2002 SCORES
Event No. 8 — Rookie Wins Green Jacket; Calcutta to Carter Team
There have been great rookie athletes before now. In 1971, Ken Dryden was the most valuable player in the playoffs BEFORE he was hockey’s top rookie. Ten years later, Fernando Valenzuela came from nowhere (or somewhere in Mexico) and won baseball's Cy Young Award in his rookie season. And Tiger Woods was still not shaving when, after half a season on the other PGA Tour, he destroyed the field and the book of records at the Masters.
Now, there’s Charlie “The Tuna” Phipps…Rookie-of-the-Year AND winner of The Green Jacket on the real PGA Tour. He completed the prestigious double at Northlands on June 29th, when he saved the best for last. The Tuna’s gross 71 gave him a season-best net 64 and pushed him four shots ahead of The Green Jacket leader, Mike Maddison, who didn’t play the final event.
It was an impressive first season for Phipps. He started it (on Masters weekend) by shooting 75 at Meadow Gardens. he played in all eight events this season, and broke 80 six times. His gross score was the best on the Tour in seven of the eight events (for the trivia experts only Dick Burns beat him, at The Bear). His 71 at Northlands was his best round by four shots!
His 64 was second-best in the event event, behind the 63 carded by Rod Matheson, who on any bother weekend on the PGA calendar would have made headlines. Matheson's 80 moved him up xx places in The Green Jacket standings. In third place for the season was Bob Dunn, a two-event winner who faded at Northlands to finish one shot behind Maddison, and one ahead of Blair Murdoch and Tom Carter.
The team captained by Carter, the incoming Commissione, won the Calcutta with an astonishing score of 187 — that’s 26 under par. The entire foursome — Carter, Murdoch, Larry Brown and Dave Pearce — was among the top eight finishers at Northlands. For complete results, see “Scores.”
Following are the final standings for The Green Jacket:
The Green Jacket 2002 Best 5 rounds Net total
Charlie Phipps 68-67-73-73-64 345
Mike Maddison 69-70-69-69-72 349
Bob Dunn 67-70-72-65-76 350
Blair Murdoch 71-73-69-73-65 351
Tom Carter 71-62-72-77-69 351
Roger McBride 71-60-70-79-72 352
Rod Matheson 75-66-75-76-63 355
Paul Killeen 68-67-73-78-70 356
Bob Molinski 71-63-76-74-76 360
Dave Rice 74-68-75-68-76 361
Dave Backie 70-69-76-74-72 361
Dick Burns 76-71-73-77-67 364
Larry Brown 78-66-71-85-64 364
Paul Carson 75-68-76-76-75 370
Ken Sherk 67-77-83-73-72 372
Jim Lanyon 74-64-81-77-80 376
Best 4 rounds
Len Slade 76-72-73-68 289
Doug Quinn 76-69-70-75 290
John Baxter 75-72-70-76 293
Dick Bourbonais 69-83-74-76 302
Best 3 rounds
Dave Pearce 76-82-71 229
Best 2 rounds
Vern Porter 70-72 142
Cookie Gilchrist 77-67 144
Cheep Shots From O.T. Green…
After the PGA Tour’s year-end Calcutta and Awards Banquet, golf columnist O.T. Green caught up with the incoming Commissioner, Tom Carter. Here are excerpts of their interview.
OT: I understand one of your first acts as commissioner was to eliminate Furry Creek from the PGA rotation?
Carter: Based on feedback from Tour veterans it seemed like a no brainer. The opinions on "Fuzzy" range from horrible to worse.
OT: Any other changes to the event venues?
Carter: We will be looking during the off-season at a number of venues, some we have played before and some new ones.
OT: Change for change sake?
Carter: No, not exactly. It has been suggested to me by a number of regulars that they would like to keep the costs down. Last year's fee of over $600 was due mainly to the Kelowna trip, which in terms of green fees was expensive so hopefully we will reduce next year’s entry fees to more like $550 with a less expensive destination.
OT: What about the trip…any courses mentioned?
Carter: Lobby groups have been formed and they are pushing Kamloops, the Sunshine Coast and Oliver — among others. I see the trip’s rotating each year but the destination for next spring will be voted on by the membership later in 2002 when all the financials for each possibility are known. We would like to bring the trip in at around $150 per man including golf (two rounds) and Saturday's hotel. That way we can lower the annual dues.
OT: What courses are being considered for the trip?
Carter: If we go to Oliver, then the new Incameep Canyon course and Fairview Mountain. We would play Sechelt and Roberts Creek if we go to the Sunshine Coast and in Kamloops, The Dunes, Eagle Point and others would be considered.
OT: What local courses are you considering for regular event play?
Carter: Well, some like Meadows Gardens and Swan-e-set are good courses and have become traditional venues that everyone enjoys and they will remain on the schedule along with Northlands for the Calcutta. Northlands is close to Dick Burns' home and he and his wife Janie have graciously agreed to host next year’s Awards Dinner. We will contact Squamish, UBC, Belmont, Redwoods, Golden Eagle, Sandpiper and perhaps even some in the U.S. during the off-season.
OT: What is your main concern going into 2003?
Carter: The membership. We lost a few guys for the 2002 season and played most of the season with only 22 players. We missed guys like Jim Pomeroy and the Doc (Mike Smith), not to mention Phil (ex-commissioner). I would like to get the membership back to 24 solid regulars. We have a good spares list so I'm confident we can complete a full roster next year. I spoke with Vern Porter who missed some of this season and hopefully he will be able to return next year full time.
OT: Opening event for next year?
Carter: Either April 5th or 12th.
Event No. 8 — Northlands
Official results from the PGA Tour’s final stop of 2002:
Northlands Gross Score Net Score Matheson 80 63 Phipps 71 64 Brown 79 65 Murdoch 85 65 Slade 86 68 Carter 82 69 Killeen 86 70 Pearce 91 71 Backie 86 72 Porter 88 72 McBride 92 72 Sherk 97 72 Croom 84 74 Quinn 87 75 Molinski 91 76 Rice 94 76 Dunn 96 76 Baxter 101 76 Burns 88 79 Carson 106 81 Note: To qualify for the Green Jacket, a PGA Tour regular must have played in a minimum of six events. While Furry Creek scores do not count, playing at Furry does qualify as playing in one of six events. From each player's qualifying rounds, the best FIVE determine the final standings. The Green Jacket standings determine the order in which PGA players visit the prize table at the awards barbecue.
It’s Calcutta Time — at the BLUE tees! The teams are set for Saturday’s Calcutta Showdown at Northlands. At stake is $1,500 in prize money, half of which goes to the team that finishes first. The second-place team wins $450 and the third-place team $300.
Here are the rules:
1. Play will be from the Blue Tees
2. Count three best net scores per hole
3. Each team member must count a minimum of three holes per nine
4. Lowest total net score wins
Instructions for the captain of each team (first player listed in foursome):
1. You may choose to keep a gross score card and a net score card for all four players
2. After 18 holes, turn in your net score card
3. The three best net scores per hole should be circled (ensure that all players’ scores count at least three times per nine)
4. The three net scores per hole should be totalled
5. The nine-hole scores should be totalled
6. The 18-hole score should be totalled
Remember – the maximum gross score on a hole is triple bogey
Event No. 7 — The Follies of Furry Creek
On a course that some (read: Cookie Gilchrist) that is made for fools, the PGA Tour stop at Furry Creek was devoid of the usual barrels of laughs. “It was,” says Tour Statistician Dave Backie, “yet another PGA Stooge act.” In no small part this was due to the course starter, whose forgetfulness (read: stupidity) usurped the heroics of lefty Ken Sherk, whose first Tour victory of the season was erased.
Sherk's net 68 was the best of the day, two shots ahead of Charlie “The Tuna” Phipps. What voided it was the fact that some players teed off from blue tees and some from white tees. The starter was asked to pass the “blue tees” message on to everybody after the second group. He didn't. So, in the interests of preserving The Tour’s integrity, Commissioner Len Slade and his executive ruled that all bets were off, and there went Sherk's vistory dance.
His net 68 came from a gross 93, an admirable outing for a 25 handicapper on the "unusual" layout that is Furry Creek, arguably the most scenic layout on the PGA Tour. Phipps produced his 70 from a net 77, the day's best round, and third-place finisher Dick Bourbonais was another stroke back after an 84. He was also third behind Doug Quinn (83) among the low gross scores.
No KPs or long drives were reported.
Following are the official scores:
Furry Creek Gross Score Net Score
Sherk 93 68
Phipps 77 70
Bourbonais 84 71
Quinn 83 72
Lanyon 91 73
Carter 87 74
Matheson 91 74
Slade 92 74
Murdoch 94 74
McBride 97 77
Harrison 97 77
Porter 94 78
Carson 105 80
Burns 90 81
Brown 95 81
Killeen 97 81
Baxter 107 82
Gilchrist 99 84
Molinski 100 85
Rice 104 86
Backie 104 90
Cheep Shots From O.T. Green…
As usual the views at Furry Creek were spectacular but not the golf, it seems like the majority of Tour players do not rate "Fuzzy" highly…Charlie "The Tuna" Phipps at one point asked his playing partners when they played through the clown's legs and was #18 the windmill hole? The "which set of tees" dilemma and subsequent decision not to award any prize money took away Ken Sherk's first PGA win…"I finally play well and the starter screws me out of winning," remarked Sherk at the 19th hole referring to the starter’s inability to communicate the decision to play the blue tees made by Commissioner Len Slade on the first tee to the rest of the field…Riding Paul Carson's belly putter (he made 'em when he had to), the foursome of Tom Carter, Carson, Phipps and Dick Burns was 11 under starting the 18th and although they struggled on 18 and finished at 7-under their likely team win was scrapped as well…Calcutta organizer Bob Molinski was hard at work after the round collecting $75 from all the Tour regulars and for the most part the cash was collected without incident but the aforementioned Phipps protested briefly about the tee selection at Northlands…Everyone is waiting for the Calcutta foursomes to be announced and speculation is rampant that somehow the "Duke" will again be on the winning foursome — he has been for at least the last three years…There were several volunteers wanting to be part of Duke’s team…Mike Maddison won't be one of them as rumour has it that the super sandbagger will not be playing in this year’s Calcutta…Nice to see Vern Porter out again…Northlands will provide a good test on June 29th…Cameras will be set up on the par 5 15th to see if anyone can successfully navigate across the waste area in two shots…Three new members were inducted to the Century Club — Dave Backie and Dave Rice had dueling 53-51's for 104 and Molinski shot 100…Rice left immediately on Sunday for Tucson in search of a game, Backie is still in shock and Molinski is proud to have beaten both of them…Cookie Gilchrist had to withdraw from the final due to a conflict with work (sounds like an oxymoron, doesn't it?).
