Andrews Family Donates Golf Gear To Westhampton Beach Boys Varsity Golf Team In Memory Of Late Son

When Westhampton Beach resident C.J. Andrews died on November 20, 2018, at the young age of 25, his parents, Karen and Chris Andrews, knew they wanted to do something to keep his memory alive. So they established the C.J. Andrews Scholarship Fund, holding a fundraising dinner in July of 2019. Giving out scholarships to students from Andrews’s alma mater, Westhampton Beach High School (he graduated in 2011), is one way to ensure his legacy stays alive in the community, but the Andrews family took another step recently, with a gift for the Hurricanes golf team that was such a big part of their son’s life.

On April 8, the family presented members of the Westhampton Beach varsity golf team with water-resistant windbreakers, wool hats, and baseball caps, each with Andrews’s initials on them.

Mr and Mrs. Andrews reached out to Westhampton Beach Athletic Director Kathy Masterson about the idea of donating the items to the team because they wanted to do something in their son’s name this year, after their usual scholarship fundraising dinner was cancelled in 2020 because of the pandemic.

Andrews was a golf enthusiast from a young age, playing with his father at Westhampton Country Club, where the family has a membership. Andrews honed his skills on the course and his hard work paid off, as he was called up to the varsity team midway through his eighth-grade year. C.J. and Chris were winners of father-son tournaments at the club, and C.J. also was the junior club champion in 2007. Andrews also worked as a caddy at the Westhampton Country Club.

While his love of golf was evident to anyone who knew him, Ms. Andrews said one of the enduring traits that her son possessed was his desire to share the love of the game.

“He loved mentoring other golfers,” she said, adding that he became particularly close with Cole Federico, a standout player for Westhampton Beach who graduated last year.

Westhampton Beach varsity head coach Fred Musumeci said Andrews continued to take an active interest in the team after graduating.

“Last fall was the first season we played after C.J.'s passing,” he said. “Countless times we would be out on the course practicing, I would look out a few fairways over and see some of C.J.'s regular playing partners out on the course. I’d catch myself looking for C.J. and that sweet golf swing of his, only to be smashed in the face with the reality that C.J. wasn't there. He will always be missed by me, and I will make sure his legacy will live on with Westhampton Golf.”

Mr. and Ms. Andrews said they hope to do even more with the scholarship fund in the future, by doing more to help support the golf team, and particularly to provide support for golfers who may not have the money to purchase the best equipment in what can be an expensive sport.

“He’d be humbled knowing this was going on,” Mr. Andrews added. “We want to keep the tradition alive of him helping people.”

So far, that’s working for the golf team. Musumeci said that that the team wore the new gear in a tri-match with William Floyd and East Hampton the day after it was donated. The players posted a team score of 209, shaving 21 shots of their previous best effort.

“I would like to believe that C.J. somehow helped the team once again to play its best golf,” Musumeci said.