TO: O.U. - TEXAS GAME FANS...

As every year, many of our members gather to watch the O.U. - Texas game, and this coming Staurday, October 13th will be no different.

Usually, we all gather at Craig & Brenda Martin's home, but this year, the gathering will be at the club. Please read the flier below...

After the game, you can either play a 9 hole scramble, or you can watch the second game between Oklahoma State and Kansas... either way, it will be a fun Saturday!!

The pro-shop will be offering updates of the second game for the golfers who would like to play the scramble, but are interested in the result.

ROLLER COASTER WEEK...

A simple change on the
backswing helped
stabilize at the top

With its "highs" and "lows", this past week will be hard to forget.

First, as a golf fan, was the fact that one of my favorite tournaments, the Ryder Cup was taking place in Chicago. From Monday on, all you could find in the Golf Channel, ESPN, NBC and sports reports were stories about the Ryder Cup, and who were the hottest players around and how the American team "needed" to win.

Then, as a dad and fan of my daughter Anya, instead of watching TV, I was going to carry her bag on the same days as the Ryder Cup in her last Symetra Tour tournament of her season, at the Champions Club in Daytona Beach, FL. No secret here, I rather carry her bag and enjoy her company, than watch golf all day long on TV... (that is why we now have DVR's where I can skip the TV ads). While the players in the Ryder Cup have achieved stardom, she is still chasing a dream and finding out the confidence that she can do it. There is no greater feeling than being part of a child's success.

Posing with the scorecard... if you see
closely, it is not signed, neither I or
her noticed the missing signature!

Her golf week started on Wednesday when she played a pro-am. She played good, but not great. With the slow play of a large pro-am, and having driven over 2,000 miles (this would be her fourth consecutive start of a stretch that started in Maryland, and ended in Florida), every week getting better, she just didn't seem get in great or consistent rhythm. After the pro-am and the following dinner, she went to practice her short game for a while. She is one of those players who knows that "THE SECRET IS IN THE DIRT".

As it is often with golfers of her caliber, sometimes a minute change makes a BIG difference, and on Wednesday afternoon, after a small change in her backswing, she declared herself ready.... "I wish I did not have to wait until Friday to start the tournament".

THURSDAY:
Course was closed because of a second pro-am, so she practiced (the Wednesday change was getting better), we shopped for some essentials, we went to a very good movie, "The Curve" with and by Clint Eastwood, and we went home. Home that week was the house of (great) hosts Ron & Suzanne Byrne. Ron is from Canada and a former professional hockey player and college coach (Colorado College), while Suzanne is no stranger to "putting her name in the hat" to help others: as a city council member in a small town in Colorado she always supported and introduced sensible spending procedures.

FRIDAY:
It was a good "high" in every front. Anya played a steady round of 70, three birdies and one bogey. She, however, missed several mid range putts that could have made her round 3-6 strokes better, when you consider that she hit the ball inside 15 feet 12 times! Afterwards, we were invited to have dinner at a nearby town at a little restaurant by one of the docks called "Boondocks". The mahi-mahi was delicious!

Back in Chicago, the American team started "making me look good" in my prediction that the U.S.A. would win by taking a lead of 5-3. However, that night I read my PGA magazine which I had taken to the trip, and I read something that I did not like: Davis Love III, our captain, had said, "I don't want my team to 'try too hard', I want them to have fun". Excuse me? But, since they were up 5-3, I didn't pay much attention.

SATURDAY:
Anya started very nervous and made some bad swings early. By Hole #6, she was 4 over par, and though we did not know at the time, one shot outside the cutline. We had a little encouraging chat going on to the 7th tee, a par 4 playing into a slight breeze. Recognizing her nervousness, she vowed to be patient. Her irons began to work, she hit the last 12 greens in regulation, facing only three putts of over 15 feet for birdie! Talking about "taking dead aim" and great ball striking! However, only two putts dropped, good enough to give herself a chance to play on Sunday. Her closing 34 gave her a 74 and her two day total of 144 (even par),  was inside the cutline by one, tied for 48th place out of 72 players who had made the cut. Afterwards, she went to practice, changed putters to a more conventional model, from a large headed, light-weighted model to a PING ANSER lookalike and heavier putter that felt much better. At home, our hosts grilled a delicious steak and we had a really good dinner in company of another player that they were hosting, Martina Gavier, from Argentina. Martina truly loves and appreciates the USA as much as anyone you have ever met.

