When 8 is not enough!

Another great finish under the new scoring system this season saw two teams battling it out with the best team winning. We also saw two more teams make a valiant effort to chase the front-runners. Congratulations to Team 2 Trottier, Berry, Duffield and Imlach. First Half Champs. Congrats to Tom Hale as 1^st Half MVP.

In the featured match this week we watched Steve King take on the number one player Norm Pelletier and this match was not even close. King jumped out to a one up lead with a par on ten.  That was not long lived as Pelletier’s bogey on 11 squared the match and then on 12 Pelletier’s tee ball plugged and he was awarded a free drop. Pelletier took advantage and carded a nice par and went one up. Plus that par also helped his beer match with McGill as he and McGill went one up on King and Trottier. King then went on a nice tear as he went even par over the next three holes to go two up thru 15. King’s birdie putt on 15 from about 25-28 feet away was sweet. On 16 both players matched each other with pars and then with two holes to play Pelletier hooked his tee ball on 17 just into the tall grass and stumbled to his first double bogey of the season.  Match over… On 18 Pelletier found his tee shot just inches away from the cart path and King was in the middle of the fairway. With the pin on 18 in the back left bowl King’s 2^nd shot nestled just in the tall fringe pin high long. Pelletier made par and King used his hybrid to go for Eagle and dubbed it but bounced back to make birdie and crush Pelletier 15-5. King shoots a 2 over 37 and Pelletier hobbles in with a 42. Oh, King and Trottier killed it for the beer match.

In the next match we saw Glenn Acciard and Eric La Francis tee off and this was a close match as Acciard quickly started off with a par to go one up on 10. La Francis then reeled off three straight wins and he found himself two up through 13. Acciard parred the tough par 14^th to go one down. On 15 they halved and then on 16 La Francis grabbed a two up lead with two to play. Not to be undone Acciard captured 17 and then off they go to 18. With these two bombers who would out drive whom? I have no idea but they both parred and La Francis wins 11-9 in a very close match. Both carded 41’s.

Skip Gray and sub Bob Cairns matched off and this match was also close and Gray opened up with a triple bogey 7 and a one up lead. With pars on 11 Gray holds onto a one up lead and then on 12 Cairns pars to halve the match and they halve 13 to stay all square. Gray strokes on 14 but a snowman usually doesn’t win anything and Cairns is up one. Both players par 15 and Cairns in the 5^th group looks around and doesn’t see anyone and decides he must be in the last group and picks up the closest too the pin marker and puts it in Maloney’s cart while Maloney is in the outhouse where he visits every time we are on the back nine.  Did Cairns not remember the 4 guys standing on the tenth tee behind him when he teed off ahead of them? I guess not. Gray wins 16 with a bogey and Cairns wins 17 to go one up with one to play. They halve 18 and Cairns wins 12-8. Gray shoots 50 and Cairns 46. Cairns gives 3 stokes and if not for the 8 on 14 Gray could have captured a couple more points.

Mike Berry and Jim Marnie paired off this week and Marnie was favored (per McGill’s prediction) but Berry showed us all why he used to be an A player as he drubbed Marnie 16-4. Berry started off poorly by hooking his drive on 10 into the woods. Marnie wins 10 with a par. Then Berry turns it around by winning 11 with a par and then winning 12, 13, 14 and 15. Marnie has found that his nemesis hole is now 13. Last week we saw Marnie score an 11 and this week Marnie improved his shots on this hole with a snowman. Will Marnie ever conquer this hole? “Hit the iron” Jim…. Play continued to slide for Marnie as a triple bogey 7 on the 14th and a bogey on 15 allowed Berry to win 5 straight holes. They halve 16 and Marnie comes up for air and wins 17 and they halve 18 and Berry shoots 42 and Marnie 48. This match allowed Team 2 to make up the 8 points they were behind to start the evening. Team 2 up 4.

George Duffield played against Paul Comeau and this was a great match. Another Team 2 player duck hooks their drive into the woods on 10 and Comeau finishes with a nice par to go one up. Comeau continues to play well on 11 and goes two up with a par. Duffield says enough is enough and bounces right back with victories on 12 and 13. Comeau strokes on 14 and that hole is halved and on 15 Duffield slips a win in with a par but gives it right back on 16 with a triple bogey 17. Match all square with 2 to play. Duffield makes par on 17 and 18 to win one up but with Comeau getting a few strokes Comeau salvages a great split. 10-10. Duffield 43 Comeau 44. Team 2 holds serve and remains 4 strokes up.

Alan Imlach and Rich Juknavorian teed it up and this time Juke was the one who seemed to hook it left as Imlach slides in with a bogey to go one up. They halve 11 and then Imlach tears it up by winning four of the next 5 holes to bury Juknavorian 15-5. They halved 17 and Juke ends this debacle by finishing up with a nice birdie on 18 to get a head start on the second half of the season. Imlach 46 Juke 47. This was Imlach’s best round in a long time. Imlach basically clinched the first half championship by this big victory. Team 2 now up by 14 strokes going into the McGill Trottier match.