Furry Creek Game — Lynnwood
That’s the name of the side game for Saturday. It is a “Pink Ball” type of game where the foursome must use the Pink Ball on a rotation basis for as long as they can (before losing it). Keep track of where it gets lost, and prizes would be awarded accordingly. Gamesmeister Blair Murdoch has plagiarized the rules from last year’s game.
All players are instructed to read the rules, posted only on the website, before teeing off — or risk disqualification. Entry fee: $10 per player (Cdn), with four players per team.
Here are the rules: The entry is to be collected by the first player listed (capitalized) in your foursome (see “Schedule”).
Rule No. 1:
Each foursome will be issued an official Pink Ball (PB) from the commissioner. This ball, if not lost, will be kept by the captain of the foursome (perhaps to auction on ebay). In addition, each foursome will be issued an “Autographed Ball” (AB) signed by Commissioner Len Slade
Rule No. 2:
The Pink Ball is ALWAYS in play and MUST be counted on every hole. It must be rotated after each hole to a different player. The rotation must be established on the first tee and cannot be changed once the first tee shot is taken.
Rule No. 3:
Each team must count THREE net scores on every hole — the PB and two others. If two players score badly on a hole, that is just sad. Maximum score on any hole is NET triple bogey.
Rule No. 4:
At the end of the round, each team will have a “team total” i.e., 7-under-par.
Rule No. 5:
If after 18 holes your team is still in possession of the PB, your team score will be adjusted by five (5) bonus strokes. In other words, if it's 7-under-par, your team score becomes 12-under-par.
Rule No. 6:
If, golfing gods forbid, you lose the PB you must IMMEDIATELY decide whether or not to put the AB into play. You cannot wait a hole or two to make this decision. If you put the AB into play, it then must take the PB’s place in the rotation, which cannot be changed from the original PB rotation, and be counted in the team score. If you return with the AB, you will receive three (3) bonus points. In other words, that 7-under-par team score becomes 10-under-par. However, if you lose the AB, you will suffer a 2-stroke penalty (that 7-under score becomes 5-under). If you decide not to use the AB, you must still have a designated counting ball plus two others — you just won’t earn any AB bonus strokes.
Rule No. 7:
Play is from the white tees. Improve lie by six inches on the fairway only, not in the rough. Gimmes only inside the leather.
Rule No. 8:
Keep a gross score for all players — for net prizes. That pool is also $100 and will be administered by Dave Backie.
Team prizes for Lynnwood: 1st place — $60; 2nd place — $40
There will not be a third-place prize as there is no more money for it. As well, 8 players winning money (out of 20) is enough. This isn't a curling bonspiel. If you can't understand the rules, just pay your money and then disqualify yourselves.
Event No. 6 — Unlikely Foursome Produces PGA Tour Champion at The Bear
Before the last group had reached the first green on Sunday at The Bear, the players had already come up with a name for the foursome — Guys Who Know How To Use Their Handicaps (GWKHTUTH), which sounds infinitely better than the inevitable “Sandbaggers” should they perform above and beyond. With steely determination, they resolved to produce the first PGA Tour Championship winner…even though there was a last-minute change to their identity when Blair Murdoch left to join an earlier group after Jim Lanyon’s clubs arrived late (even his sticks are slow). So Lanyon became a stand-in GWKHTUTH member, joining Mike Maddison, John Baxter and Bob Dunn. All high handicappers, they pledged to play like the big-name players in front of them, and from their midst Dunn emerged as the PGA Tour Championship’s first winner, with a net score of 137 and a four-shot victory.
Maddison was second. Baxter, who regularly calls himself the “PGA Tour’s worst player”, and Murdoch, who picked up the group spirit by osmosis, tied for third. The final foursome (or what was supposed to be the final foursome) averaged net scores of 70.
Maddison, who shared the first-round lead with Murdoch, and Dunn played head-to-head on The Bear’s 6,468-yard layout. In the end, Dunn’s steady front-nine 41 (four pars, five bogeys) was the difference. He put an 86 with his 93 from Gallagher’s Canyon on Saturday and his net 65 was Sunday’s best round. Maddison shot 90 on Sunday, giving him a net 72 to go with Saturday’s 69 and a 141 total. Baxter, a 25 handicapper, was en route to back-to-back nines under 50 until he ran into deep rough and tree problems on the 16th hole, and finished 46-51. In re-assessing Baxters’s card, ever-efficiant statistician Dave Backie knocked two shots off his score in applying the triple-bogey max rule. Murdoch, obviously feeling out of place without his GWKHTUTH, fell out of contention with a front-nine 51 before closing with a rush on the back nine with 41 to tie Baxter at 142.
It was Murdoch’s second back-nine 41 of the weekend. On Saturday, also playing in perfect weather and course conditions, Murdoch reeled off five pars on the back to catch Madison. It was Saturday that Dunn believes was the turning point for him: “I am indebted to former Commissioner Langley for his expertise in reading the greens at Gallagher’s.” The two were in the same foursome, and Dunn had seven one-putts.
The victory was worth $50, plus custody of the prestigious Commissioner’s Trophy, donated by the law firm of Rice and Baxter (sometimes known as Lawson Lundell). Maddison won $30 while the third-place finishers split $10. The celebrity guest competition, which was prizeless, was won easily by Dan Jeffries, who shot 83 and 81 off a 15 handicap for a net 134, 10 shots better than Mark. Langley finished third at 146.
Bob Molinski won Sunday’s long drive competition and the KPs went to Rick Mark and Rod Matheson.
Following are the official scores:
Gallaghers Canyon/The Bear Gross Scores Net Scores
Dunn 93-86--179 72-65--137
Maddison 87-90--177 69-72--141
Murdoch 88-93--181 69-73--142
Baxter 97-95--192 72-70--142
Rice 93-86--179 75-68--143
Burns 86-76--162 77-67--144
Phipps 80-79--159 74-73--147
Bourbonais 86-88--174 74-76--150
Backie 89-86--175 76-74--150
Molinski 89-92--181 74-77--151
Carson 100-99--199 76-75--151
Killeen 93-94--187 78-79--157
Lanyon 94-97--191 77-80--157
McBride 100-99--199 80-79--159
Carter 92-92--188 80-80--160
Matheson 96-99--195 80-83--163
Sherk 115-97--212 91-73--164
Quinn DNF
Celebrities
Jeffries 83-81--164 68-66--134
Langley 80-84--164 71-75--146
Mark 86-82--168 74-70--144
Pomeroy 91-77--168 81-67--148
Taylor 95-87--182 80-72--152
Murray 88-91--179 75-78--153
Event No. 5 — Maddison, Murdoch Tame Gallagher’s Canyon
Blair Murdoch, in search of his first Tour victory of the season, charged from behind on the back nine of the tough Gallagher’s Canyon course (slope: 127) to tie Mike Maddison for the lead at the halfway mark of the 2002 PGA Tour Championship. Final round of the 36-hole tournament is Sunday, June 2, at The Bear.
Playing in perfect weather and course conditions, Murdoch reeled off five pars on the back nine (41) to overtake Madison, whose front-nine 39 gave the 18-handicapper a leg up on what would be his second victory in three weeks. the man from Coke had four pars and a birdie on the front nine, and was free of double bogeys. He was without par on the back and his 48 enabled Murdoch to make up enough ground to share the lead at the turn. Murdoch, whose handicap is one stroke higher than Maddison’s shot 88.
Tied for third, three shots behind the pair at net 72, were high handicappers John Baxter and Bob Dunn. Baxter shot 97 and Dunn 93. The four leaders were scheduled to make up the final foursome on Sunday.
In the Olympic two-man team competition, Dunn and Jim Pomeroy — making his first start on the Tour since becoming a spare — racked up 22 putting points to win the $55 first prize. Pomeroy cinched the victory when he drained an 18-footer on the 18th green. That gave the duo a one-shot victory over Dave Rice and Dick Bourbonais ($40), who were in turn one better than Bob Molinski and Paul Killeen ($20 prize). Molinski (16) and Bourbonais (15) had the best individual Olympic points.
Of the six celebrity guests invited to play in the tournament, Dan Jeffries had the lead with a net 68 to take a three-shot lead over former PGA Commissioner Phil Langley, playing on his home course. Jeffries, playing to a 15 handicap, shot 83 and Langley fired 80 despite rimming the cup on several occasions. He and Mr. Low Gross, Charlie Phipps, tied for the day’s best round.
Dave Backie, fresh from his Nevada training camp, won the long drive competition on the par-five 10th hole, reaching the green in two. Paul Carson won one of two KPs…nobody won the back-nine KP.