Meanwhile, the Americans extended their lead to 4 points, however, again, there were three things I did not like: i) Davis Love had made a decision not to play any player for 5 matches, which meant he left his two hottest players thus far, Mickelson and Bradley, sitting out the afternoon match. Why on God's earth, would a captain sit his two hottest players? I have no clue! ii) U.S.A. was on the way to be 6 points up in the afternoon matches until they let it slip from their grasp and ended up with a difficult to overcome, but not out of reach, four points ahead. That said, the Europeans had some momentum for Sunday with their "mini-comeback" from almost a certain 6 point deficit to a 4 point deficit, and iii) Nick Faldo mentioned that night that there have only been two full moons during the existence of the Ryder Cup, and both times, the team that was behind ended up winning. Sunday night would be a full moon. If you are superstitious, this fact made it a little scary for Sunday morning.

SUNDAY:
Anya started about 2 hours before the Ryder Cup would start, which would give us an opportunity to come and watch the last few matches on TV after her round. Anya's warm-up was pretty good. By the time she went on the golf course, she had expressed confidence in a good final round. Talking confidence and translating it into action, is tough, but she proved to be right.

Playing the Concession Golf Club on Monday
(A Jack Nicklaus-Tony Jacklin project). Great
course. Anya shot 72 from the 6,500 yard tees.

For Anya, it started well. Not so good for the U.S.A. team, though we did not find out until after her round was over. Anya hit two solid shots to the 10th -her starting hole-, and two putted for par from 25 feet. She birdied #11 from 12 feet and #12 from 4 inches after her ball lipped out from a fairway shot. She added birdies at #16 and #18, both from 10 feet or so, for a 32. She lipped out 2 other birdies as well, all inside 15 feet. Her second nine was more of the same; she started with two solid pars, a lipout from 10 feet on #1 and a fairly easy save from the fringe on #11 (her first missed green of the day). Then she ran three straight birdies from 18, 10 and 6 feet. Seven under par for the day.  Saved par with a good 7 footer on #6, her 15th hole, and two putted for par the next two holes, and on the last, made another birdie from 8 feet for a closing 32 and a 64 (click here for the on-line scorecard). It was her best score of the year and of her professional career. The best score of the tournament as well. When we left the green, she hugged me and said, "dad, I am so glad I did this with you in the bag!" and went to the scoring tent.

She went in, checked her scorecard, all was correct, and turned it in. She took a few pictures with people who knew her and wanted a little memento. She wanted me to have a special memento, so she also took a picture with me, while holding her scorecard. Anya had climbed from a tie for 48th, to a tie for 4th! In fact, a couple of more birdies between Saturday and Sunday, and she'd be tied for the lead up to then! (the winner birdied the last hole and ended at 11 under par). We went to the snack bar and saw that the American team was not doing so hot, but since no matches were over yet, there was a possibility that it would all turn out good....

It didn't, not for Davis Love III's team, and, unfortunately, not for Anya either! We were behind the 18th green waiting for the leaders to finish when an official of the Symetra Tour came and informed Anya that she had turned in her scorecard without her signature! I knew immediately what it meant. It was a sinking feeling that it is hard for other people to understand. Even though the rules are clear, and it part of the player's responsibilities (Rule 6), I felt partially, if not totally responsible!

I had just witnessed a great round of golf that would never count, that would never be recorded or officially recognized, a round that would have jumped a player from 48th to 4th, and a mistake that cost a young aspiring player a sum of money much needed for her bank account. We went from a "high" to a very deep "low" in a matter of seconds. 

After realizing that there was nothing we could do, we went home to pick up our luggage and tiddy up our sleeping quarters. While there, I watched a little more of the Ryder Cup, wishing for the American team to make a comeback that never happened. I really wanted to finish the day with some sort of a positive that was not coming our way.

"I look forward to playing good
in Q-School"

While loading her car, our hosts came back home -they had been part of the volunteer force at the club- and wished us well while inviting us to stay should we come back there. We will (finals for the LPGA Qualifying Tournament are held there later in November).

