More than four dozen paired competitors slugged it out on the Deer Creek course this past Thursday in the ongoing BA Cup competition. (Note: The contest, which had been scheduled for May 18, was moved back a week due to threatening weather and a Club conflict.) When final scores were tallied over an al fresco burger lunch beside the 18th green, Team Palmetto had defeated top-seed rival Deer Creek by one point, 11-10, while the cellar-dwelling Oakridge team scored a resounding 10 points against Marshwood’s 6 ½ and moved up in the standings.
Palmetto now stands alone at the top in BA Cup points with 3 ½ wins against Deer Creek’s 2 ½, with Marshwood and Oakridge now tied at 2 apiece.
Although Oakridge Team Captain Tom Richards was confident before the match, he was relieved to know his teammates came through for the win, although he couldn’t be there to help celebrate. He also wasn’t able to add to his team’s victory, as his match competitor, Gary Anklowitz, “was one-under after four holes and had me 1-2-3-4. I battled back but lost 4 to 3 after just 15 holes.”
There were some high notes among the players. Doug Berchtold, a recent LMGA membership addition, won his inaugural match and added to his Oakridge team’s victory—although it took one final putt on the very last hole of a seesaw match to cop the win. And Doug Duncan combined stellar play with cosmic coincidence to shoot his age, tallying a 76 on his scorecard (he also won his singles match for his Deer Creek team against Palmetto’s Rich Emmons).
WEDNESDAY NIGHT SCRAMBLES RETURN
It’s not yet summer but LMGA’s twilight Scrambles are back! Beginning June 7, players who sign up (on day of the event) will tee off at 6:00 pm sharp for a 9-hole contest that includes playing with Club pros, cash prizes, and beer & soft drinks after the round—all for just $10.
This annually popular weekly event offers a fun round of competitive play for LMGA members, especially those who can’t participate in regular play on Thursdays, and now Landings Club golf members not enrolled in LMGA are invited to participate as well on a free trial basis.
MEMBERSHIP NOTES
Doug and Marleen Berchtold moved to The Landings from Ontario just five months ago, but Doug is already helping Team Oakridge compete by winning his round in Singles Match Play this past Thursday. When asked why they chose our Club for their retirement home, Doug said they “just looked on the internet for warm weather, golf year-round, and multiple courses. Then we came here in July because I wanted my wife to know what it was like when it got stinking hot.” Savannah’s summer heat evidently wasn’t much of a deterrent, he added. “She said okay and that was it.”