Cold starts are a familiar January routine for LMGA rounds, and last week’s late tee-off came as no surprise to Golf Chairman Phil Redmond. “We pre-emptively knew there would be a delay,” he said. “The temperature was going to be around 25 degrees in the morning so we pushed it back to 10:30. Actually, the game didn’t even start until 10:45, but we finished up in time for a very nice late lunch. Larry Batanian (2024 LMGA VP) even arranged for cookies for dessert!”
A late start resulted in a mid-afternoon finish, but at the end Team Palmetto—the 2023 BA Cup Champions—prevailed in five matches over the Oakridge squad’s three wins, while Deer Creek bested the Marshwood team 5 ½ to 3 ½.
The Landings Club golf pros also got in on some of the match play action. Brian Albright, who had only recently signed on as a pro, teamed up with LMGA member Bret Hardy to defeat the twosome of Cody Carlson and Bob Kulp. Meanwhile, pro Brian Stefan stepped in to partner with LMGA member Gerry Stoltz against John Landuyt and LMGA president Rick Colvin, who prevailed in their head-to-head match.
Not to be outdone, two of the women pros paired up with LMGA members for a closely contested match. Danielle Skinner and John Garone battled it out against Lacy Skwarek and Rich Matos, with the match going to Lacy and Rich at the finish.