I wanted to take my mind off Anya's misfortune and couldn't, the American team went on to lose, and the day was almost a blur... that is until Anya said:

"Dad, I lost a lot of money today, but I learned a costly lesson. At the end of the day, it is my fault only, not yours or anyone else's. There is nothing I can do about it but take the positive out of it, I had been playing well, but needed a really good round somewhere to show me that I belong here. I had a great week with you and shot a good round when I needed it. I take full responsibility for the mistake. Let's go, we have 3 hours to go to Bradenton, and we will have a great day tomorrow at the Concession Golf Club"...

Trust me: realizing the character of someone you love so much, is a proud moment and a "high" that is hard to describe!

P.S. Anya will be playing LPGA Qualifying School, Second Stage, next week (October 9-12) in Venice, FL. Third Stage will be the end of November at the same golf course where she played last week.... Can't wait for the end of November!

MORE RYDER CUP: WHY U.S.A. WILL WIN

Despite being in "caddy mode" while visiting and caddying for Anya in Florida, I am, as every two years, pretty much in "Ryder Cup Mode".

With the FedEx Cup over, the last major 45 days behind and a whole new way to gain points for FedEx, Ryder Cup and President's Cup, all we should focus is on the American team and how they will win...

If you take the results of the Ryder Cup alone, Europe should be the favorite... on paper that is:

- Europe has won or retained the Ryder Cup six of the last eight years
- Europe has two rookies while the USA has four rookies in this cup
- The players in the European team have accumulated a Ryder Cup record of 77-39-21 (wins, loses, ties) in the biennial matches, while the U.S. players playing this cup have accumulated a record of 50-71-21. That is a 35.2% of possible points for the Americans, while the Europeans have a 56.2% of possible points won.
- Davis Love III, our captain has a Ryder Cup record of 9-12-5, against a very stellar record of Jose Maria Olazabal or 18-8-5.
- Europe has not lost the Cup as locals since... 1993! While the Europeans have won in three times in the United States during that period.

No question that the dynamics of the Ryder Cup, and particularly from the European team, have changed over the years. When Jose Maria arrived in Chicago on Sunday, he only arrived with 3 of his players... why? Because the rest of them were already in the United States! Five have homes in Florida, two more are about to bu a home in Florida, one, Luke Donald, has a home in Chicago (where the matches will be played), and the others not included here, had qualified for the FedEx Cup's Tour Championship played last week.

In addition, Europe has the #1 ranked player in the world (Rory McIlroy), along with nos. 3 (Luke Donald),4 (Lee Westwood) and 5 (Justin Rose). While the U.S. has #2 (Tiger Woods), 7 (Bubba Watson), 8 (Webb Simpson), 9 (Jason Dufner) & 10 (Brandt Snedeker).

If you ask anyone who looks at these records, you'd say Olazabal and company will take the cup back in the  767 Boeing that will take some of the players back.

That said, I believe that the following is as important, or even more important. First, the Americans are taking the role of "underdogs" and have learned to play good without their best. Two years ago, they almost brought the cup back without their best guns, and without those who played, playing at their best. The Americans are beginning to believe in themselves and as a team as well.

Here are other factors that I am looking at, and see if you agree with me:

- Wins (worldwide): USA 262 Europe 185;
- Wins without their most prolific winner (Woods 100 and Westwood 31): USA 162, Europe: 154;
- Majors: USA 24; Europe 7
- Major wins without their most prolific winner (Woods 14, McIlroy 2): USA 10, Europe 5
- Wins in 2012: USA 15; Europe 14 (all of USA's have been on the deeper PGA Tour while most of the
   European wins have been against fields of lower world rankings.

To end, we have Woods, they have McIlroy, and while McIlroy is very hot, he is no Woods by any means. He has already missed as many cuts in two years, as Woods missed in 15! Don't sell Woods short, he will be there, and you can count on him.... So will be Phil Mickelson who has a losing record in Ryder Cup. Both will be there to prove they are not done... and you know what? THEY AREN'T!

THE RYDER CUP: A STEP ABOVE ALL OTHER TOURNAMENTS

This weekend, we will watch who of the 30 players who qualified for the Tour Championship will win the FedEx Cup along with the $10 million that comes with it. However, I can almost guarantee that many of the players who are there, but who didn't qualify for the Ryder Cup next week, would gladly exchange the chance to earn $10 million with the chance to play for their colors.