Trottier tees off against McGill for the first time this year and Trottier starts off with a gorgeous birdie as his second shot nestled right in there in gimmie range. McGill slipped up and double bogeyed and was quickly one down. McGill bounces back with a nice par as Trottier misses a short putt. Match all square. On 12 McGill finds the trap on the left and Trottier finds the fairway and again his approach shot is within birdie range and his birdie putt just slips by. Trottier up one as it takes McGill 4 more strokes to finish after his sand shot falls short of the green.  McGill and Trottier halve 13 as Trottier hooks his tee ball into the woods on the left and punches out nicely and then finds the fat of the green and two putts from 50 feet away. On 14 Trottier wins big as McGill triples. The par three 15 is usually McGill’s lucky hole as he captures another closest to the pin as his tee shot nestles about 4 feet below the hole but a quick pulled putt allows McGill to choke on the birdie, they halve. The 16^th allows McGill to grab one as Trottier’s tee ball and second shot are not your typical Trotter shots. McGill one down with 2 to play. McGill knows he needs to win out. McGill has honors and his hybrid is right down the middle and Trottier hooks it into the left rough. Advantage McGill. McGill in between clubs fails to execute an easy shot and finds himself short and right of the green, pitiful. Trottier has a tricky approach and finds the green and captures 17.  On 18 Trottier finds the cart path and his ball careens across the fairway and finds the rough. McGill is in the fairway but about 215 out and hit hybrid into the green only to over swing and hook it left. McGill is left with a sand wedge in out of the rough and finds the up slope of the bowl. McGill 2 putt for par and gets a stroke. Trottier’s approach heads right and when finally found it is on the right fringe deep into the green and his chip shot goes astray and a two putt gives the hole to McGill. Trottier slip in with a 12-8 victory and Trottier shoots a nice 38 and McGill a dreadful 45. McGill is no help to his team as Team 2 clinches.

Bill Wilson and George Vigneault matched up again and Vigneault roars out to a 3 up lead as Vigneault shoots even par on 10, 11 and 12.  Wilson wins 13 with a par and they halve 14 with bogeys and Vigneault wins 15 with a par and is now 3 up with 3 to play and is dormie. Vigneault captures 16 and closes out his match with Wilson and Vigneault relaxes as he allows Wilson to win 17 and a great birdie by Wilson on 18 allows Wilson to salvage another 2 points for his team. Vigneault smoothed his way to a 13-7 victory. Vigneault 41 Wilson 42.

In another classic match up Jim Waterman and Norm Comeau teed off against each other and they halved 10 and Waterman pars 11 and 12 to go 2 up over Comeau, with pars on 13 Waterman remains 2 up and Comeau start his surge with a win on the tricky par 4 14^th.  Both players match each other with bogey par on 15 and 16 and Waterman pars out on 17 and 18 to win going away 14-6. No beer for Waterman as he shoots a great 38 and Comeau limps in with a 6 over 41. Waterman does win the $1.00 match against Marnie.

In the seesaw match of the night we saw Mike Landry and Rick Maloney bounce back and forth like a tennis match as opposed to a golf match. Landry jumped out with a bogey win on 10 and then Maloney parred 11 to even the match only to see Landry win the 12^th with a double and then Maloney wins 13 with a triple. This match seemed to be going downhill literally as they turned the corner on 14 and finally they halved a hole. Landry wins 15 with a bogey as Maloney headed to the outhouse. On 16 both players carded bogeys and Maloney squares the match up with a win on 17 and with Landry stroking on 18 Maloney pars and Landry bogeys and this match is all square. Maloney & Landry 10-10. Maloney 50 Landry 52.

Vinny Serafino had the distinct pleasure of trying to dethrone Tom Hale as MVP but with Hale’s stellar play of late this would prove tricky for Serafino. Hale jumps straight out of the gate with a birdie on 10 and Hale is well on his way to MVP as Serafino triples 10. Hale trips up and allows Serafino a point as Hale and Serafino double the par 3 11^th.  Hale pars 12 to go 2 up but Serafino says enough is enough and comes roaring back with wins on 13 and 14. Serafino wins 13 with an 8, yikes.

Hale pars 15 and 16 and is now dormie and they halve 17 with bogeys and they both par 18 and Serafino strokes and Serafino grabs a well deserved 2 more points but too little too late and Hale captures the first half MVP. Hale wins 12-8. Serafino 54 Hale 44.

In the final match of the first half season Dennis Croteau played the ever tough Erkan Duzenli and all eyed were on this match to see if Team 4 could catapult itself over Team 6 and Team 2. Croteau double the 10^th to go one up as Duzenli triples. On 11 and 12 both players halve and Croteau wins 13 with a par. Duzenli returns the favor and captures 14 but that is not enough as Croteau pulls ahead by winning 15 and 16 to close out Duzenli. They halve 17 and 18 and as they come back in the clubhouse and all eyes are on Croteau he bumps into Wilson on the patio and words are exchanged and Croteau comes in to say he wished he hadn’t played 18 earlier in the day as he faltered and lost 18-2. The room erupts as that would have been enough to propel Team 4 led by Steve King into 1^st place. King calmly accepts a few accolades only to be spoofed by Croteau as Croteau finally admits he won his match over Duzenli 14-6. Croteau 43 Duzenli 46.

Again, another fantastic first half of the season as it came down to the final week and the final match to decide this half’s victors and MVP. Here’s to another great second half season and good luck to all as we begin the second half next week.

Weather mostly sunny and in the low 60’s with storm clouds approaching from the north.