this week, playing in honor of Gene Siller, the golf pro and club golf director who was killed by a gunman there on July 3. They also heard from Siller's wife, Ashley Siller, about the way she hoped her husband would be remembered.
An 'amazing husband, amazing daddy, amazing friend'
Brad Nycum, general manager of Pinetree Country Club, said hundreds of golfers had signed up for the fundraising event, which includes silent auctions, a long drive competition, food, drinks and more. Among the professionals participating were World Golf Hall of Famer and Acworth native Larry Nelson, as well as PGA Tour golfer Jason Bohn and former PGA and Champions Tour golfer Andy Bean.
Proceeds will go to The Gene Siller Memorial Grant, which will provide financial assistance to competitive junior golfers in need throughout Georgia.
Police say Bryan Rhoden, the suspect in Siller's killing as well as the killing of two others, drove a white Dodge Ram 3500 pickup truck onto the 10th green July 3, leaving it teetering on the edge of a bunker. Police say Rhoden shot Siller, 46, as he approached to find out what was going on. Rhoden fled the scene, where two more bodies were later found in the truck bed, and was arrested five days after the incident. Rhoden is being held in the Cobb jail, awaiting arraignment on Oct. 25, according to the office of Superior Court Judge Kimberly Childs.
At Tuesday's event, Ashley Siller worked with other volunteers under a tent at the 10th hole's tee box. The volunteers there served Jack Daniels and Coca-Cola — one of Gene Siller's favorites — for free.
Ashley Siller said she'd largely stayed out of the media spotlight in the wake of her husband's death because she didn't want people to remember Gene Siller because of the "horrific" events of that day.
Instead, she said, she wanted people to remember Gene Siller for who he was: a humble, steadfast, loyal, "amazing husband, amazing daddy, amazing friend."
With a smile, Ashley Siller added "our marriage rocked," pointing to the two sons they'd had together, Banks, 6, and Beau, 7, and saying the family's life was "peaking" before Gene Siller's death.
"Now that he's gone, there's nothing that we can do to reverse that. What we can do is put all of this love and energy that our family has for Gene and that the Pinetree family has for Gene into these kids who are underprivileged and don't have the opportunity to go to golf camp or play in tournaments that they want to," she said. "One of the biggest smiles he ever brought home ... was when one of the kids that he taught lessons to or worked with over the years made the golf team or won a big tournament. He loved that."
Ashley Siller said she was humbled to be a part of the event in her husband's honor and to learn from so many peers how loved he was. She said, just as he'd done for her in their marriage, she learned he'd poured so much into every relationship he had, doing "little things that made people feel special."
"He just loved so hard, and he loved golf and he loved this club," she said. "This didn't feel like a job for him. He loved it."
In remarks she gave to golfers at both of the tournament's tee times, Ashley Siller recalled the "repulsive" way her husband was taken from her, robbing her of her ability to "see his face" or "hug him one last time."
She remembered the way she stood "staring in disbelief," only able to make out "Gene's bright red pants and ... lifeless body lying on the ground."
But she repeated the same theme she'd shared with the MDJ:
"While that memory is fresh, raw, so incredibly heartbreaking, I refuse to hold that snapshot at the forefront of my mind," Ashley Siller said. "Instead, I want to paint you a picture of what I choose to remember. The morning it happened, I remember making breakfast for the boys when Gene waltzed in the kitchen, looking extra handsome in his bright red pants and American flag shirt ready to take on the Fourth of July weekend. I remember my boys and I dancing around him in our PJs and calling him 'Mr. Fancy Pants' because he looked so dapper. I asked him to try and leave work a little early to catch the fireworks, kissed him goodbye and said, 'I love you.'"
Fundraiser could break $200,000 for Siller memorial grant
The amount of support for the tournament in Gene Siller's honor was nothing short of moving, according to leaders at the Pinetree Country Club.
The entry fees alone for the mix of professional and amateur golfers at the tournament totaled around $40,000, and Nycum said the fundraiser could be on track to break $200,000 raised. Signed golf bags, clubs and other gear from golfers like PGA tour stars Rickie Fowler and Shane Lowry, lessons from other professionals, rounds of golf at beautiful courses with or without professionals tagging along, a signed Atlanta Braves Tom Glavine jersey, wine, artwork and more were up for auction and in many cases had been bid up to thousands of dollars by Tuesday afternoon.
Lou Bottino, president of Pinetree Country Club, told the MDJ there couldn't be a more fitting cause for the Gene Siller Red Pants Memorial Golf Tournament than helping young golfers move their careers forward.
"Gene will be missed. He'll leave a hole here that will be hard to fill. ... He had a passion for young golfers entering the industry. ... And he also saw a need that sometimes certain people of certain income levels weren't able to participate," Bottino said. "The event today is incredible. It just exceeded every expectation I had. I knew it was going to be successful, but the support from the membership, the support from the golf industry with prizes and packages that were donated for the auction to help raise money ... it's just been incredible."
The support for the tournament — tee times at 8:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m., with golfers starting at the same time, each team at different holes, sold out in a day — shows how beloved Gene Siller was by his peers and how much the golf community wanted to show support in the wake of his tragic death, Nycum added.
Club manager: 'Something's missing' after golf pro lossNycum, who knew Gene Siller well, remembered heading in a golf cart to the club's pool on July 3 as he prepared for the night's Fourth of July festivities, expected to bring hundreds to the course, when someone alerted him to what was happening on the 10th hole that day.
"A bunch of members were standing behind the pro shop looking down No. 10, and one of them yelled at me, 'Gene's down,'" he said, adding the feeling that day was "undescribable."
"It's about 400 yards, but it was clear — right there — a big white truck hanging over the bunker, a golf cart behind it and somebody laying on the ground with red pants and a white shirt," Nycum said. "I turned the cart around to head that way, and they screamed at me, 'No, no no! He's got a gun, there's been shots fired.'"
Nycum, a former Army Ranger and combat veteran, said he retrieved his handgun from a briefcase and headed to the green, where he found Gene Siller and the running truck but no suspect. Shortly after, the police showed up and told Nycum to drop his weapon.
"Then it was on. It was a massive manhunt after that," he said.
Nycum said Gene Siller had a degree in mechanical engineering and five U.S. patents to his name before choosing to give it up for golf, something for which he knew he had a passion. He worked hard to get an offer to head a club, and when the director of golf position opened at Pinetree, Gene Siller was Nycum's first call.
It takes a smart, patient and dedicated person to be a golf professional, and Gene Siller was all that, plus some, Nycum said.
"You're never off. It's a flock. It's like being a pastor, really. He was a giver, very unpretentious — a great guy," he said, noting that while Gene Siller's staff has successfully continued smooth operations at the club, "it's just something's missing." Nycum paused, looking lachrymose. "Something's missing."
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