Samuel Ryder had a vision: make golf an ambassador for people while having a little competition, so, he donated the Ryder Cup so that the United States and the United Kingdom, would play, every two years, not for money, but for the sake of competition and camaraderie. He succeeded, except for one thing, by the time the first Ryder Cup was played, America already had the best and deepest pool of golfers to choose from, so, the matches were, for the most part, lopsided and attendance to the cup by spectators was getting low because in most cases, it was boring to know the results before hand.

In 1973, Great Britain added Ireland to the matches, but it was the same result. Then, Jack Nicklaus -who else!!-, suggested to the PGA of Great Britain, to include all European players in their team in order to make it more competitive. He too, had a vision, and it was that if the Ryder Cup became competitive, it would benefit golf, golfers and the interest in the sport in both sides of the ocean. He was right. In 1979, it was America vs all Europe for the first time, and the matches became very close -now you had a man by the name of Seve Ballesteros who reignited the spirit of competition, "give it all effort, take all matches if you can". By 1983, the matches, played in the United States that year, were very close, the Unites States winning 14 1/2 to 13 1/2 thanks to a timely shot by Lanny Wadkins that decided the Cup, had he lost his match, the result would have been the opposite by the same margin.

In fact, from 1985 to 2010, Europe has won the Cup 8 times, the USA has won 4 times and there has been one tie. Of the 13 cups, in nine of them, the winner has not scored more than 15 points (it takes 14 1/2 to win the cup).

Europe is the defending champion, when they won in Ireland two years ago a very close competition. Graeme McDowell (U.S. Open Champion), beat Hunter Mahan in the last match of the day. Hunter cried after the match. That is how much these players want the cup. Grame is coming back, Hunter is out this year. He felt he lost it, but there were others who lost their match too, only his was the last and the one that viewers watched most. Maybe the captain should have put him in the middle, since he is not known to be a very solid player from 20 yards in, and the pressure  of playing for your colors is far more than the pressure of playing for yourself.

Because of that, this is by far, my favorite golf weekend. Better than any major. First, the Ryder Cup is played only every two years; second, it only comes to the United States every four years; third, you are playing match play, not stroke play; fourth, you are not only playing for yourself,  you are playing for your colors and fifth, you are not playing for money, but for pride and the competition.

Don't forget to watch and share with me your views. GO U.S.A. !!!

P.S. As for me, I will be doing something I actually like better than watching any Ryder Cup or any major championship: that weekend I will be carrying the bag for my youngest daughter, Anya, in her last Symetra Tour event of 2012. It is only fitting, I started her season by carrying the bag for her, I get to help her close her season. In her first one, she was in the hunt, but slipped to 21st with two late bogeys. This will be different, I assure you!

"FINAL" OF TUESDAY NIGHT SCRAMBLE

Last hole of last 2012 Scramble (#17): Alan Coleman, Rusty Wilson (hitting),
Ricky Marr, Mike Clinton, Craig Martin, Roger Gunkel, Danny Teel and
Brett Hutson. This picture will not be possible until next year!

The actual final of the Tuesday Night Scramble was Tuesday, September 11th. It was nine holes, as every Tuesday. But, as it is tradition, the "Real" Final is an 18 hole event in September or October, when OU and OSU either have no games, or have a late game that everyone can watch in the evening.

Leon Stuart, a regular on
Tuesday, smiles at his putting!

Brandon Thomas... does he always
seem to be too serious? Nah!

ONE THING I LEARNED JUST A FEW MONTHS INTO MY FIRST SEASON HERE LAST YEAR: IT IS UNLIKELY THAT YOU'LL EVER SEE THIS FINAL SCHEDULED WHEN GOLF CAN INTERFERE WITH WATCHING A GAME LIVE, AND IT IS IMPOSSIBLE THAT THIS FINAL IS EVER PLAYED WHEN EITHER TEAM IS PLAYING TEXAS, A BIG TEAM OR EACH OTHER DURING BEDLAM... NEVER!!

You'll never find color orange in
his house or wardrobe!

This year, this fun final was scheduled for last Saturday the 15th. Neither OSU or OU had games that week. Forty eight golfers, members and non members participated in the final which included an 18 hole scramble followed by a great cookout and three other contests: a putting contest (in the "putting clock"), a long drive contest (from the north side of the deck facing #18 green to #11 green) and a chipping contest (to #18 green).