Cheep Shots From O.T. Green…
Tour Championship winner Bob Dunn solidified his hopes of trying the coveted Green Jacket on for size with his second straight PGA Tour victory (until the first, he wasn't even a contender)…One wonders if the feat of winning two straight has ever been achieved before (the statistician will check)…The firm of Burns & Pomeroy shot two very good rounds at The Bear, 76 and 77, respectively. With Burns' score, someone finally shot a lower gross score than Charlie "The Tuna" Phipps, who shot 79…Duke Molinski, as reported earlier, has decided to retire from his North Vancouver school posting effective the end of June. He joins a growing number of Tour regulars recently retired — can a Senior Tour be far behind?…Ken Sherk travelled in style to Kelowna in Blair Murdoch's very expensive Mercedes convertible. The one flaw? — with the roof down it can only accommodate one set of golf sticks…Also traveling in style in his "middle age crazy" Corvette was the aforementioned Dunn & John Baxter…There is no confirmation, yet, that the two owners are planning to drag prior the Northlands event…Commissioner Len Slade's announcement to step down after this season surprised The Tour's regulars but his contributions not only this year but since our inception deserve sincere thanks for a difficult job most defiantly WELL DONE!!…The early favourite to succeed Slade is Tom Carter…Next year, don't be surprised to see Lenny's name on top of the leaderboard… Dependable Doug Quinn had to leave following the 11th hole Saturday to return home to Vancouver, leaving Roger McBride without an Olympic partner for the final seven holes. “It was no loss,” sniffed McBride. “He only had one Olympic point”…At the post-round barbecue at the home of Phil and Judi Langley, two new trophies were unveiled…Both were donated by Dave Rice and John Baxter of Lawson-Lundell. Both their names were engraved on the trophy as past winners of the competition held for the first time this weekend????…The other trophy is appropriately called Peewee’s Cup, in recognition of the outgoing commissioner, who was acknowledged as the 2001 winner for “just being Lenny.” Ex-commish Langley was designated by Rice to come up with a category and winner for 2002, based on events of this weekend but somebody else (?) did it and Langley was the winner, with Neil Murray, Rod Matheson and Rick Mark all runners-up…There was talk of introducing a new advantage for Tour players when they next meet, at Furry Creek in two weeks. Competition maestroMurdoch suggested that any member who plays Furry Creek in a dress can hit from the red tees. Early volunteers were Rice andCarter.
Gallagher’s Canyon — ‘Olympic’ Match
Overview: This is a putting “game”. It rewards golfers who make can hole their shots in one putt after reaching the green, i.e., one putts are good, two or more putts aren’t. This game allows us to work on our concentration and, for some of us, our swearing.
Rules:
1. Once all members of the foursome are on the green the putts are measured and the one who is the furthest from the hole (i.e., the person who would ordinarily putt first) scores four (4) points if sunk in one putt. If that person misses sinking on the first putt, they are out of the competition for this hole. The second furthest putt then has an opportunity to score three (3) points if sunk in one putt. Similarly, the second closest (third furthest) would score two (2) points and the shortest putt could score one (1) point again, if sunk in one attempt.
2. No points are awarded to a player more than one putt is needed on the hole.
3. It is possible for more than one player to score points on a hole. Everybody who one-putts scores points. Everybody who doesn't one-putt gets no points.
4. If a player sinks a putt from off the green and requires no putts, that player scores five (5) points on the hole. This would mean there would be no 4 point putt (i.e., maximum possible is 5,3,2,1) If two players hole out from off the green then there would be no 4 or 3 point putts (i.e., maximum possible is 5,5,2,1).
5. Individual scores are kept of the Olympic competition, and there are two-man teams. At the end of the day, the $120 is divided up as follows:
a) First-place team — $60
b) Second-place team — $40
c) Third-place team — $20
It is suggested that a separate scorecard be utilized to maintain the Olympic scoring. Please turn in Olympic cards to Blair Murdoch at the 19th hole.
Capitalized players collect $10 from each man in your foursome. Turn in cards with gross scores to Backie/Murdoch after your match.
As this two-day event is the PGA Tour Championship, Sunday’s draw will be based on Saturday’s results and it will be announced at the BBQ at Phil Langley’s later that evening. Remember, Phil’s house is out of the way and is not close to a liquor store so stock up before you set off for Phil’s. Side games on Sunday will be up to the individual foursomes and will not require a $10 levy on players.
Event No. 4 — Dunn By Six at Point Roberts
Playing in his 39th PGA Tour event, Bob Dunn became an official Tour winner for the first time with a six-shot victory over a reduced field at Point Roberts, on Victoria Day. Actually, it was his second Tour victory but the first — at Homestead in the inaugural PGA season — never became official: “You had to stay for the 19th hole to claim your prize and validate winning,” said Dunn, “and I had to leave right after the game to catch a plane.” He toured the 6,417-yard layout in 92 strokes, for a net 70. Dunn prepared for the only U.S. stop on the Tour by training rigorously in Palm Desert, Calif., under the tutelage of Len Slade, John Baxter and Cookie Gilchrist.
Tied for second at 76 were Charlie Phipps, Rod Matheson and Paul Carson. Dunn’s playing partner, Jim Lanyon, asked that it be noted that this week’s winner played in his foursome, and Dunn agreed that Lanyon was a big help: “I've been working on my tempo, and Jim has helped me to be slower.”
In addition to Lanyon, Dunn credited back-to-back birdies on the 8th and 9th holes for figuring prominently in winning. With the smallest field (15) in PGA Tour history, first-place money was $40. Phipps, Matheson and Carson each won $10, and Lanyon received $5 for the day’s highest net score (88).
The game Avalon was won by the duo of Carson and Dick Burns, to the surprise of everyone — even Carson and Burns. The winning twosome shared $40 first-prize money, finishing one stroke ahead of Dunn and Hugh Taylor, who was standing in for Doug Quinn. Tom Carter and Mike Maddison tied for third with Matheson and Paul Killeen.
There were no KPs.
Following are the official scores:
Point Roberts Gross Score Net Score
Dunn 92 70
Phipps 82 76
Matheson 91 76
Carson 100 76
Burns 86 77
Carter 89 77
Murdoch 96 79
Maddison 99 80
Killeen 96 81
Bourbonais 94 83
Sherk 106 83
Taylor 99 84
Brown 97 85
McBride 106 86
Lanyon 103 88
Cheep Shots From O.T. Green…
The reduced field was further reduced by the 11th-hour withdrawals of Cookie Gilchrist and Doug Quinn but the 19th hole banter was not reduced. In fact with so many missing Tour regulars, the manhood and judgment of those missing was frequently questioned at nearby Kiniski's Reef pub. Gamesman Blair Murdoch wondered out loud why Commissioner Len Slade would schedule an event on a long weekend and then not even attend himself. "Typical teacher," said Murdoch. "He should be sanctioned" cried the masses…With his win, can a handicap reduction for Bob Dunn be far behind?…For the fourth straight event, Charlie "The Tuna" Phipps was low gross. He was disappointed in his 82 (net 76) but other than Dunn and sportscaster Paul Carson, the entire field recorded higher that normal scores. It would be fair to say the Point Roberts golf course was the winner this time…The upcoming trip to Kelowna was a popular topic at the 19th hole and it seems most of the field will be leaving early to get in a practice round at various courses…Even with his connections, Mr. Coke (Mike Maddison) could not squeeze onto Predator Ridge for a Friday round…Popular practice-round destinations seem to be Kelowna Country Club, Shannon Lake and The Quail…Besides the commissioner, Cookie Gilchrist was a sanctions candidate, for being a last-minute no-show at Point Roberts without finding a spare…Dave Backie, once he has returned from his Nevada tune-up for the Kelowna trip, is expected to re-do the handicaps before the first Kelowna round, Gallagher’s Canyon.
The Game For Point Roberts — Avalon
Overview: This is an old fashioned two-ball game. Anticipated prize money available for this pot is $80. First-place team gets $40, Second-place team gets $25 and third-place team gets $15.
Two man teams as follows:
1. PHIPPS-SHERK
2. BURNS-CARSON
3. QUINN-DUNN
4. BOURBONAIS-McBRIDE
5. CARTER-MADDISON
6. BROWN-MURDOCH
7. GILCHRIST-LANYON
8. MATHESON-KILLEEN
Record all scores as normal. At the end, the winning team is the team with the best total net score. Net scores are your actual score minus your handicap. For tee times, see "Schedules."
Event No. 3 — Maddison Tops at Swan-e-Set
Quickly becoming known as Mr. Consistency, Mike Maddison won low net at Swan-e-Set with his second net 69 of the three-week-old season. In between his 69s, Maddison had a net 70. At Swan-e-Set his score was a stroke better than the Golden Eagle winner, Roger McBride, and it was also good enough to win the “Hurdle” competition.
Charlie Phipps shot 79 for low gross, as usual.
The game Legion was generally understood* and played by all with mediocre results. The Legion 'winner' in each foursome received $10 and the overall Legion winner another $25, secnd place was worth $15 and third place $10. The results were:
1st place 1 point OVER his hurdle Mike Madison $35
2nd place achieved his hurdle Doug Quinn $25
3rd place 1 point less than their hurdle Larry Brown/Blair Murdoch $20
4th place 3 points less than his hurdle Tom Carter $10
5th place 4 points less than his hurdle Len Slade $10
The KPs were won by Rod Matheson and Jim Pomeroy.
* Chief statistician (Dave Backie) proved that he is only human as he came in with badly understood Legion interpretations requiring the author of the game to unravel the mess. This just proves that you can't teach teachers much about anything let alone golf. Bob Molinski asked the question of the day — “Do we count gross or net?” — prior to the match and saved himself further embarrassment later.
“In future,” says Blair Murdoch, “I will never let a teacher, maybe better still an old teacher, be in charge of the game. They can perhaps take attendance but should not be allowed or expected to understand or adapt to anything new. Foursome groupings in the future will definitely have one pupil/civilian at a minimum.
