Jason Hardy’s Shocker
The Virtual 19th Hole has reported on numerous BMC eagles so far this year, but none has been as surprising as the one carded by seven-year member Jason Hardy on June 13. Readers will recall that most of these eagle stories have taken flight on the eighth hole. Not so with Jason’s. For his tale we need to move forward to number 9. In fact, this bolt out of the blue not only commences on the ninth tee, but on the E box at that (to the best knowledge of The Virtual 19th Hole, no BMC member has yet made eagle number 9, neither this year nor in any other— so, please speak up if you know any different).
No question, then, that this eagle story takes a different trajectory from the others we’ve reported on. And even more so when you consider that Jason did not get off the tee with a blistered drive down the middle. In fact, he smothered his tee shot into the left rough. So, there he was, 151 yards from the flag, in the thick stuff. But from there, Jason, not one to be flustered by a stiff challenge, selected his 9-iron and lofted his approach nicely onto the green and the ball rolled right into the hole. Going on to shoot a solid 85, Mr. Hardy understandably credits that round as his most memorable at Braemar in some time.
8-Man Team
As last reported, our 8-Man Senior Team, under the leadership of captain Mike Longman, had gotten the season off to a good start with a record of 2 and 1. On June 18 they built on that start by improving to 3 and 1 with a win over Baker National, at Baker. In blustery conditions and with occasional showers, this was their second consecutive win over Baker, highlighted by Tim Smith and Jeff Roseland blowing away their opponents 8 & 7, for a 3-0 win. Also key to the victory were the clutch 4 and 5-footers drained on the last hole by Mike Kavanaugh (who also plays on our Over-70 traveling team) and Mark Paetznick (whose outstanding 68 led the way in the 8-Man Team’s prior victory over Baker). Great golf, guys!
Their next match is on July 8, at home against Dwan. Stay tuned, this team is on a roll.
Over-70 Traveling Team
This year, also as previously reported, the MPGA, for the first time, has initiated a traveling team format exclusively for seniors over age 70. These matches feature four players from each team competing in two gross score, best ball matches. Led by captain Bob Peterson, Braemar’s super senior squad also includes regulars Mike Kavanaugh, John Miller, Tom Russell and yours truly. Currently, our Over-70s are tied with Keller for first place with a record of 3-0-1.
With victories so far against Emerald Greens, Fountain Valley and Meadowbrook, the team’s one tie was against Keller. That match was played from Keller’s blue tees, stretched to over 6200 yards. Noteworthy in Keller’s fine play was a sparkling 68 from Leif Carlson, a one-handicapper, thanks to a five-birdie binge on the front nine. But owing to strong play by Mike Kavanaugh and Tom Russell in the second match, Braemar managed an overall tie on the day, at 3-3.
Our super seniors’ next match is July 11, an away game against University. One additional match will then be played before the start of the play-offs.
Triple Birdies
It would be understandable if the Thursday League foursome of Dan Ritacco, Jim Punch, Kyle Litwin and captain Vince Bradford started calling the first par 3 on Braemar’s back nine Lucky 13. That’s because, on June 20, this foursome completed that three par with three birdies (by Bradford and Ritacco from the D tees and Litwin from the I tees). And while Jim Punch’s bogey may have seemed a bit of a disappointment in comparison, bear in mind that the average Thursday league score on number 13, played from the D tees (as Jim did on June 20), is 4.1.
Great play, guys!
Dick Helde
Editor, The Virtual 19th Hole
helde.richard@gmail.com
612-306-3590