Back in 2006, Chris Langbein, Hayden Alfano, Bill Skelly, Joel Cookson, Sevan Petrossian, and Dave Roberts got together for a weekend to compete in what we called the Huntingdon Golf Outing, or HGO. It began as an excuse to visit Joel in middle-of-nowhere Huntingdon, PA in our mid 20’s, but quickly became a much needed opportunity to reconnect for a weekend as school, jobs, and family scattered us out around the country. Over the years we added Joshua Flatt, George Schaubhut, and many others to round out the group.

The early enthusiasm for HGO could easily have waned as life took us in different directions, but our friend Chris was never going to let that happen. Whether playing host in Charlottesville (HGO II) and later Chicago (HGO VII + HGO XIV), flying custom logo cart flags, coordinating ridiculous team outfits, or knowing when, where, and how to push just the right buttons through his incessant trash talk, Chris put everything into HGO each and every year, as he did with all aspects of his life.

As is often the case with middle-aged men, we communicated and connected through sports, and HGO became a place where we shared important life updates. We announced engagements, celebrated growing families, and it was at HGO XIII that Chris first told us about his tumor.

After that, HGO and golf in general became both an escape and a reason to check in with each other where we could lead with “what’d you shoot?” instead of “how are you feeling?” Subsequent rounds with Chris brought some of us to Whistling Straits for an unforgettable twilight round in July 2019, to California just before the COVID-19 pandemic, and on a trip of a lifetime to Bandon Dunes in November 2020. Though Chris could barely walk by that point, he surprised no one by taking the opportunity to best all of us on one of the toughest courses in the country.

We didn't know it then, but that perfectly still, fogged-filled Sunday sunrise round along the coast at Sheep Ranch would be our last round together, and the last time I saw my dear friend.

Chris was the life of the party, always ready to take things to 11. He was a friend’s friend, always there with a mix of barbs and well earned words of wisdom. He was a brilliant thinker and lawyer, and a dedicated husband and dad. And he was taken from us all way too soon by a disease we still know so little about.

The Sisu Open, drawn from Chris’ Finnish heritage and the the singularly Finnish concept of perseverance and dignity in the face of adversity – will not only ensure that we continue to get together each year, but will help raise money for the much needed efforts of the Sarcoma Foundation of America to conduct research, test treatments, and hopefully, find a cure for the disease that took him from us.

If you're able, please consider supporting this event and making a donation in memory of our dear friend Chris.