Following are the official scores:
Swan-e-Set Gross Score Net Score
Maddison 88 69
Quinn 81 70
McBride 90 70
Brown 83 71
Carter 84 72
Phipps 79 73
Burns 82 73
Killeen 88 73
Murdoch 90 73
Slade 91 73
Pomeroy 85 75
Matheson 90 75
Molinski 91 76
Carson 100 76
Sherk 100 77
Backie 92 79
Rice 96 79
Lanyon 96 81
Pearce 99 82
Harrison 105 85
Cheep Shots From O.T. Green…
Once again the sun and warmth made for a lively 19th hole…The round was slow but this time there were no accusations flying at reputed "snail" Jim Lanyon. Commissioner Len Slade was in the first group and he cited slow play ahead as the culprit. For the first time in recent memory there was not a full field. Several players were missing, including Director of Communications Bob Dunn, Cookie Gilchrist, John Baxter and Dick Bourbonais. For Dunn, his absence is only his second ever as a PGA regular…Making his PGA debut as a spare was long-time regular Jim "Buford" Pomeroy, who will also be coming on the Kelowna trip. Along with Jim, another former tour regular Neil Murray, will also be playing in Kelowna. Neil will drive "Rocket" Rod Matheson, who will be returning from Japan the same morning (Friday) as the trek to Kelowna — now that's dedication…It looks like another long-time tour veteran, Vern Porter, will have his playing status reduced to that of spare due to the basketball prowess of his daughter. A first-class hoopster in his day, Vern wants to experience more of her success first-hand…Considering joining the ranks of the retired like school district compatriots Paul Killeen, Larry Brown et al is Bob Molinski. It appears "Duke" is looking at his options and will make his decision later this spring…Speaking of reduced fields, the Point Roberts event on holiday Monday (May 20th) will be contested by only four groups (16 players), by far the fewest ever for a sanctioned event…A full field, or close to it, is expected for the two Kelowna dates. Commissioner Slade told members that the dinner at ex-commish Phil Langley's on Saturday evening will be "a 9.00 value for a 15.00 fee". A word to the 16 members playing at Point Roberts: Remember to take ID to cross the border. They accept only passports or driver’s license with birth certificate as valid ID and will refuse entry if you cannot produce proper identification.
The Game For Swan-e-Set — Legion
Overview: Legion is a creative handicapping method. Players receive a negative quota of points, called a “hurdle”, based on their handicaps. The game is based on scratch players receiving a hurdle of 39 points, 1 handicaps receive a hurdle of 38 points, etc. All players start at 0 points for the day. Then, based on their performances, players receive points as follows:
Bogeys = 1 point
Pars = 2 points
Birdies = 4 points
Eagles = 8 points
The player who clears his hurdle by the most points in his foursome wins $10. Additionally, the player who clears his hurdle by the most points in our entire 20 man field wins an additional $25. The second player in the 20 man field wins an additional $15 and the third player in the field wins an additional $10.
Player Handicap Hurdle Quota
Backie 13 26
Brown 12 27
Burns 9 30
Carson 24 15
Carter 12 27
Killeen 15 24
Lanyon 15 24
Maddison 19 20
Matheson 15 24
McBride 20 19
Molinski 15 24
Murdoch 17 22
Pearce 17 22
Phipps 6 33
Pomeroy TBA TBA
Quinn 11 28
Rice 17 22
Sherk 23 16
Slade 18 21
Taylor 15 24
Event No. 2 — McBride Leads Assault On Golden Eagle
Showing the form that surfaces from time to time in his PGA Tour career, Roger McBride thrived in the heat (as any Bikini Man should) of Golden Eagle with a net score that sent historians scurrying to see if there had ever been one better. Playing to a 24 handicap, McBride’s gross 84 and net 60 gave him a two-shot victory in a round played in near-pristine conditions that led to 17 of the 24 players breaking 70.
With five pars and two birdies, he toured the 5,710-yard layout with nines of 41-43 and had only three holes of more than bogey. He missed the magic net 59 by double-bogeying the 18th hole. At the 19th hole, McBride was rewarded with the top prize of $20 and the impending handicap adjustment, which took place before the news of his heroics was reported to the public at large (he’s now a 20).
Second-place finisher Tom Carter carded a 76 (net 62), the day’s second-best round, and also faced a handicap reduction. One stroke better than him was Charlie Phipps, who for the second straight event had the best gross score. Third among net scores was Bob Molinski, making his 2002 debut on the Tour after a mis-communication left him standing in the rain two weeks earlier.
Ken Sherk won the first KP on the 152-yard fifth hole and Dick Bourbonais, in his first outing of the year, nailed the second KP on the 176-yard 16th hole.
The team event ($60) went to Bourbonais, Molinski, Jim Lanyon and Paul Carson with a score of 119. Nobody but Blair Murdoch knew how, or what 119 meant, but “Mr. St. Alice” didn’t stick around to explain. In second place ($40) was the Phipps-captained foursome, followed ($20) by Commissioner Len Slade’s quartet.
Following are the official scores:
Golden Eagle Gross Score Net Score McBride 84 60 Carter 76 62 Molinski 80 63 Lanyon 81 64 Brown 79 66 Matheson 82 66 Croom 78 66 Dunn 89 67 Sherk 92 67 Killeen 84 67 Gilchrist 82 67 Phipps 75 67 Rice 87 68 Carson 93 68 Quinn 79 69 Bourbonais 80 69 Backie 83 69 Maddison 91 70 Burns 79 71 Murdoch 88 71 Slade 88 72 Baxter 100 75 Pearce 92 76 Mills 89 79 Cheep Shots From O.T. Green…
Did anyone notice how much happier tour members were after Saturday's round? Was it the relatively low scoring due to a fairly easy golf course or was it the sun and warmth?…Good for Cookie Gilchrist for sticking to his ethics by refusing to pick Vijay ("He's a cheater") Singh in the Masters Pool which turned out to be the difference...The firm of Carter & Rice, who finished 1-2 in the pool, had no such moral dilemma and picked the Fijian who allegedly cannot add…After no visits to the prize table last year, Bob Dunn has cashed in at both events this season picking up $5.00 each time (the first $5 was for having the worst points total of the day)…“Maybe now he can afford a haircut,” chirped ex-Commissioner John Mills, who was otherwise invisible at Golden Eagle…Surprisingly, Commissioner Len Slade was not as severely attacked as some anticipated for the Meadow Gardens communication slip-up. Perhaps the tour IS mellowing…Golden Eagle gave up more gross rounds in the 70s than any other course in my memory…John Baxter, who has been suffering through sickness (double pneumonia), started slow but finished with a flurry and Tour insiders expect some low rounds soon…Was there ever any doubt that Jim Lanyon's foursome would be the first to be fined for slow play after being reprimanded by the course marshall?…Dave Pearce struggled with his putting and may have to go to the long putter which would be very long in his case — Pearce is 6'4"....Swan-e-set Bay is reputed to be in excellent shape so pray to the Golf Gods for another warm and sunny day on May 11th…Blair Murdoch gets the first kudo for subscribing to the PGA’s motto (see top of this page) for admitting, albeit with a little nudging from partner Paul Carson, that his Meadow Gardens score was actually one shot higher. Failure to do so and Cookie Gilchrist would have renamed him Vijay Murdoch.
Week 2 Game — ‘St. Alice’
Overview: This is a two-ball “team” game where two balls count. Net scores will be counted. You will be required, as always, to post gross scores on your scorecards. Dave Backie will sort it out at the 19th hole.
Rules:
1. Establish your playing order from your foursome and write it down.
2. On hole #1, the first player listed is the team’s “captain.” Based on the captain’s assessment of all the tee shots, and prior to a second shot by anyone, he chooses one member as his partner on the hole. The captain writes the identity of his partner down on the scorecard (initial on line 5). The foursome is now stuck with the scores of that chosen member plus the captain for this hole.
3. The captain for hole #1 is also the captain for holes 5, 9, 13.
4. On hole #2, the second player listed on the scorecard is now the “captain”. As in point 2. above, he chooses one member of the foursome as his partner for this hole and records the identity on the scorecard. Again, the foursome score is based on the performance of the captain and the chosen golfer. Remember, the captain chooses the golfer after the drives but before any other shots are taken.
5. As in point 3. above, this captain is the captain for holes 6, 10, 14
6. Hole number 3, player listed #3 is the captain. Repeat as before with that golfer captaining holes 7, 11, 15.
7. Hole number 4, player listed #4 is the captain. Repeat as before with that golfer captaining holes 8, 12, 16.
8. Hole #17, count Captain 1’s score and Captain 2’s score.
9. Hole #18, count Captain 3’s score and Captain 4’s score.
10. Prize money will be split up $60 to the first team, $40 to the second team and $20 to the third team.
While Director of Competition Blair Murdoch is not in the same group as Jim Lanyon, Murdoch has assigned Paul Carson the task of clocking Lanyon. “He will be on the clock to ensure reasonable pace of play,” says Murdoch (again). “If he is slow I will purposely schedule him for the last group for the balance of the season.”
Note 1: Since former co-commissioner John Mills did not submit a handicap, a call was made to the Calgary Sun Sports Department to see if the local golf writer knew. “We hear he’s a three,” was the response…hence, he is a 3.
Note 2: The bold-faced player in each foursome is in charge of collecting $10 from each player for prizes. Bob Molinski is responsible for collecting $10 for Masters Pool participants.
Event No. 1 — Rookie Lights Up Meadow Gardens
Making his first start as a PGA Tour regular, Charlie (The Tuna) Phipps lit up dreary and damp Meadow Gardens with a three-over-par 75 to kick off the 2002 season, establishing himself as the early favourite to be PGA Tour Rookie-of-the-Year. While half his rain-soaked competitors were busy trying to figure out why he's called The Tuna…the other half were taking a vote on changing his nickname to The Sandbagger.
Phipps birded his first hole as a PGA Tour rookie, then reeled off five pars and three bogeys to finish the front nine in two-over 38 (finish after clarification). Phipps won the $20 low net prize over Paul Killeen, thereby forsaking his amataur status, even though both he and Killeen both had net 68s. The PGA hierarchy is investigating.
Because of the confusion resulting from the "cancellation-cum-we're playing" decision (see Commissioner's message), the Olympic match competition had to be modified by Director of Competition Blair Murdoch. The two-man team format was scrapped, and “putting points” were used to determine individual prizes. Jay Merrilees won $25 with 14 points, four more than Tom Carter, Vern Porter and alternate Hugh Taylor, who did the right thing by matching but not beating his boss (Carter).
Phipps also won the KP prize on the 13th hole, while Larry Brown took the KP on the fourth hole.
