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Local News
New Driver Gives Saratoga Champion Aaron AuBuchon Optimism for 2008
By Mike Dyer
SARATOGA SPRINGS...There was some doubt in Aaron AuBuchon's head last year before he found the right driver.
 The 38-year-old Pittsburg State (Kansas) graduate was not finding the correct shot. Or as he says, "I was inconsistent. I was hooking off the tee. I was giving up shots."
The new driver came in time for AuBuchon to win the 2007 Saratoga County golf championship at Saratoga National Golf Club after a second-place finish in 2006.
A new member of Saratoga Golf & Polo Club, AuBuchon says he is looking forward to a big summer this year.
The father of two was heartened to hear the New York State Golf Association men's amateur championship will be returning to the Capital District and will be contested at Pinehaven Country Club.
"I couldn't travel over night if the tournament was elsewhere," AuBuchon said. "I've never played at Pinehaven before but I know it will be fun."
A former golf professional in Kansas, AuBuchon has won more than his share of honors in the Capital District.
Besides the county title, he won the 2004 Troy Invitational and the 2004 Eagle Crest Shoot-Out. He also teamed with Orchard Creek Golf Club's Jim Mueller to win the '06 Stadium 2-Man Invitational at Stadium Golf Club.
This winter AuBuchon says he didn't take a single shot outside. "I concentrated on my short game in my house," the Saratoga Springs resident said.
"We vacationed in Mexico but I didn't play any golf there," he added.
A two-time NCAA All-America golfer in college, AuBuchon will always be remembered for his winning birdie shot at Country Club of Troy in 2004.
The dark-haired golfer batted in a 40-yard shot on an elevated green on the 11th hole on the final day of the tournament. He would win the event by a single stroke and that 'Hail Mary' shot would be the margin.
He says his first local appearance in '08 will come May 7 as he competes for the amateurs in The Gazette Cup Championships against the area professionals at Albany Country Club.
"I'm excited about this year," he concluded.
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