Archives for August 2015

All the Pre Tee-Off chatter Saturday AM indicated Walton had the QCGCDFCI championship all wrapped up with his pre-play 5 Under Par posting, but low

numbers came streaming in from font 9- with 10 players still in position to best Walton’s -5. The South Course had played up to its reputation- gentle, nourishing, beckoning. The West Course turned out to be another story. KAGT members got their full $15 green fee/cart fee paid for on the back nine, with every fairway roped off, ripped up, reseeded, and playing soft, soft, soft. Hole #5 was converted to a Par3 and the back nine played to a 34. Player were laying sod all over the West Course and scores were rising steadily. After 14 one contender stood alone at the top: Cummins at -9.

Cummins has been coming on strong the past several tournaments- 2^nd at the RWI and a top 4 at the KAGT Open. He would ride out the West Course to post a KAGT scoring record at -7 and claim his first victory of the year. With Geer and Brown both finishing poorly, Cummins should jump into 2^nd place and close the gap significantly on Camomot. The Record-Setting victory surely inspired Jason Day’s performance later in the afternoon.

(Cummins enjoys a cold one from the “Campeón QCGCDFCI” traveling champion’s mug. No stranger to KAGT hardware, Cummins noted he had enjoyed coffee from his Highland Classic mug that very morning.)

Walton’s 2^nd place finish will net him some additional points and keep him firmly in the conversation heading into the last tournament: the SW Prestige, “The Memorial” at Old Capitol Sunday September 13^th.

Mitch Gibson would finish strong to finish in solo 3^rd with a -4 performance. Casey Weber rounded out the money winners in 4^th at -3. Three others finished at -2. You had to go low this year at the QCGCDFCI- an Even Par finish got you nothing more than a three-way tie for 9^thplace.

Well played, and see you at the Memorial.

Match Play 2015 moves into the semi-finals. Here’s a quick look at the road to the final four for the survivors:

Match 1: battle of the Steves: (4) Brown vs (21) Irwin

No stranger to MatchPlay victories, former MP Champion Steve Brown received a play-in round bye, then took down family rival Camomot 3&2 in Round 1 before blitzing Rone 6&4 with a stunning 74 at Quail Chase. Steve Irwin, on the other hand, received a tremendous gift with opponents Deetsch and Wolf both unable to make the schedule work and having to withdraw. No wants to win like that, and at least Irwin had a spirited battle with Fetter before sending him packing, 2up at Seneca. Can Brown use a MP Championship to close the gap at the top of the Season Points Standings?

Match 2: battle of the short-knockers: (1) Gibson vs (10) Nacrelli

While these guys may not be known for their distance on Tour, they’ve both proven themselves battle-worthy on the Matchplay circuit. In another inter-family showdown, Nacrelli shocked Walton 3@2 in Round 1. He then went on to the “unprecedented comeback of epic proportions” (quotes by Fetter)- after allowing Weining to go dormie after hole 13, Nacrelli took 5 straight holes, plus the 85yd playoff to advance to the semi-finals. Gibson eeked out a victory over Buzz with a brilliant putting display during the MatchPlay Kickoff. He then got out early on Quintana and managed to keep him at bay for a 4&3 win at the Quail. Is the 2015 Match Play Champion but steps away from a repeat trophy?

Steve, Steve, Mitch and Matt- the idea is always to complete Match Play before the Memorial (Sept 13^th). I know Mitch and Matt are scheduled. Steves- please try to play as soon as you can get it schedule, before the end of August.