Bob Edelblut
I have truthfully lost count but I believe that this year’s victory makes it six in a row for the MPMGA. You really have to be there, participate in the event, to appreciate the significance of this streak. It is a real live slugfest with every member of each team trying to play as well as they can to win as many points as possible. It’s a blast! You’ve got to try it!
December 13 and 14 were the dates of this year’s tournament. Since the SMGA was the host this year, the first round was played at the Preserve Golf Course. On day two play switched to SaddleBrooke courses so all players would be close to their main dining room where a fabulous buffet would be enjoyed by all.
As a reminder, two nine-hole matches are played on each day. There was a scramble, a shamble, a Chapman and a net best ball. Points were earned when you either won or halved the hole and a bonus point was added to your score when you won the match. Nothing was earned when you lost a hole. The maximum number of points a two-man team could win each day was 20. The maximum number of points each club could win each day was 440. Yes, you are correct. The total number of points to be won was 880.
Okay, here comes some good stuff. Once again “home field advantage” prevailed. At the Preserve the MPMGA won 16 of the 22 matches played and accumulated 246.5 points. Two of our teams, Stephen Searl and Darryl Henderson and Bill Webster and Phil Gray earned 14.5 points on day one and two others Bruce Fink and Mick Borm and Bob Edelblut and Bob Maruniak earned 13.5 points. The SMGA won 193.5 on day one and their top point winner was the team of Doug Swartz and Greg Verbus with 14 points. Congratulations to all!
On day two the weather got much better and so did the SMGA. At home they won 13 matches and tied one for a total of 237.5 points. They closed the gap! Our top point winners on day two were the team of Gary Cain and Rick Fernandez with 14 points and Doug Johnson and Chuck Dyer with 13.5 points. Great play, gentlemen, in enemy territory. The SMGA top winner on day two was the team of Phil Cohen and Rob Malik with 14.5 points. They also had three other teams that won 13.5 points. Impressive!
If you have followed the clues you now know that the MPMGA won by the score of 449 to 431. If this had been an election the victory would be 51% for the good guys and 49% for the others. Congratulations to all those Men’s Club members who played and made it possible for us to keep the coveted Javelina Cup. Next year is a mere 12 months away. Time to get ready.