Following are the official scores:
Meadow Gardens Gross Score Net Score
Phipps 75 68
Killeen 85 68
Maddison 90 69
Backie 84 70
Taylor 85 70
Porter 86 70
Carter 85 71
Jeffries 86 71
McBride 95 71
Merrilees 90 72
Matheson 91 75
Carson 100 75
Quinn 86 76
Burns 86 76
Slade 92 76
Gilchrist 92 77
Dunn 99 77
Brown 91 78
Murdoch 96 79
There have been great rookie athletes before now. In 1971, Ken Dryden was the most valuable player in the playoffs BEFORE he was hockey’s top rookie. Ten years later, Fernando Valenzuela came from nowhere (or somewhere in Mexico) and won baseball's Cy Young Award in his rookie season. And Tiger Woods was still not shaving when, after half a season on the other PGA Tour, he destroyed the field and the book of records at the Masters.
Now, there’s Charlie “The Tuna” Phipps…Rookie-of-the-Year AND winner of The Green Jacket on the real PGA Tour. He completed the prestigious double at Northlands on June 29th, when he saved the best for last. The Tuna’s gross 71 gave him a season-best net 64 and pushed him four shots ahead of The Green Jacket leader, Mike Maddison, who didn’t play the final event.
It was an impressive first season for Phipps. He started it (on Masters weekend) by shooting 75 at Meadow Gardens. he played in all eight events this season, and broke 80 six times. His gross score was the best on the Tour in seven of the eight events (for the trivia experts only Dick Burns beat him, at The Bear). His 71 at Northlands was his best round by four shots!
His 64 was second-best in the event event, behind the 63 carded by Rod Matheson, who on any bother weekend on the PGA calendar would have made headlines. Matheson's 80 moved him up xx places in The Green Jacket standings. In third place for the season was Bob Dunn, a two-event winner who faded at Northlands to finish one shot behind Maddison, and one ahead of Blair Murdoch and Tom Carter.
The team captained by Carter, the incoming Commissione, won the Calcutta with an astonishing score of 187 — that’s 26 under par. The entire foursome — Carter, Murdoch, Larry Brown and Dave Pearce — was among the top eight finishers at Northlands. For complete results, see “Scores.”
Following are the final standings for The Green Jacket:
The Green Jacket 2002 Best 5 rounds Net total
Charlie Phipps 68-67-73-73-64 345
Mike Maddison 69-70-69-69-72 349
Bob Dunn 67-70-72-65-76 350
Blair Murdoch 71-73-69-73-65 351
Tom Carter 71-62-72-77-69 351
Roger McBride 71-60-70-79-72 352
Rod Matheson 75-66-75-76-63 355
Paul Killeen 68-67-73-78-70 356
Bob Molinski 71-63-76-74-76 360
Dave Rice 74-68-75-68-76 361
Dave Backie 70-69-76-74-72 361
Dick Burns 76-71-73-77-67 364
Larry Brown 78-66-71-85-64 364
Paul Carson 75-68-76-76-75 370
Ken Sherk 67-77-83-73-72 372
Jim Lanyon 74-64-81-77-80 376
Best 4 rounds
Len Slade 76-72-73-68 289
Doug Quinn 76-69-70-75 290
John Baxter 75-72-70-76 293
Dick Bourbonais 69-83-74-76 302
Best 3 rounds
Dave Pearce 76-82-71 229
Best 2 rounds
Vern Porter 70-72 142
Cookie Gilchrist 77-67 144
Cheep Shots From O.T. Green…
After the PGA Tour’s year-end Calcutta and Awards Banquet, golf columnist O.T. Green caught up with the incoming Commissioner, Tom Carter. Here are excerpts of their interview.
OT: I understand one of your first acts as commissioner was to eliminate Furry Creek from the PGA rotation?
Carter: Based on feedback from Tour veterans it seemed like a no brainer. The opinions on "Fuzzy" range from horrible to worse.
OT: Any other changes to the event venues?
Carter: We will be looking during the off-season at a number of venues, some we have played before and some new ones.
OT: Change for change sake?
Carter: No, not exactly. It has been suggested to me by a number of regulars that they would like to keep the costs down. Last year's fee of over $600 was due mainly to the Kelowna trip, which in terms of green fees was expensive so hopefully we will reduce next year’s entry fees to more like $550 with a less expensive destination.
OT: What about the trip…any courses mentioned?
Carter: Lobby groups have been formed and they are pushing Kamloops, the Sunshine Coast and Oliver — among others. I see the trip’s rotating each year but the destination for next spring will be voted on by the membership later in 2002 when all the financials for each possibility are known. We would like to bring the trip in at around $150 per man including golf (two rounds) and Saturday's hotel. That way we can lower the annual dues.
OT: What courses are being considered for the trip?
Carter: If we go to Oliver, then the new Incameep Canyon course and Fairview Mountain. We would play Sechelt and Roberts Creek if we go to the Sunshine Coast and in Kamloops, The Dunes, Eagle Point and others would be considered.
OT: What local courses are you considering for regular event play?
Carter: Well, some like Meadows Gardens and Swan-e-set are good courses and have become traditional venues that everyone enjoys and they will remain on the schedule along with Northlands for the Calcutta. Northlands is close to Dick Burns' home and he and his wife Janie have graciously agreed to host next year’s Awards Dinner. We will contact Squamish, UBC, Belmont, Redwoods, Golden Eagle, Sandpiper and perhaps even some in the U.S. during the off-season.
OT: What is your main concern going into 2003?
Carter: The membership. We lost a few guys for the 2002 season and played most of the season with only 22 players. We missed guys like Jim Pomeroy and the Doc (Mike Smith), not to mention Phil (ex-commissioner). I would like to get the membership back to 24 solid regulars. We have a good spares list so I'm confident we can complete a full roster next year. I spoke with Vern Porter who missed some of this season and hopefully he will be able to return next year full time.
OT: Opening event for next year?
Carter: Either April 5th or 12th.
Event No. 8 — Northlands
Official results from the PGA Tour’s final stop of 2002:
Northlands Gross Score Net Score Matheson 80 63 Phipps 71 64 Brown 79 65 Murdoch 85 65 Slade 86 68 Carter 82 69 Killeen 86 70 Pearce 91 71 Backie 86 72 Porter 88 72 McBride 92 72 Sherk 97 72 Croom 84 74 Quinn 87 75 Molinski 91 76 Rice 94 76 Dunn 96 76 Baxter 101 76 Burns 88 79 Carson 106 81 Note: To qualify for the Green Jacket, a PGA Tour regular must have played in a minimum of six events. While Furry Creek scores do not count, playing at Furry does qualify as playing in one of six events. From each player's qualifying rounds, the best FIVE determine the final standings. The Green Jacket standings determine the order in which PGA players visit the prize table at the awards barbecue.
It’s Calcutta Time — at the BLUE tees! The teams are set for Saturday’s Calcutta Showdown at Northlands. At stake is $1,500 in prize money, half of which goes to the team that finishes first. The second-place team wins $450 and the third-place team $300.
Here are the rules:
1. Play will be from the Blue Tees
2. Count three best net scores per hole
3. Each team member must count a minimum of three holes per nine
4. Lowest total net score wins
Instructions for the captain of each team (first player listed in foursome):
1. You may choose to keep a gross score card and a net score card for all four players
2. After 18 holes, turn in your net score card
3. The three best net scores per hole should be circled (ensure that all players’ scores count at least three times per nine)
4. The three net scores per hole should be totalled
5. The nine-hole scores should be totalled
6. The 18-hole score should be totalled
Remember – the maximum gross score on a hole is triple bogey
Event No. 7 — The Follies of Furry Creek
On a course that some (read: Cookie Gilchrist) that is made for fools, the PGA Tour stop at Furry Creek was devoid of the usual barrels of laughs. “It was,” says Tour Statistician Dave Backie, “yet another PGA Stooge act.” In no small part this was due to the course starter, whose forgetfulness (read: stupidity) usurped the heroics of lefty Ken Sherk, whose first Tour victory of the season was erased.
Sherk's net 68 was the best of the day, two shots ahead of Charlie “The Tuna” Phipps. What voided it was the fact that some players teed off from blue tees and some from white tees. The starter was asked to pass the “blue tees” message on to everybody after the second group. He didn't. So, in the interests of preserving The Tour’s integrity, Commissioner Len Slade and his executive ruled that all bets were off, and there went Sherk's vistory dance.
His net 68 came from a gross 93, an admirable outing for a 25 handicapper on the "unusual" layout that is Furry Creek, arguably the most scenic layout on the PGA Tour. Phipps produced his 70 from a net 77, the day's best round, and third-place finisher Dick Bourbonais was another stroke back after an 84. He was also third behind Doug Quinn (83) among the low gross scores.
No KPs or long drives were reported.
Following are the official scores:
Furry Creek Gross Score Net Score
Sherk 93 68
Phipps 77 70
Bourbonais 84 71
Quinn 83 72
Lanyon 91 73
Carter 87 74
Matheson 91 74
Slade 92 74
Murdoch 94 74
McBride 97 77
Harrison 97 77
Porter 94 78
Carson 105 80
Burns 90 81
Brown 95 81
Killeen 97 81
Baxter 107 82
Gilchrist 99 84
Molinski 100 85
Rice 104 86
Backie 104 90
Cheep Shots From O.T. Green…
As usual the views at Furry Creek were spectacular but not the golf, it seems like the majority of Tour players do not rate "Fuzzy" highly…Charlie "The Tuna" Phipps at one point asked his playing partners when they played through the clown's legs and was #18 the windmill hole? The "which set of tees" dilemma and subsequent decision not to award any prize money took away Ken Sherk's first PGA win…"I finally play well and the starter screws me out of winning," remarked Sherk at the 19th hole referring to the starter’s inability to communicate the decision to play the blue tees made by Commissioner Len Slade on the first tee to the rest of the field…Riding Paul Carson's belly putter (he made 'em when he had to), the foursome of Tom Carter, Carson, Phipps and Dick Burns was 11 under starting the 18th and although they struggled on 18 and finished at 7-under their likely team win was scrapped as well…Calcutta organizer Bob Molinski was hard at work after the round collecting $75 from all the Tour regulars and for the most part the cash was collected without incident but the aforementioned Phipps protested briefly about the tee selection at Northlands…Everyone is waiting for the Calcutta foursomes to be announced and speculation is rampant that somehow the "Duke" will again be on the winning foursome — he has been for at least the last three years…There were several volunteers wanting to be part of Duke’s team…Mike Maddison won't be one of them as rumour has it that the super sandbagger will not be playing in this year’s Calcutta…Nice to see Vern Porter out again…Northlands will provide a good test on June 29th…Cameras will be set up on the par 5 15th to see if anyone can successfully navigate across the waste area in two shots…Three new members were inducted to the Century Club — Dave Backie and Dave Rice had dueling 53-51's for 104 and Molinski shot 100…Rice left immediately on Sunday for Tucson in search of a game, Backie is still in shock and Molinski is proud to have beaten both of them…Cookie Gilchrist had to withdraw from the final due to a conflict with work (sounds like an oxymoron, doesn't it?).
