Bob Edelblut
Yes, the MPMGA won yet another Javelina Cup this year. I think that this is five in a row. For many years the SMGA and the MPMGA have put together small armies (their teams) to compete on the battlefields (their courses) in this event. You might say it’s our version of the Territorial Cup and the competition is intense!
Play this year was scheduled for December 4 and 7. No changes were made to the competition’s format or to the scoring system. Two nine-hole matches, one a team net best ball and the other a team shamble, were to be played on a course of each club. Each team earned one point for every hole they won and one-half point when the hole was halved. The maximum number of points that could be won per match was 10. This year there were 40 two-man teams and a total of 800 points up for grabs. I’m sure you remember that last year’s margin of victory was only 10 points.
On day one the SMGA was the host and the Tucson and SaddleBrooke nines were used to create the 18-hole layout. The courses were in fabulous condition and as usual provided all the challenge the golfers could handle. Thanks again, Gus, for arranging a 12:30 p.m. shotgun that allowed the weather to be everybody’s friend. The MPMGA pulled off a rather significant upset this day and totally destroyed the home field advantage myth, winning by a score of 220.5 to 179.5. It had to be the weather! Twelve of the 20 matches played were won by the MPMGA. Fantastic! Seven MPMGA teams earned 13.5 points or more. Great golf, gentlemen! The team of Dennis Marchand and Tom Fitzgerald won 15 points and the teams of John Brubaker and Larry Meyer and Peter Baragona and Mike Bershaw won 14. Well done! Two SMGA teams earned 13 points in their matches: Beaver Simpson and Randy Stople and Phil Cohen and Gordy Anderson. Congratulations, gentlemen.
Day two was set for December 7, and the MountainView Golf Course was the chosen sight. Unfortunately, Mother Nature blew her horn and produced weather that no golfer could endure—temperatures in the mid-40s, strong winds and threats of rain. Sanity prevailed and the day was cancelled. The luncheon, however, was not cancelled and some 80 or so golfers met at noon at the MountainView Ballroom for a delicious buffet. Thanks again to all the HOA Two Food and Beverage personnel who helped make our day a roaring success. Yes, the MPMGA was declared the winner and Special Events Director David Cohen spent just enough time praising his team and all those others who made the 2017 Javelina Cup special. Thank you, David.