And you' won't find color red in
his wardrobe either.

In the 18 hole tournament, two teams tied for 1st at 59. Then you had two teams with 60 and two teams with 61. Pretty close competition which shows that a putt here or there was the difference between winning and "close, but no cigar".

The two teams who tied for first were: Adam Lewellen, Grady Lantz, Charlie Kauk & Charlie Carr with Rusty Wilson, Mike Clinton, Brett Hutson & "Shorty" Coleman. The two teams went for a sudden death playoff on #18 and tied with a birdie 4 before deciding to share 1st place.

Adam Lewellen: "darn it! That
putt cost us  outright 1st"

Two other teams tied for 3rd, just one shot back at 60: Jordan Williamson, Kim Jordan, Jeff Rule & Cameron Earls with Rick Rex, Keith Hulen, Joe Wynn & Wayne Poole.

And the two teams who tied at 61 were: Jorey Price, Leon Stuart, Coy Hines & Terry Stone with Eddie Davis, Ricky Nagle, Al Koon & Matt Coleman.

"Grady" Lantz, another
Tuesday regular

The tournament was first followed by the putting contest which was won by Jordan Williamson with a 3 under par score of 15. In second place was Brandon Thomas with a 17, and then three players at 18: Charlie Kauk, Scott Hines & Jorey Price.

All smiles for Don Murphey
after a good shot

Then came the long drive contest, and it was a real show and very fun to watch our "big knockers". It kind of "built up". They say "Drive is for Show" (the truth is that as important as putting is, no one ever got excited watching a putting contest).

Can't believe I hit it that far!

The first one to participate was Rusty Wilson, whose best was was 278 long; a few contestants later, Coy Hines took the lead with a drive of 281 (the players were hitting into a breeze); then came Brandon Thomas who took the lead with 285 yards (he hit one farther, but it was out side the side lines). Adam Lewellen was the next leader with a drive of 298 yards! As the breeze seem to be increasing in your face, so were the distances!

Concentration

Two well known big hitters were left among the four participants left to try, Jordan Williamson and Jorey Price. The other two were Mike Clinton and Matt Coleman, both of whom can belt a big one from time to time.

"Can I reach that?"

First came Mike, his best was 262. Then came Jordan. He hit his first one well over 300 yards... a little off line to the left. The next one split the middle and carried about 295 ending up at 309 yards! He hit the next one out of the grid, but he had taken the lead with his second tee shot. 

I'm ready to see Seattle win!
Enough golf for a day!

Matt Coleman did not have his best, leaving Jorey as the only contestant with a chance to catch with Jordan. Jorey hit three solid strikes, one also well over 300 yards, but all of them outside the grid. Thus, the finish was Jordan (309), Adam (298) and Brandon (285) as the winners. Just outside the "payoff" was Coy Hines.
The pitching contest was last, as the day's light ended, and again, Jordan Williamson tied for 1st with two other long hitters: Adam and Brandon. Now, who says that long hitters have no touch?

Almost!

The night ended with several of our members not wanting the golf day to end by staying along doing their own pitching contest in the dark.

No daylight? No problem, that is why you have headlights on your vehicles and your golf carts, thus you could see the green pretty well.

Could not keep it in the grid to
challenge his friend Jordan.

In fact, I donated $5 to someone (I didn't stay to see who won) as I entered the contest, only to leave my shot pretty short... (I had a long day, you know?)...

With all that practice in the dark, these guys should not have any problem adapting to play the upcoming Shriner's Club scramble which will feature 9 holes in the dark with nite light golf balls?... we will have to see!)

TO CHILDREN WITH "LOVE'S"

Every year, Love's convenient stores, all 300 of them across the country, do a rally during the month of September to raise funds for their nearest Children's Miracle Network Hospital. In Elk City's case, it is the Children's Hospital Foundation Hospital located in the OU Medical Center in Oklahoma City.

A little over a month ago we were approached by Billie McGowan, manager at the Love's store on exit 41, to see if we could host a fundraiser. Knowing that our schedule was already crowded, the possibility of yet another tournament that would tie up the golf course for a day for members or visitors, it would have to be approved by the Board so I approached them to see what they thought about it. In the August 20 meeting, they unanimously agreed to host it on September the 14th... only three and a half weeks away! Billie took the challenge.