Furry Creek Game — Lynnwood
That’s the name of the side game for Saturday. It is a “Pink Ball” type of game where the foursome must use the Pink Ball on a rotation basis for as long as they can (before losing it). Keep track of where it gets lost, and prizes would be awarded accordingly. Gamesmeister Blair Murdoch has plagiarized the rules from last year’s game.
All players are instructed to read the rules, posted only on the website, before teeing off — or risk disqualification. Entry fee: $10 per player (Cdn), with four players per team.
Here are the rules: The entry is to be collected by the first player listed (capitalized) in your foursome (see “Schedule”).
Rule No. 1:
Each foursome will be issued an official Pink Ball (PB) from the commissioner. This ball, if not lost, will be kept by the captain of the foursome (perhaps to auction on ebay). In addition, each foursome will be issued an “Autographed Ball” (AB) signed by Commissioner Len Slade
Rule No. 2:
The Pink Ball is ALWAYS in play and MUST be counted on every hole. It must be rotated after each hole to a different player. The rotation must be established on the first tee and cannot be changed once the first tee shot is taken.
Rule No. 3:
Each team must count THREE net scores on every hole — the PB and two others. If two players score badly on a hole, that is just sad. Maximum score on any hole is NET triple bogey.
Rule No. 4:
At the end of the round, each team will have a “team total” i.e., 7-under-par.
Rule No. 5:
If after 18 holes your team is still in possession of the PB, your team score will be adjusted by five (5) bonus strokes. In other words, if it's 7-under-par, your team score becomes 12-under-par.
Rule No. 6:
If, golfing gods forbid, you lose the PB you must IMMEDIATELY decide whether or not to put the AB into play. You cannot wait a hole or two to make this decision. If you put the AB into play, it then must take the PB’s place in the rotation, which cannot be changed from the original PB rotation, and be counted in the team score. If you return with the AB, you will receive three (3) bonus points. In other words, that 7-under-par team score becomes 10-under-par. However, if you lose the AB, you will suffer a 2-stroke penalty (that 7-under score becomes 5-under). If you decide not to use the AB, you must still have a designated counting ball plus two others — you just won’t earn any AB bonus strokes.
Rule No. 7:
Play is from the white tees. Improve lie by six inches on the fairway only, not in the rough. Gimmes only inside the leather.
Rule No. 8:
Keep a gross score for all players — for net prizes. That pool is also $100 and will be administered by Dave Backie.
Team prizes for Lynnwood: 1st place — $60; 2nd place — $40
There will not be a third-place prize as there is no more money for it. As well, 8 players winning money (out of 20) is enough. This isn't a curling bonspiel. If you can't understand the rules, just pay your money and then disqualify yourselves.
Event No. 6 — Unlikely Foursome Produces PGA Tour Champion at The Bear
Before the last group had reached the first green on Sunday at The Bear, the players had already come up with a name for the foursome — Guys Who Know How To Use Their Handicaps (GWKHTUTH), which sounds infinitely better than the inevitable “Sandbaggers” should they perform above and beyond. With steely determination, they resolved to produce the first PGA Tour Championship winner…even though there was a last-minute change to their identity when Blair Murdoch left to join an earlier group after Jim Lanyon’s clubs arrived late (even his sticks are slow). So Lanyon became a stand-in GWKHTUTH member, joining Mike Maddison, John Baxter and Bob Dunn. All high handicappers, they pledged to play like the big-name players in front of them, and from their midst Dunn emerged as the PGA Tour Championship’s first winner, with a net score of 137 and a four-shot victory.
Maddison was second. Baxter, who regularly calls himself the “PGA Tour’s worst player”, and Murdoch, who picked up the group spirit by osmosis, tied for third. The final foursome (or what was supposed to be the final foursome) averaged net scores of 70.
Maddison, who shared the first-round lead with Murdoch, and Dunn played head-to-head on The Bear’s 6,468-yard layout. In the end, Dunn’s steady front-nine 41 (four pars, five bogeys) was the difference. He put an 86 with his 93 from Gallagher’s Canyon on Saturday and his net 65 was Sunday’s best round. Maddison shot 90 on Sunday, giving him a net 72 to go with Saturday’s 69 and a 141 total. Baxter, a 25 handicapper, was en route to back-to-back nines under 50 until he ran into deep rough and tree problems on the 16th hole, and finished 46-51. In re-assessing Baxters’s card, ever-efficiant statistician Dave Backie knocked two shots off his score in applying the triple-bogey max rule. Murdoch, obviously feeling out of place without his GWKHTUTH, fell out of contention with a front-nine 51 before closing with a rush on the back nine with 41 to tie Baxter at 142.
It was Murdoch’s second back-nine 41 of the weekend. On Saturday, also playing in perfect weather and course conditions, Murdoch reeled off five pars on the back to catch Madison. It was Saturday that Dunn believes was the turning point for him: “I am indebted to former Commissioner Langley for his expertise in reading the greens at Gallagher’s.” The two were in the same foursome, and Dunn had seven one-putts.
The victory was worth $50, plus custody of the prestigious Commissioner’s Trophy, donated by the law firm of Rice and Baxter (sometimes known as Lawson Lundell). Maddison won $30 while the third-place finishers split $10. The celebrity guest competition, which was prizeless, was won easily by Dan Jeffries, who shot 83 and 81 off a 15 handicap for a net 134, 10 shots better than Mark. Langley finished third at 146.
Bob Molinski won Sunday’s long drive competition and the KPs went to Rick Mark and Rod Matheson.
Following are the official scores:
Gallaghers Canyon/The Bear Gross Scores Net Scores
Dunn 93-86--179 72-65--137
Maddison 87-90--177 69-72--141
Murdoch 88-93--181 69-73--142
Baxter 97-95--192 72-70--142
Rice 93-86--179 75-68--143
Burns 86-76--162 77-67--144
Phipps 80-79--159 74-73--147
Bourbonais 86-88--174 74-76--150
Backie 89-86--175 76-74--150
Molinski 89-92--181 74-77--151
Carson 100-99--199 76-75--151
Killeen 93-94--187 78-79--157
Lanyon 94-97--191 77-80--157
McBride 100-99--199 80-79--159
Carter 92-92--188 80-80--160
Matheson 96-99--195 80-83--163
Sherk 115-97--212 91-73--164
Quinn DNF
Celebrities
Jeffries 83-81--164 68-66--134
Langley 80-84--164 71-75--146
Mark 86-82--168 74-70--144
Pomeroy 91-77--168 81-67--148
Taylor 95-87--182 80-72--152
Murray 88-91--179 75-78--153
Event No. 5 — Maddison, Murdoch Tame Gallagher’s Canyon
Blair Murdoch, in search of his first Tour victory of the season, charged from behind on the back nine of the tough Gallagher’s Canyon course (slope: 127) to tie Mike Maddison for the lead at the halfway mark of the 2002 PGA Tour Championship. Final round of the 36-hole tournament is Sunday, June 2, at The Bear.
Playing in perfect weather and course conditions, Murdoch reeled off five pars on the back nine (41) to overtake Madison, whose front-nine 39 gave the 18-handicapper a leg up on what would be his second victory in three weeks. the man from Coke had four pars and a birdie on the front nine, and was free of double bogeys. He was without par on the back and his 48 enabled Murdoch to make up enough ground to share the lead at the turn. Murdoch, whose handicap is one stroke higher than Maddison’s shot 88.
Tied for third, three shots behind the pair at net 72, were high handicappers John Baxter and Bob Dunn. Baxter shot 97 and Dunn 93. The four leaders were scheduled to make up the final foursome on Sunday.
In the Olympic two-man team competition, Dunn and Jim Pomeroy — making his first start on the Tour since becoming a spare — racked up 22 putting points to win the $55 first prize. Pomeroy cinched the victory when he drained an 18-footer on the 18th green. That gave the duo a one-shot victory over Dave Rice and Dick Bourbonais ($40), who were in turn one better than Bob Molinski and Paul Killeen ($20 prize). Molinski (16) and Bourbonais (15) had the best individual Olympic points.
Of the six celebrity guests invited to play in the tournament, Dan Jeffries had the lead with a net 68 to take a three-shot lead over former PGA Commissioner Phil Langley, playing on his home course. Jeffries, playing to a 15 handicap, shot 83 and Langley fired 80 despite rimming the cup on several occasions. He and Mr. Low Gross, Charlie Phipps, tied for the day’s best round.
Dave Backie, fresh from his Nevada training camp, won the long drive competition on the par-five 10th hole, reaching the green in two. Paul Carson won one of two KPs…nobody won the back-nine KP.
