Paul Caleb (left) and Doug Zink (right)
receive the Battle for Oracle Junction trophy.
Jim Grosjean
July has arrived in SaddleBrooke, and those of us who are sticking it out through the summer heat can take solace in the fact that the MPMGA will continue to put on a thrilling golf tournament every Thursday.
Back in scorching-hot June, we played a few events, beginning with the famed Summer Bash. In this format, four-man teams rotated partners every six holes and added the scramble scores of the twosomes to make a team score on each hole. If you understand that explanation, I consider you to be of near genius-level intelligence. Anyway, the winners of Flight 1 were Lee Leksell, Scott Lundgren, Dan Nordhill, and John Anderson. Carter Luther, Jim Van Sistine, Alan Citron, and Bill Webster took first place in Flight 2. In Flight 3, Lowell Hegg, Bob Osebold, Angelo Klousiadis, and Glenn Deutsch took the honors.
As usual, the highlight of the Bash was a great lunch with a taco bar, dessert, and, yes, beer! There was also the presentation of the coveted McDivot Award. In the past, I have been ruthless in describing the heinous acts of the winners of the McDivot. There have been some truly boneheaded, ignorant, or even murderous acts perpetrated by McDivot winners. However, as I mellow in my old age, I have come to appreciate the honor bestowed with love and admiration to these sorry winners. As you may have guessed, yours truly won the award this month. In my acceptance speech, I blamed my wife for removing my clubs so she could play golf. In all humiliation, I discovered that I had put the clubs in the trunk of my car and forgot to take them out before driving to The Preserve with no clubs. It was a mistake anyone could make, but I actually did it. After all, who else has won the McDivot three times in five years? My dog Maddie likes having Mr. McDivot around, so at least one member of the family is happy to see him.
The prestige tournament in June was the so-called Battle for Oracle Junction. The much-hyped event never quite reached the level to be called a “battle,” as the MPMGA took a commanding lead of 87-6 at The Preserve. The Ranch squeaked out a 38-35 victory on day two at their home course, but the final score of 122-44 was never in doubt. Even after the blowout, the Ranchers were gracious hosts of a fine lunch, and everyone left with smiles on their faces. There’s talk that the Ranch is contemplating a rematch for next year. Be careful what you wish for!
The final tournament in June was a new format called Two Blind Mice and a Rat. Assistant pro Wayne Clark became the universal partner of all the two-man teams to form a 2 best ball competition. Wayne’s score of 75 certainly didn’t hurt many teams. Flight 1 ended with Matt Kambic and Tony VanNatter tying Dan Nordhill and Tim Ward. Flight 2 was won by John Smith and Harry Clausen. Dick Helms and Rick Fernandez won Flight 3, and Joe Oczak and Alan Doan conquered Flight 4.
As always, it’s worth mentioning that it’s never too late to join the MPMGA. Just drop an email to Dave Quesnell at davidquesnell77@gmail.com.