A couple of days later, we had a meeting. By then, she had enrolled the help of Linn Energy, who in turn had not only offered a large donation that paid for the use of the course and facilities, but also named Curt Hayes, Paige Ballard and Paul Lamle to help her get teams and donations. After the meeting, each one of us had an assignment and our goal was to get 16-18 teams to participate and a net donation of $6K-$8k was expected.

It turns out that we (I) had totally underestimated the well known generosity of Western Oklahoma and all of our neighbors in Texas, not to mention the enthusiasm with which Paul, Paige, Curt and Billie would approach the task, even though they had never done a tournament.

Between Billie who knocked on doors, made phone calls and visits, and Curt, who did everything in his power to enlist as many of those who do business with Linn Energy to participate, we ended up with 32 teams at $440ea. and over 30 co-sponsors! In the planning, we went from reserving 20 additional carts, to 30, then 40, and finally last week, I suggested we get 50 "just in case"... let's just say the 40 would not have been enough! The end result was that the net donation to the hospital will be $20K-$25K!! No telling what this group can do if you give them more than 24 days to host a benefit tournament! TALKING ABOUT "COMMUNITY ORGANIZERS" THAT DO NOT NEED TO BRAG ABOUT THEIR WORK!

AS far as the cause, I can say is: TRUST ME, IF YOU HAVE EVER HAD A SICK CHILD,  AND MORE, IF IT IS A LIFE THREATENING ILLNESS, NO MATTER WHAT YOUR FINANCIAL STATUS IS, OR YOUR INSURANCE COVERAGE, YOU BEGIN TO SENSE THAT USING THEIR HOSPITAL IS MORE ABOUT THE PEOPLE AND THE CHILDREN. IT IS A GREAT CAUSE AND YOU WILL WANT THOSE COMPETENT DOCTORS AND STAFF ON YOUR SIDE, BECUASE THEY ARE ALSO  HUMAN BEINGS WHO UNDERSTAND YOUR PAIN AND KNOW THE RIGHT WORDS TO SAY, OR THE TIME TO BE QUIET....

Among the hosts of the event, we had Dustin Smith whose infant son Aiden, was the recipient of such love, professionalism and care by the staff of the Oklahoma Children's Hospital... and among the players, we had Mark Simpson, Aiden's "grandpa".

Even though the doctors could not help Aiden come out of a severe attack of "whooping cough", the Smith family is forever grateful for all the care and professionalism that the doctors showed. Later, rather courageously, Dustin gave his account of his family's experience to over 50 people gathered inside the club as the inconsequential results of a golf outing were being posted outside... I wish I had been there, though he had already shared the same story with me a couple of hours before, a story that  revived personal and distant memories of two occasions, one of which was a life victory....

With this, on behalf of the tournament, I want to thank the Board of Directors at Elk City Golf & C.C. for their understanding and permission to rent the facilities on a date that was not within their policies, you were part of this  really good and happy ending success; I want to thank our membership for their understanding and support of this event, and of course, thank you to all those who donated to this worthy cause, and to  Marcus Dupree, who after the event took the time to sign autographs and memorabilia for the participants (his participation was a total surprise for everyone!); I also want to thank Billie, Curt, Paul and Paige, for their hard work which made me, the country club, the businesses community and the golfers who participated look like the ones who made this happen, but we know better; I thank Ramona for her love, patience and tireless help, and last, but not least, thank you to Dustin Smith for reinforcing to us that courage and personal faith are something we all have to work on a daily basis. God knows well that some of us could we have dealt with the same pain without at the very least, expending or questioning our faith or the ability of those whom we trust our or our children's health to, even knowing that we cannot win ever single battle. Thank you Dustin!

Oh yes... the golfers! Even though the weather was overcast, a little damp and much cooler than most golfers like for a day of golf in Western Oklahoma, everyone had a great time being part of this great cause. Here are the results:

"A" Flight: (52) Sooner Oil Services; (54) Jack Christian; (56) Greg Dodson Construction;
"B" Flight: (58) Gallagher Welding & Construction; (58) Ranger Oilfield; (59) Anadarko Dozer; (59) Brad O'Hara Insurance
"C" Flight: (63) Phillip Byer Oil, (63) McCarty Equipment; (64) Crescent Services.
"D" Flight: (67) Top-O Texas Oil; (67) C-3 Inspection Services, (68) Rockwater Energy.

