Jim Grosjean
Over the course of three days in early July the Mountainview–Preserve Men’s Golf Association (MPMGA) held its Individual Match Play Tournament. Luckily, the weather was semi-pleasant for all three days, especially considering the heat wave that began a few days later. All participants were guaranteed at least two rounds of golf, with finalists and consolation bracket winners competing for big prizes in the third round. I say big, if you consider $45 for beating all three of your opponents, big. Those impressive winners included Edward Hashim in the Purple/Purple Green flight one, and Randy Breier in flight two. Over in the Green flights, David Petty, David Jones and Rick Hayward took honors in their respective flights while Alan Doan won the red flight.
In an effort to be fair, the MPMGA also holds a concurrent contest called the Whiners for all the (losers) of the previous rounds of the Match Play Tournament. Additionally, players who were not interested in mortal combat on a one-on-one basis could become whiners as well. Bruce Keefer, Paul Caleb, and Aaron Jacobus won their flights and took home kingly sums of $28 to $29! The only thing missing from the festivities was a celebratory lunch for the winners and losers alike.
The tournament held on July 23 was a contest which required a great deal of thought before attempting to record a score. For each hole, you record the best two net scores (out of four). In case the third (and possibly fourth player) has made a net birdie or better, that score is subtracted from the total hole score. I find that many of our players are challenged by basic addition, so the introduction of subtraction can be mind-boggling. Luckily, the fact that in order to receive the bonus, at least three players from the foursome must score net birdies or better, makes the whole exercise rare at best. The winners of the two flights are to be commended for their golf prowess as well as their arithmetic skills. They are Randy Breier, Don Sanders, Tony VanNatter, and Tim Ward in flight one and Tony Blunt, Paul Caleb, David Cohen, and Phil Gray in flight two.
Just a reminder that it is never too late to join the MPMGA for fun, frolic, and a little friendly competition.