Cheep Shots From O.T. Green…
Tour Championship winner Bob Dunn solidified his hopes of trying the coveted Green Jacket on for size with his second straight PGA Tour victory (until the first, he wasn't even a contender)…One wonders if the feat of winning two straight has ever been achieved before (the statistician will check)…The firm of Burns & Pomeroy shot two very good rounds at The Bear, 76 and 77, respectively. With Burns' score, someone finally shot a lower gross score than Charlie "The Tuna" Phipps, who shot 79…Duke Molinski, as reported earlier, has decided to retire from his North Vancouver school posting effective the end of June. He joins a growing number of Tour regulars recently retired — can a Senior Tour be far behind?…Ken Sherk travelled in style to Kelowna in Blair Murdoch's very expensive Mercedes convertible. The one flaw? — with the roof down it can only accommodate one set of golf sticks…Also traveling in style in his "middle age crazy" Corvette was the aforementioned Dunn & John Baxter…There is no confirmation, yet, that the two owners are planning to drag prior the Northlands event…Commissioner Len Slade's announcement to step down after this season surprised The Tour's regulars but his contributions not only this year but since our inception deserve sincere thanks for a difficult job most defiantly WELL DONE!!…The early favourite to succeed Slade is Tom Carter…Next year, don't be surprised to see Lenny's name on top of the leaderboard… Dependable Doug Quinn had to leave following the 11th hole Saturday to return home to Vancouver, leaving Roger McBride without an Olympic partner for the final seven holes. “It was no loss,” sniffed McBride. “He only had one Olympic point”…At the post-round barbecue at the home of Phil and Judi Langley, two new trophies were unveiled…Both were donated by Dave Rice and John Baxter of Lawson-Lundell. Both their names were engraved on the trophy as past winners of the competition held for the first time this weekend????…The other trophy is appropriately called Peewee’s Cup, in recognition of the outgoing commissioner, who was acknowledged as the 2001 winner for “just being Lenny.” Ex-commish Langley was designated by Rice to come up with a category and winner for 2002, based on events of this weekend but somebody else (?) did it and Langley was the winner, with Neil Murray, Rod Matheson and Rick Mark all runners-up…There was talk of introducing a new advantage for Tour players when they next meet, at Furry Creek in two weeks. Competition maestroMurdoch suggested that any member who plays Furry Creek in a dress can hit from the red tees. Early volunteers were Rice andCarter.
Gallagher’s Canyon — ‘Olympic’ Match
Overview: This is a putting “game”. It rewards golfers who make can hole their shots in one putt after reaching the green, i.e., one putts are good, two or more putts aren’t. This game allows us to work on our concentration and, for some of us, our swearing.
Rules:
1. Once all members of the foursome are on the green the putts are measured and the one who is the furthest from the hole (i.e., the person who would ordinarily putt first) scores four (4) points if sunk in one putt. If that person misses sinking on the first putt, they are out of the competition for this hole. The second furthest putt then has an opportunity to score three (3) points if sunk in one putt. Similarly, the second closest (third furthest) would score two (2) points and the shortest putt could score one (1) point again, if sunk in one attempt.
2. No points are awarded to a player more than one putt is needed on the hole.
3. It is possible for more than one player to score points on a hole. Everybody who one-putts scores points. Everybody who doesn't one-putt gets no points.
4. If a player sinks a putt from off the green and requires no putts, that player scores five (5) points on the hole. This would mean there would be no 4 point putt (i.e., maximum possible is 5,3,2,1) If two players hole out from off the green then there would be no 4 or 3 point putts (i.e., maximum possible is 5,5,2,1).
5. Individual scores are kept of the Olympic competition, and there are two-man teams. At the end of the day, the $120 is divided up as follows:
a) First-place team — $60
b) Second-place team — $40
c) Third-place team — $20
It is suggested that a separate scorecard be utilized to maintain the Olympic scoring. Please turn in Olympic cards to Blair Murdoch at the 19th hole.
Capitalized players collect $10 from each man in your foursome. Turn in cards with gross scores to Backie/Murdoch after your match.
As this two-day event is the PGA Tour Championship, Sunday’s draw will be based on Saturday’s results and it will be announced at the BBQ at Phil Langley’s later that evening. Remember, Phil’s house is out of the way and is not close to a liquor store so stock up before you set off for Phil’s. Side games on Sunday will be up to the individual foursomes and will not require a $10 levy on players.
Event No. 4 — Dunn By Six at Point Roberts
Playing in his 39th PGA Tour event, Bob Dunn became an official Tour winner for the first time with a six-shot victory over a reduced field at Point Roberts, on Victoria Day. Actually, it was his second Tour victory but the first — at Homestead in the inaugural PGA season — never became official: “You had to stay for the 19th hole to claim your prize and validate winning,” said Dunn, “and I had to leave right after the game to catch a plane.” He toured the 6,417-yard layout in 92 strokes, for a net 70. Dunn prepared for the only U.S. stop on the Tour by training rigorously in Palm Desert, Calif., under the tutelage of Len Slade, John Baxter and Cookie Gilchrist.
Tied for second at 76 were Charlie Phipps, Rod Matheson and Paul Carson. Dunn’s playing partner, Jim Lanyon, asked that it be noted that this week’s winner played in his foursome, and Dunn agreed that Lanyon was a big help: “I've been working on my tempo, and Jim has helped me to be slower.”
In addition to Lanyon, Dunn credited back-to-back birdies on the 8th and 9th holes for figuring prominently in winning. With the smallest field (15) in PGA Tour history, first-place money was $40. Phipps, Matheson and Carson each won $10, and Lanyon received $5 for the day’s highest net score (88).
The game Avalon was won by the duo of Carson and Dick Burns, to the surprise of everyone — even Carson and Burns. The winning twosome shared $40 first-prize money, finishing one stroke ahead of Dunn and Hugh Taylor, who was standing in for Doug Quinn. Tom Carter and Mike Maddison tied for third with Matheson and Paul Killeen.
There were no KPs.
Following are the official scores:
Point Roberts Gross Score Net Score
Dunn 92 70
Phipps 82 76
Matheson 91 76
Carson 100 76
Burns 86 77
Carter 89 77
Murdoch 96 79
Maddison 99 80
Killeen 96 81
Bourbonais 94 83
Sherk 106 83
Taylor 99 84
Brown 97 85
McBride 106 86
Lanyon 103 88
Cheep Shots From O.T. Green…
The reduced field was further reduced by the 11th-hour withdrawals of Cookie Gilchrist and Doug Quinn but the 19th hole banter was not reduced. In fact with so many missing Tour regulars, the manhood and judgment of those missing was frequently questioned at nearby Kiniski's Reef pub. Gamesman Blair Murdoch wondered out loud why Commissioner Len Slade would schedule an event on a long weekend and then not even attend himself. "Typical teacher," said Murdoch. "He should be sanctioned" cried the masses…With his win, can a handicap reduction for Bob Dunn be far behind?…For the fourth straight event, Charlie "The Tuna" Phipps was low gross. He was disappointed in his 82 (net 76) but other than Dunn and sportscaster Paul Carson, the entire field recorded higher that normal scores. It would be fair to say the Point Roberts golf course was the winner this time…The upcoming trip to Kelowna was a popular topic at the 19th hole and it seems most of the field will be leaving early to get in a practice round at various courses…Even with his connections, Mr. Coke (Mike Maddison) could not squeeze onto Predator Ridge for a Friday round…Popular practice-round destinations seem to be Kelowna Country Club, Shannon Lake and The Quail…Besides the commissioner, Cookie Gilchrist was a sanctions candidate, for being a last-minute no-show at Point Roberts without finding a spare…Dave Backie, once he has returned from his Nevada tune-up for the Kelowna trip, is expected to re-do the handicaps before the first Kelowna round, Gallagher’s Canyon.
The Game For Point Roberts — Avalon
Overview: This is an old fashioned two-ball game. Anticipated prize money available for this pot is $80. First-place team gets $40, Second-place team gets $25 and third-place team gets $15.
Two man teams as follows:
1. PHIPPS-SHERK
2. BURNS-CARSON
3. QUINN-DUNN
4. BOURBONAIS-McBRIDE
5. CARTER-MADDISON
6. BROWN-MURDOCH
7. GILCHRIST-LANYON
8. MATHESON-KILLEEN
Record all scores as normal. At the end, the winning team is the team with the best total net score. Net scores are your actual score minus your handicap. For tee times, see "Schedules."
Event No. 3 — Maddison Tops at Swan-e-Set
Quickly becoming known as Mr. Consistency, Mike Maddison won low net at Swan-e-Set with his second net 69 of the three-week-old season. In between his 69s, Maddison had a net 70. At Swan-e-Set his score was a stroke better than the Golden Eagle winner, Roger McBride, and it was also good enough to win the “Hurdle” competition.
Charlie Phipps shot 79 for low gross, as usual.
The game Legion was generally understood* and played by all with mediocre results. The Legion 'winner' in each foursome received $10 and the overall Legion winner another $25, secnd place was worth $15 and third place $10. The results were:
1st place 1 point OVER his hurdle Mike Madison $35
2nd place achieved his hurdle Doug Quinn $25
3rd place 1 point less than their hurdle Larry Brown/Blair Murdoch $20
4th place 3 points less than his hurdle Tom Carter $10
5th place 4 points less than his hurdle Len Slade $10
The KPs were won by Rod Matheson and Jim Pomeroy.
* Chief statistician (Dave Backie) proved that he is only human as he came in with badly understood Legion interpretations requiring the author of the game to unravel the mess. This just proves that you can't teach teachers much about anything let alone golf. Bob Molinski asked the question of the day — “Do we count gross or net?” — prior to the match and saved himself further embarrassment later.
“In future,” says Blair Murdoch, “I will never let a teacher, maybe better still an old teacher, be in charge of the game. They can perhaps take attendance but should not be allowed or expected to understand or adapt to anything new. Foursome groupings in the future will definitely have one pupil/civilian at a minimum.
