Photo submitted to the Times Observer Warren resident Austin Stoddard is pictured Monday during a daylong fundraiser for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Stoddard played 100 holes of golf at Conewango Valley Country Club, raising close to $15,000.

A daylong effort at Conewango Valley Country Club, amid hot and humid conditions, has helped raise close to $15,000 for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

Warren resident Austin Stoddard on Monday played 100 holes of golf, more than five full rounds, as part of a now-annual fundraiser. He undertook a similar feat in 2019 where sponsors and community donations helped raise more than $10,000 for St. Jude.

He had to forgo the event last year due to restrictions brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Stoddard credits his wife, Kristie, and both of their parents for helping to organize the labor-intensive event. It includes lining up sponsors in advance and then actually playing all the golf.

“It takes a lot of time to put together, with my wife and our moms and a handful of friends,” Stoddard said Tuesday.

Walking all 100 holes is part of the fundraiser. He began his first round promptly at 5:45 a.m. and teed off for the remaining 10 holes around 7:40 p.m. He shot rounds of 81, 78, 78, 72, 73 and then 2-over par on the final 10 holes.

By the end of the day Monday, Stoddard — who has been playing golf since he was 7 years old — amassed 65,000 steps over 32 miles and burned 10,150 calories, according to a health tracker on his cellphone.

But it’s all for a great cause. Donations made to St. Jude ensure that no family ever receives a bill for treatment, travel, housing or food. They also support medical research.

“For me it’s a way to give back for the kids and their families,” he said. “It’s the least I can do.”

After researching different organizations prior to playing in 2019, Stoddard opted to raise money for St. Jude. “I play a lot of golf tournaments and I wasn’t seeing a lot of tournaments giving back to kids. So, I figured I would leverage my golf connections and platform and give back.”

Stoddard, after a successful 2019 outing, set this year’s goal at $10,000 — unsure how a fundraising effort would go during a pandemic. Any uncertainly soon vanished as more than $14,600 was raised by Tuesday afternoon.

“At the end of the day it’s about these kids and their families,” he said. “My No. 1 goal is raising as much as possible. … I hope to continue doing this, especially seeing this event grow post-pandemic. Being able to see this event grow is motivation for me to keep doing it.”

To donate to Stoddard’s cause, which is still ongoing, visit events.stjude.org/100holes