Bailey Bitbabo was just nine years old when she played in her first Assyrian Open in 2014. Two years later — and as the youngest and only female competitor — she posted the lowest individual score and won the closest to-the-pin award.
“Bailey is gearing up to take this game very seriously,” said Alex David, who founded the Assyrian Open in 2014. “She’s got all of the skillset and support from her family. She’ll have the support of our community as well.”
This year, Bailey joined 57 golfers at the fourth annual Assyrian Open, held Sept. 17 at Old Orchard Country Club in Mount Prospect, Il.
For the first time, the event used a best-ball or scramble format, allowing teams to play from their best shot instead of tracking individual scores.
“It was a request from most of the golfers,” Lazar said. “It makes gameplay go by faster and it’s more fun. It keeps everybody competitive because even if you have one or two bad players, the others can carry the team and you end up with better scores.”
The outing doubled as a fundraiser, with proceeds from sponsors and player donations supporting the Assyrian Athletic Club’s (AAC) upcoming youth sports program.
“After seeing Bailey and how much she’s progressed over the last couple of years, it’s on my mind to get some sort of youth league or kids program going to get them involved in golf at a younger age,” Lazar said.
The event cost roughly $5,500. A $125 registration fee covered play, a buffet dinner, and an Assyrian Open polo and hat.
Awards were presented for best overall team, closest to the pin, longest drive, and best dressed.
The best overall team — Steve Shino, Noel Nonah, Tony Dashto, and Romeo Warda — also won a complimentary return round courtesy of the Old Orchard pro shop.
The new best-dressed award was inspired by a group known for their spirited outfits over the years.
Taymen Gindo, whose father helped found the original event, and teammates Tim Youkhana, Ashoor Yonan, and Patrick Shino have worn everything from colorful high socks and kilts since 2014. This year, they won with tuxedo shirts.
“Our goal was to go out there and have fun,” Gindo said. “There are, of course, awards, but it’s all about hanging out and having a good day of golf with a bunch of Assyrians.”
Although the Assyrian Open began in 2014, this was the first year it was hosted by AAC. Lazar, elected AAC president in March, received the event rights in July — giving her only two months to secure a course and plan the tournament.
“We contacted 15 courses in the Chicagoland area and received different feedback from each one of them,” Lazar said. “A lot of these places are booked out months in advance, so that was the biggest obstacle we came across.”
When Robert Younan of Luxe Promos learned that Lazar was taking over, he offered to help with rebranding.
Younan — whose design portfolio includes Coca-Cola, the Chicago Marathon, Dunkin’ Donuts, and Blackberry — noted Lazar initially resisted a new look.
“I just showed her how it would look if we were to touch it up and she loved it,” he said.
Younan, who has golfed with the same team since 2014, applied the updated design to this year’s polos and hats.
“When I create logos, I try to stay simple and gave it a touch that would look good on clothing and hats and open up the imagination for the community,” he said.
A golf tournament is nothing new for Chicago’s Assyrian community. The Assyrian Universal Alliance Foundation hosted an event, but it shuttered more than 10 years ago. In 2014, David revived the tradition with the help from George Gindo and Tony Eshaya, drawing more than 60 golfers in the first year.
“Assyrians aren’t known for being golfers,” David said. “It’s showing the evolution of living in a Western culture, that we are becoming more cultured and more aware of the things that are around us.”
Earlier this year, David handed the event to AAC.
“I believe in organizations,” David said. “Everything should be run by organizations even though they were started by individuals. It provides more accountability, there’s more trust, and there are more resources to expand.”
He trusted Lazar to lead the event after her early involvement.
“Movina helped tremendously on the first one,” David said. “She knew the ropes and wasn’t in unfamiliar territory. I knew I could trust it with somebody who has been there before.”
The AAC is a Chicago-based club that runs leagues and programs for all ages, including basketball and volleyball leagues, the Winged Bull soccer tem, the Babylonian softball team, and Shiluta Yoga, a 10-week spring program.
Proceeds from the tournament were sent to Iraq to support internally displaced persons.
Looking ahead, Lazar hopes to take the golf tournament nationally.
“There are golfers in other states that have asked to participate or for us to help host something in their areas,” she said. “One of my biggest goals is to have a weekend tournament. We know there’s a solid group of Assyrian golfers out there. It all runs smoothly now, it’s just about growth at this point.