Team Oakridge came out swinging against Deer Creek in the latest BA Cup competition, tallying 12 over 9, plus a ¼ point bonus provided by Oakridge team captain Tom Richards in Overflow. The decisive individual wins were aided by hard-fought, head-to-head ties for ½ point each by John Bokina (DC) against Brian Mitchell, and Bobby Balmes (DC) against Sonny Brownlee.
Meanwhile, cross-island rivals Marshwood and Palmetto fought to an 11 ½ - 11 ½ draw. The split point was shared by team captains Scott Happ (Palmetto) and Don Snyder (Marshwood), who described their competition as “an ugly match.” On one hole Don’s tee shot went OB, then Scott’s second shot went OB. “That typified our round,” said Don. ”No one deserved to win so a tie was poetic justice.” Their match ended on a positive note, however. The “friendly competitors” have agreed to partner in The Landings’ Spring Member/Member this April.
Club Pros Pete Vitiello (for Oakridge) pitched in by besting Lacy Swarek (for Deer Creek), and Spencer Scheeler, playing for Marshwood, added a point over Kyle Brenneman, playing for Palmetto.
Almost half the matches went to their final hole to decide the winner. And most of those matches saw multiple lead changes throughout the round.
This is the second month in a row that two course team matches ended in a tie. BA Cup competition standings to date are Palmetto in the lead with 1.5 points to their credit. Marshwood and Oakridge are tied for second place with 1.0 apiece. Deer Creek brings up the rear with 0.5 points. Despite the disparity at this point, the teams are well matched against each other and the season is still young.
INTERCLUB RESULTS
Playing the final match at the Country Club of Hilton Head on February 16, our Landings Club interclub team emerged with a resounding 50 ½ - 39 ½ victory to retain our lead position. Our opponent, the Palmetto Hall team, was in second place in the standings prior to the match.
Paul Lieberman and Brian Ray led the charge with a 13 ½ - 4 ½ spirit-breaking conquest followed by an equally dominating 12-6 win by Scott Stockslager and Bob Wyont. John Landuyt and Pat Beringer partnered for another solid 10-8 triumph. Gary Anklowitz and Dave Johnson fought back from a 3-point deficit to tie their match. Rich Matos and Andy Eastwood played hard but faced an opponent scoring his seasonal low.
Our team has played all 10 of our league matches. On Wednesday the 22nd, we will host the final league matches at Deer Creek and, as host club, will not compete while all the other teams play their 10th and final match.
At the moment, The Landings team leads the league. Moss Creek, now in second place, will need a strong final match win to overtake our lead. The race is not over but we’ve given the other teams a steep hill to climb.