Labat a fixture at golf tourney

Countryside Golf Club has been hosting an open golf tournament for the past 57 years, including the last 20 when the name was changed to the Wynston Boe Open. In all those years, Marshall's Ron Labat has only missed playing here one time.
"It was a long time ago when Marshall had its club tournament on the same weekend," said Labat. "We had several guys from Marshall that wanted to play in Minneota so we got the Marshall golf board to change the date. "Labat, 83, said there was one big reason why he continues to make the trip over here each year to play in this tournament.
"I am treated so well here," he said. "The ladies in the clubhouse make great food, the Boe family treats me so well, the other golfers always welcome each other. It's a lot of fun to come and play here when you are treated this well. When I got here, the first person to come over and welcome me was Brandon (Hennen) the groundskeeper. That's why I will continue to play here until I can't anymore."
Labat can still play quality golf, too. He shot an 88 for 18 holes in the Senior Flight in this year's tournament, second only to Marlo Moon's 83.
"I play golf every day," Labat noted. "That's what helped me stay in pretty good shape."
Labat said the Minneota tournament was a "hot" ticket a few years ago.
"You used to have to go on a waiting list to get in," he said. "They would let 110 golfers play and they would fill it up right away. You had to make sure to get your reservation in early. They still have a good number of players, though. The numbers are really low at a lot of golf courses."
In all the years of playing golf, Labat has never recorded a hole-in-one.
"I don't want one either," he said with a laugh. "You have to buy everyone a drink if you get one."