Top fishermen cast and blast (off the tee) at Lake of the Ozarks

Picture legendary bass fisherman Guido Hibdon with a golf club in his hands.

Up until last weekend, Hibdon himself couldn’t.

“The last time I had a golf club in my hands is when I looked out my motel room at a tournament and saw someone stealing things from my boat,” said Hibdon, who lives in Sunrise Beach, Mo. “I ran out and I grabbed a club out of a bag being carried in by someone else and I took after that guy.

“It’s a good thing I didn’t catch him.”

So what was Hibdon doing on the Old Kinderhook golf course at Lake of the Ozarks, lining up a birdie putt? He was competing in one of the most unique tournaments the big lake has ever seen — an event that combined the area’s biggest drawing cards, fishing and golf.

Hibdon and 20 other pro fishermen from Lake of the Ozarks started the day on the water, casting for bass with their amateur partners, whom the night before had bid for the right to fish with the pro of their choice. Then each team was paired with a PGA golf pro for a scramble-type, nine-hole competition.

Under the unique rules of the tournament, the pro fishermen and their amateur partners received 1 pound added to their fishing totals for a par, 2 pounds for a birdie and 3 pounds for an eagle. They, of course, benefited greatly from the pro golfer they drew.

Surf and turf. That’s what the Missouri Invitational Fish and Golf Championship was all about.

Based at the Old Kinderhook Resort and Golf Club on the lake’s edge, the tournament featured a round of fishing and golf on Oct. 29. The next day, a final round of fishing decided the overall championship.

Pro Mark Wiese and his amateur partner Jarred Williams took the championship, They caught 33.2 pounds of bass in the two-day session and earned 13 additional points from the golf.

Pro Marcus Sykora and amateur Sam Billmeyer were second, and pro Dion Hibdon, Guido’s son, and amateur partner David Ludwikoski were third.

The event was the brainchild of Bob Renkin, general manager of golf at Old Kinderhook and an avid bass fisherman, and Bob Bueltmann, who owns the bassingbob.com website.

They envisioned a fun event that would match up some of the top bass fishing pros at the lake — big names such as the Hibdon family, Casey Scanlon, Marcus Sykora, Chad Brauer, Scott Pauley and Brian Maloney — with the top golfers at lake-area courses.

Some of the fishermen such as Sykora and Scanlon were comfortable with a golf club in their hands and did well. But others, including the Hibdons, had never golfed before and were treading on new ground.

Guido, still dressed in his fishing jersey, watched as his golf pro partner Rob Wilson whacked a long drive and marveled at its distance.

“These guys can hit a golf ball farther than I can shoot a rifle,” he joked.

Moments later, it was his turn. Hibdon stood over a putt, tapped the ball and sank a birdie putt. Wilson rushed over to congratulate Hibdon, and it was game on.

On the next hole, Hibdon shot a long, uphill putt well past the cup. But as others looked away, Guido said, “Not so fast. It’s still rolling.” The putt rolled down the hill until it was just a short distance from the hole, close enough for Wilson to finish the birdie.

After the event, most of the fishermen conceded that they weren’t thinking about changing sports. But they also pointed out that they had a good time in the unique tournament.

And the amateurs? They were talking abut a weekend they won’t soon forget.

“This is heaven for me,” said Ludwikoski, who lives in Kansas City and was wearing a Royals baseball cap. “It was wonderful, just being able to fish with someone like Dion. I learned more about fishing in one day than I had in a lifetime.

“I like to golf, too, so I was able to contribute a little that way. It was a lot of fun.”

This story was originally published November 7, 2015 at 3:05 PM with the headline "Top fishermen cast and blast (off the tee) at Lake of the Ozarks."