Can you tell who the winners and losers are????
Yes, you probably guessed right…
November 17, 2021 - The MGA CUP
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A new twist on the classic shamble was decided for the first match of the MGA Cup. Think of it more like Alternate shot shamble or as I will now coin the phrase Alternamble (yes, it’s a work in progress) but what a fun change of pace. Didn’t turn out so well for my individual matchup but great for Team DJ overall who had two teams go 3 & 1 and started with a 5-4 point lead.
Then begun the true alternate shot. If you ask most golfers this is the toughest most nerve-racking format for amateurs. You don’t want to let your partner down and he has to hit your next shot so there is added pressure. Turns out Team DJ flourished under that pressure going 5-4 to take a 10-8 lead after day #1. Notable results below….
Meehan & Russel 2-0 against Bushnell & La Bonte
Castillo & Hawkins 2-0 against Phillips & Engleking
Purcell & Brown 2-0 against Jones and Hamilton (yes, that is me and I understand I deserve some s**t)
Friesen & Courson largest margin of victory over the entire tournament 4&2 Shelton & Bradshaw
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One of my favorite formats is the two-man best ball. You and your partner decide who wants to be aggressive, who should layup and whose got the hot hand hole-to-hole. A term often used is “we really ham and egged it out there”. Well to start the day Team Ed really ham and egged it. Winning the morning matches 6-3. The match has now swung with Team Ed winning 14-13.
Now the individual matches begin. In this format you are playing one of the members of the other team who you just played in two-man best ball (save time repairing and coming back into the proshop). Lets just say this was nearly over by the time I got to 18 (with another loss I might add). Team Ed was up 22 points with only one more point needed when Brice Custer (at least minute addition to the MGA Cup) closed out that last point for a Bad Team (typo Team Ed) victory. Notable matches include….
Tie Engleking & Jones (our top two golfers)
Brown 3-2 over Hamilton (the other one not me this time)
Tannahill 3&1 over Courson
Purcell, Brown, Hawkins & Castillo - Undefeated Individuals (on both teams)
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The day to day results can be seen in the photos below.
Overall:
Team Ed - 25 Points
Team DJ - 20 Points
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Presidents Cup is December 4th (see Tournament Schedule tab for details)
MGA Golf Ball and Brown Dog January 22nd
Written By: Grant Hamilton
October 12, 2021
Welcome to the Men’s Golf Association (MGA) Blog… this is meant to share information regarding events that transpired in the last year. The blog is meant to be a personal recap - the good, the bad and the funny. In this edition I’ll focus on the MGA Cup.
Congratulations to our two MGA Cup Captains; Ed Engleking and Donnie “DJ” Jones (pictured on the image to the right). They finished first and second respectively in MGA Golfer of the Year points. It’s been quite a year. We’ve had rain delays, COVID restrictions, heart-pounding playoffs and much, much more. We successfully concluded the MGA season.
Now comes the fun part. For those of you who are unaware, the MGA hosts a Ryder Cup inspired event in November known as the MGA Cup (clever). The top scoring players throughout the year qualify to participate. The key to qualification is to play in a lot of tournaments and score well individually or as a team, in at least one or two events. I said it was inspired by the real Ryder Cup. That is a professional event pitting United States players against a European squad. The U.S. has not played well in recent years, but clinched the 2021 Ryder Cup in September after rookie Collin Morikawa secured the final half point to get to a 19-9 victory, which is the largest margin of victory in recent Ryder Cup history.
In our version, Ed and DJ drafted teams that will compete against each other over two days, November 13 & 14. The draft is sort of like a fantasy football draft, although the captains don’t know all the players. The MGA provides information about each player's handicap and most recent scores to help them make their choices. As Golfer of the Year Ed went first, DJ had the second and third pick (in a snake draft type format) and so on. The MGA Board was in attendance and our Vice President recorded the picks. This is my second time being in the room for the draft. There are a couple of strategies typically pursued. 1) Pick the low handicaps - clearly the best golfers at the club capable of shooting in the 60's at any time and/or 2) Pick the higher handicapped golfers – underdogs but capable of winning a match with a good net score. Like the golf club, the best approach is probably a “hybrid” of the two (pun intended).
Once the top thirty-two players were picked, the rules allowed Ed and DJ to make two Captains picks each. For reasons beyond understanding DJ selected me as one of his Captain’s picks. Chris Cobb was his other pick. Ed chose Mark Friesen and Perry Woolley. The teams are listed below...
Team Ed Team DJ
Ed Engleking DJ Jones
Brad Stinson Aaron Madely
Chris Brown Ali Chmeis
Dan Irwin Andrew Meehan
Dean LaBonte Baylor Gates
Donnie Courson Chad Castillo
Elmer Funderburk Dale Hawkins
Jeremy Powell Don Tannahill
Jim Bushnell Jordan VanGilder
Jon Purcell Kyle Shelton
Kasey Sewell Mark Meservey
Mike O'Brien Matt Gresens
Mike Phillips Matt Hamilton
Rich Bailey Nate Russell
Rusty Thornell Phillip Comfort
Stu Osantowski Robert Bradshaw
Captain's Picks Captain’s Picks
Mark Friesen Grant Hamilton
Perry Woolley Chris Cobb
The captain’s picked out shirts and hats for their respective teams, exciting in and of itself. In the lead up to the tournament the MGA will host a draft party in the Demaret Room (more info to follow likely Friday Nov 12th). Everyone can attend whether you qualified to play or not. It’s a good time for shite talking and intimidation tactics such as – “Betcha can’t hit it in the water three times in a row. Go ahead, try it.”
The tournament format has yet to be decided but here was the 2020 format as an example of what to expect (DON'T HOLD ME TO THIS IT IS NOT SET IN STONE)
Day 1 Formats:
Two-Man Shamble Low Net Match on the First 9 and Two-Man Alternate Shot on the Second 9. In the Alternate Shot format, you will decide, before the round starts, who will be teeing off on the odd numbered holes and who will be teeing off on the even numbered holes.
Day 2 Formats:
Two-man Best Ball Low Net Match on the First 9 and Singles Net Match for the Second 9.
Each Match is worth 1 point and ties get 1/2 point each.
During the two days everyone watches everyone else, makes side bets and cheers and boos as needed. If you’re not playing, follow your favorite groups or post up somewhere in the shade with a cold beverage.
Looking ahead, our next event after the MGA Cup is The Presidents Cup. If you’re a fancy wordsmith you could call the format “eclectic”. If you went to U.T. (University of Tallahassee) you could just say it’s weird. In past years The President’s Cup has included a no out-of-bounds or hazards rule - swing as hard as you can on #3 North and either it works out in the fairway/green or you drop it with no penalty where it last crossed the line. Another year there was no stroke counted when a ball landed in a bunker. For example, if someone on #13 North hit in the bunker on the right and chipped in it would be (sort of) a hole-in-one. The tournament twists and turns are divined by the current president and based on his mood could be fun or difficult. That morning we will also be voting on new board members and the 2021 budget so please attend if your available.
Hope to see you all out there! Congrats to the MGA Cup Qualifiers, the Captains Picks and the GOY points leaders. Lastly, what would a blog be without a Flying Circus question er’ poser.
“What… is the air-speed velocity of an unladen swallow?”
Thanks
-Grant Hamilton
-Edited by Matt Hamilton