Following are the official scores:
Swan-e-Set Gross Score Net Score
Maddison 88 69
Quinn 81 70
McBride 90 70
Brown 83 71
Carter 84 72
Phipps 79 73
Burns 82 73
Killeen 88 73
Murdoch 90 73
Slade 91 73
Pomeroy 85 75
Matheson 90 75
Molinski 91 76
Carson 100 76
Sherk 100 77
Backie 92 79
Rice 96 79
Lanyon 96 81
Pearce 99 82
Harrison 105 85
Cheep Shots From O.T. Green…
Once again the sun and warmth made for a lively 19th hole…The round was slow but this time there were no accusations flying at reputed "snail" Jim Lanyon. Commissioner Len Slade was in the first group and he cited slow play ahead as the culprit. For the first time in recent memory there was not a full field. Several players were missing, including Director of Communications Bob Dunn, Cookie Gilchrist, John Baxter and Dick Bourbonais. For Dunn, his absence is only his second ever as a PGA regular…Making his PGA debut as a spare was long-time regular Jim "Buford" Pomeroy, who will also be coming on the Kelowna trip. Along with Jim, another former tour regular Neil Murray, will also be playing in Kelowna. Neil will drive "Rocket" Rod Matheson, who will be returning from Japan the same morning (Friday) as the trek to Kelowna — now that's dedication…It looks like another long-time tour veteran, Vern Porter, will have his playing status reduced to that of spare due to the basketball prowess of his daughter. A first-class hoopster in his day, Vern wants to experience more of her success first-hand…Considering joining the ranks of the retired like school district compatriots Paul Killeen, Larry Brown et al is Bob Molinski. It appears "Duke" is looking at his options and will make his decision later this spring…Speaking of reduced fields, the Point Roberts event on holiday Monday (May 20th) will be contested by only four groups (16 players), by far the fewest ever for a sanctioned event…A full field, or close to it, is expected for the two Kelowna dates. Commissioner Slade told members that the dinner at ex-commish Phil Langley's on Saturday evening will be "a 9.00 value for a 15.00 fee". A word to the 16 members playing at Point Roberts: Remember to take ID to cross the border. They accept only passports or driver’s license with birth certificate as valid ID and will refuse entry if you cannot produce proper identification.
The Game For Swan-e-Set — Legion
Overview: Legion is a creative handicapping method. Players receive a negative quota of points, called a “hurdle”, based on their handicaps. The game is based on scratch players receiving a hurdle of 39 points, 1 handicaps receive a hurdle of 38 points, etc. All players start at 0 points for the day. Then, based on their performances, players receive points as follows:
Bogeys = 1 point
Pars = 2 points
Birdies = 4 points
Eagles = 8 points
The player who clears his hurdle by the most points in his foursome wins $10. Additionally, the player who clears his hurdle by the most points in our entire 20 man field wins an additional $25. The second player in the 20 man field wins an additional $15 and the third player in the field wins an additional $10.
Player Handicap Hurdle Quota
Backie 13 26
Brown 12 27
Burns 9 30
Carson 24 15
Carter 12 27
Killeen 15 24
Lanyon 15 24
Maddison 19 20
Matheson 15 24
McBride 20 19
Molinski 15 24
Murdoch 17 22
Pearce 17 22
Phipps 6 33
Pomeroy TBA TBA
Quinn 11 28
Rice 17 22
Sherk 23 16
Slade 18 21
Taylor 15 24
Event No. 2 — McBride Leads Assault On Golden Eagle
Showing the form that surfaces from time to time in his PGA Tour career, Roger McBride thrived in the heat (as any Bikini Man should) of Golden Eagle with a net score that sent historians scurrying to see if there had ever been one better. Playing to a 24 handicap, McBride’s gross 84 and net 60 gave him a two-shot victory in a round played in near-pristine conditions that led to 17 of the 24 players breaking 70.
With five pars and two birdies, he toured the 5,710-yard layout with nines of 41-43 and had only three holes of more than bogey. He missed the magic net 59 by double-bogeying the 18th hole. At the 19th hole, McBride was rewarded with the top prize of $20 and the impending handicap adjustment, which took place before the news of his heroics was reported to the public at large (he’s now a 20).
Second-place finisher Tom Carter carded a 76 (net 62), the day’s second-best round, and also faced a handicap reduction. One stroke better than him was Charlie Phipps, who for the second straight event had the best gross score. Third among net scores was Bob Molinski, making his 2002 debut on the Tour after a mis-communication left him standing in the rain two weeks earlier.
Ken Sherk won the first KP on the 152-yard fifth hole and Dick Bourbonais, in his first outing of the year, nailed the second KP on the 176-yard 16th hole.
The team event ($60) went to Bourbonais, Molinski, Jim Lanyon and Paul Carson with a score of 119. Nobody but Blair Murdoch knew how, or what 119 meant, but “Mr. St. Alice” didn’t stick around to explain. In second place ($40) was the Phipps-captained foursome, followed ($20) by Commissioner Len Slade’s quartet.
Following are the official scores:
Golden Eagle Gross Score Net Score McBride 84 60 Carter 76 62 Molinski 80 63 Lanyon 81 64 Brown 79 66 Matheson 82 66 Croom 78 66 Dunn 89 67 Sherk 92 67 Killeen 84 67 Gilchrist 82 67 Phipps 75 67 Rice 87 68 Carson 93 68 Quinn 79 69 Bourbonais 80 69 Backie 83 69 Maddison 91 70 Burns 79 71 Murdoch 88 71 Slade 88 72 Baxter 100 75 Pearce 92 76 Mills 89 79 Cheep Shots From O.T. Green…
Did anyone notice how much happier tour members were after Saturday's round? Was it the relatively low scoring due to a fairly easy golf course or was it the sun and warmth?…Good for Cookie Gilchrist for sticking to his ethics by refusing to pick Vijay ("He's a cheater") Singh in the Masters Pool which turned out to be the difference...The firm of Carter & Rice, who finished 1-2 in the pool, had no such moral dilemma and picked the Fijian who allegedly cannot add…After no visits to the prize table last year, Bob Dunn has cashed in at both events this season picking up $5.00 each time (the first $5 was for having the worst points total of the day)…“Maybe now he can afford a haircut,” chirped ex-Commissioner John Mills, who was otherwise invisible at Golden Eagle…Surprisingly, Commissioner Len Slade was not as severely attacked as some anticipated for the Meadow Gardens communication slip-up. Perhaps the tour IS mellowing…Golden Eagle gave up more gross rounds in the 70s than any other course in my memory…John Baxter, who has been suffering through sickness (double pneumonia), started slow but finished with a flurry and Tour insiders expect some low rounds soon…Was there ever any doubt that Jim Lanyon's foursome would be the first to be fined for slow play after being reprimanded by the course marshall?…Dave Pearce struggled with his putting and may have to go to the long putter which would be very long in his case — Pearce is 6'4"....Swan-e-set Bay is reputed to be in excellent shape so pray to the Golf Gods for another warm and sunny day on May 11th…Blair Murdoch gets the first kudo for subscribing to the PGA’s motto (see top of this page) for admitting, albeit with a little nudging from partner Paul Carson, that his Meadow Gardens score was actually one shot higher. Failure to do so and Cookie Gilchrist would have renamed him Vijay Murdoch.
Week 2 Game — ‘St. Alice’
Overview: This is a two-ball “team” game where two balls count. Net scores will be counted. You will be required, as always, to post gross scores on your scorecards. Dave Backie will sort it out at the 19th hole.
Rules:
1. Establish your playing order from your foursome and write it down.
2. On hole #1, the first player listed is the team’s “captain.” Based on the captain’s assessment of all the tee shots, and prior to a second shot by anyone, he chooses one member as his partner on the hole. The captain writes the identity of his partner down on the scorecard (initial on line 5). The foursome is now stuck with the scores of that chosen member plus the captain for this hole.
3. The captain for hole #1 is also the captain for holes 5, 9, 13.
4. On hole #2, the second player listed on the scorecard is now the “captain”. As in point 2. above, he chooses one member of the foursome as his partner for this hole and records the identity on the scorecard. Again, the foursome score is based on the performance of the captain and the chosen golfer. Remember, the captain chooses the golfer after the drives but before any other shots are taken.
5. As in point 3. above, this captain is the captain for holes 6, 10, 14
6. Hole number 3, player listed #3 is the captain. Repeat as before with that golfer captaining holes 7, 11, 15.
7. Hole number 4, player listed #4 is the captain. Repeat as before with that golfer captaining holes 8, 12, 16.
8. Hole #17, count Captain 1’s score and Captain 2’s score.
9. Hole #18, count Captain 3’s score and Captain 4’s score.
10. Prize money will be split up $60 to the first team, $40 to the second team and $20 to the third team.
While Director of Competition Blair Murdoch is not in the same group as Jim Lanyon, Murdoch has assigned Paul Carson the task of clocking Lanyon. “He will be on the clock to ensure reasonable pace of play,” says Murdoch (again). “If he is slow I will purposely schedule him for the last group for the balance of the season.”
Note 1: Since former co-commissioner John Mills did not submit a handicap, a call was made to the Calgary Sun Sports Department to see if the local golf writer knew. “We hear he’s a three,” was the response…hence, he is a 3.
Note 2: The bold-faced player in each foursome is in charge of collecting $10 from each player for prizes. Bob Molinski is responsible for collecting $10 for Masters Pool participants.
Event No. 1 — Rookie Lights Up Meadow Gardens
Making his first start as a PGA Tour regular, Charlie (The Tuna) Phipps lit up dreary and damp Meadow Gardens with a three-over-par 75 to kick off the 2002 season, establishing himself as the early favourite to be PGA Tour Rookie-of-the-Year. While half his rain-soaked competitors were busy trying to figure out why he's called The Tuna…the other half were taking a vote on changing his nickname to The Sandbagger.
Phipps birded his first hole as a PGA Tour rookie, then reeled off five pars and three bogeys to finish the front nine in two-over 38 (finish after clarification). Phipps won the $20 low net prize over Paul Killeen, thereby forsaking his amataur status, even though both he and Killeen both had net 68s. The PGA hierarchy is investigating.
Because of the confusion resulting from the "cancellation-cum-we're playing" decision (see Commissioner's message), the Olympic match competition had to be modified by Director of Competition Blair Murdoch. The two-man team format was scrapped, and “putting points” were used to determine individual prizes. Jay Merrilees won $25 with 14 points, four more than Tom Carter, Vern Porter and alternate Hugh Taylor, who did the right thing by matching but not beating his boss (Carter).
Phipps also won the KP prize on the 13th hole, while Larry Brown took the KP on the fourth hole.
Following are the official scores:
Meadow Gardens Gross Score Net Score
Phipps 75 68
Killeen 85 68
Maddison 90 69
Backie 84 70
Taylor 85 70
Porter 86 70
Carter 85 71
Jeffries 86 71
McBride 95 71
Merrilees 90 72
Matheson 91 75
Carson 100 75
Quinn 86 76
Burns 86 76
Slade 92 76
Gilchrist 92 77
Dunn 99 77
Brown 91 78
Murdoch 96 79