(note: for those who read this we will include players' names later in the day)

Thank you and we'll see you next year!

ELKS ANNUAL TOURNAMENT A DAY OF FUN... AND A LITTLE GOLF AS WELL

I am not sure if the Elks Tournament is an outing or a real tournament. Let's say it is both: you have some great golf and then you have groups that extend their time on the course on behalf of good company, nonetheless, everyone, regardless of the reason for their participation, has a great time, some may even play some golf as well!

As it is her well known "MO", "professional volunteer" Ann Cowan, took charge of the event, approached sponsors and players, and despite two other tournaments being played in Western Oklahoma, she ended up with 22 teams (88 players) and a nice donation to the Elks Lodge for their operation and charities.

The tournament started at 1:00 p.m. after players hit range balls donated by Doug Gray Auto Complex and ate lunch prepared by Elks Lodge Manager, Don Birdwell, and other Elks volunteers who make these events a blast for everyone.

One group who came to have fun while getting serious about competition was the group who played for Great Plains Analytical Services ("G.A.S."): Jordan Williamson, Brad O'Hara, Ricky Nagle & Taylor Cameron. The group ended up with a 55 to win solo first (overall and "A" flight) over two teams who had 56's, "CHUCK'S" Charlie Kauk, Aaron Kauk, Cliff Campbell &Trey Campbell and the team headed by Dustin Gunkel who recruited Scott Watson, Clint Hughes & Blake Walker. Charlie Kauk, who putted "lights out" during the round, also made the winning putt during the playoff on the second hole by holing a birdie putt from 18 feet!

In the "B" Flight, two teams tied for 1st at 59: GREG DODSON CONSTRUCTION CO, with Greg Dodson, Brandon Thomas, Jeff Donaghey & James Ainsworth, and RUSTY'S FOURSOME represented by Rusty Wilson, Bret Matlock, Leon Stuart & Craig Martin. "Officially", Dodson Construction won because Rusty and one of his players had to leave, therefore, they were not able to participate in the playoff as per the rules, however, beforehand, the teams decided that if there was the need for a playoff, they would split the winnings, which they did... nice gesture! In 3rd place, with a 60, was the team of Kim Jordan, Heath Martin, Brandon Engleman & Will Malloy.

"I don't have to play good to have fun and
good company!"

"Ditto!"

The "C" flight also had two teams tied for 1st place with 65's: Tyler McDaniel, William Hill, Trey Lawson & Brandon Powell tied with "EXPRESS" formed by Scott Hines, Coy Hines, Adam Lewellen & Jim Gilmer, Express lost the playoff on the first hole after having bunkered their tee tee shot. In 3rd place was a bunch of smiley young women... THE GUNKEL GIRLS! Haley Gunkel, Lyndsay Gunkel-Broadbent, Tori Gunkel-Windsor & Kelly Powell... (maybe she is a future Gunkel???)

I'd be smiling too if I sunk
the winning putt!

Two more large events await the closing of the "tournament season"; the Inaugural Love's Children's Miracle Network Hospital to be held this coming Friday (Sept. 14) and the Tuesday Men's Scramble Final to be played in Saturday the 15th. CALL THE PRO-SHOP FOR DETAILS... and see you at the golf course!!

Jason: it doesn't do any good to hit
your 8 iron 200 yards if you make
your partner's hit out of the junk! 

A special thanks to all the players and all of the hole sponsors (listed in no specific order): First National Bank, 3-B Pumping, Bell Insurance, B.V.G. Construction, Camelot Roofing, Chuck's, Powell Oil Services, Western Oklahoma Realty, American Realty, Gee's Garden Restaurant, Doug Gray Auto, Mike Cowan Plumbing, Culverstone Construction, Bell Supply, Barber-Dyson Ford, G.A.S. Inc., Great Plains Tire, Modern Construction, Great Plains National Bank,  Greg Dodson Construction, J&J Sales, Jack Morrison, Myofascial Pain Clinic, Jack Morrison DDS, Modern Steamer, K.E.C.O.-Paragon, Kirby Accounting, Legacy Bank, Mike Proctor Consulting, Smith Monument, Sooner Oil Services & Terry's Furniture!