By Rick Colvin
In the final Bouchillon-Ambrose matches of the regular season on Sept. 15, the tournament-leading Marshwood team fell to a surging Palmetto squad while Oakridge narrowly defeated Deer Creek in four-ball competition on the Palmetto course.
Marshwood’s 10-2 loss, combined with a narrow 5-4 ½ win by Oakridge, left the two teams tied for first place, one point ahead of Palmetto and Deer Creek. Due to both teams having an odd number of players, Oakridge’s Gary Hobbs played a singles match against Deer Creek’s Ron Thomas, and Hobbs’ victory gave his team the ½ -point margin of victory.
The tournament ends in October with three days of competition, meaning that all of the teams are still well-positioned for a win.
One of the day’s tightest matches was between Andy Eastwood and Rich Matos for the Deer Creek team and Kevin Brandon and Paul Lieberman for the Oakridge team. Brandon and Lieberman won the first hole to go 1-up. Over the next five holes, the two teams traded birdies, and Eastwood and Matos remained one down, even though their best-ball score was 2-under par. The two teams battled to the very end, with Eastwood and Matos, who shot a 74, winning 2 and 1.
In another tight match, Palmetto’s Bill Wolod and Bob Wyont won 1-up over Marshwood’s Greg Snyder and Rick Saunders. Wolod shot a 76. Another point for Palmetto came from a 2 and 1 win by Palmetto Asst. Pro. Kyle Brennamen and Scott Stockslager over Marshwood Asst. Pro Zach Biggin and Billy Brunton. Palmetto’s Joe LeBlanc and Scott Happ won the first hole of their match against Marshwood’s James Headley and Gary Lautzenhiser and won the match 1-up.
In the category of not-tight matches, Deer Creek’s Chuck Murphy and Steve Thomas beat Tom Stephens and Tom Richards 6 and 5, thanks to Thomas, who was carrying at 15-handicap, shooting a 78. In another wipeout, Keith Krueger and John Garone secured one of Marshwood’s two points by hammering Rick Colvin and Peter Altman 6-5.
Highlight Reel
John Evans chipped in for a birdie on the long par-4 4th hole…Doug Ramey birdied the par 3 15th hole with a 70-foot putt…Edgar Yu put a 3-wood to 1 foot from 185 yards on the par 3 3rd hole…newcomer Chuck Moore sank a 40-foot putt for a birdie on the par 3 5th hole…and, finally, Deer Creek Head Pro Spencer Scheeler had a heroic par 3 on the 5th hole. He pulled his tee shot far to the left, it hit on the cart path and ended up in the middle of Landings Way.
Scheeler took relief and, hitting a wedge, put his ball into a clump of hanging Spanish moss. Then, from 25 yards, sank his next shot for a par. Just proving, once again, that in match play you can never give up or take winning a hole for granted. Scheeler and his partner, Frank Schepis, won their match over Oakridge Head Pro Eric Mitchell and Gordon Ulrey.
