JIM DICK WINS SHOOTING HIS AGE
Wow! What a day of golf great shots and oddities. Tuesday, Jan. 31 at Falcon Ridge 32 members teed it up. The day belonged to new member Jim Dick as he ripped up the front nine with birdies on holes one, six and seven for an incredible front side of two under par 33. He went on to birdie holes 14 and 16 on the back for 40 and a fantastic round of 73and medalist honors. And by the way 73 is also the age of this young man. Congrats Jim!
But the golf gods continued. Seven players were tied for second low net with 70. Great putts were turned in by Gary Denhalter with a 10 foot putt on the most difficult hole and an incredible pin placement for a birdie three which at the end of the day would be very lucrative for him.
On that same hole Bubba Petrick had an almost impossible chip shot from off the green and below the pin. He chipped almost 15 feet up the hill to the right of the cup and as the ball slowed it began to make its turn and rolled down the slope just missing the cup and stopping two feet below the cup for a superb par four. He also had a 44 foot birdie putt on the par three number two and recorded birdies on three of the five par threes.
Then you have Ken Ward chipping from a hole to the right of the par three eight rolling across the green stopping against the first cut. From their his putt was up the slope some three feet to the upper side of the cup and it rolled dead center for a great three. He was not done. On the par three 17 his drive rolled past the pin and stopped two feet off the green. It was a severe downhill putt with a two foot break and he just touched the putter. The ball broke just perfectly down that slope and disappeared for another spectacular par.
And finally this; seven players tied for second low net with net 70. But first the overall low net went to Russ Bonnacci (83) and net 67. Gary Denhalter (82), Bubba Petrick (80), Jeff Hoyt (79), Jim Naccarato (84), Franz Rom (88), Tom Durenberger (86) and Tim Bergstrom (83)are the magnificent seven.
As was mentioned earlier, that first handicap hole is so very critical and Denhalter’s birdie was the first of seven. Petrick shot par, par for second of seven. Hoyt was rewarded second low net. Naccarato went bogey, par for 4/7. Rom shot 2x, bogey for 5/7. Durenberger shot 2x, 2x for sixth and Bergstrom tripled for 7/7. What a day! Lyle Warner (95) got 8th with a 3x, 2x over Cal Schlisner (90).
STANGER EDGES BANKSON BY ONE SHOT
The threesome of Rod Stanger, Jeff Hoyt and Rich Bankson played the best golf at the CasaBlanca course on Thursday, Feb. 2. After nine holes it was Stanger 38, Bankson and Hoyt 40. After the 16th hole it was Stanger 69, Bankson 69 and Hoyt 70. The very difficult par four 17 separated and determined the final standings. Stanger went par, par for his 77 and Bankson shot bogey, par for his 78 and Hoyt’s triple bogey on 17 ended his hope at 81. Ray Halicki couldn’t get out of the 90’s for several rounds and was very close to falling into that dark hole until he looked up some swing advice on the internet and said that was the difference in his round today of 43-43-86 for a net 63 for first place low net beating out Willie Nelson’s fine round of 91 and net 65.
Cal Schlister (87) tied Manny Lira (69) for third and then won it outright with a bogey, double on the first two holes dropping Lira into 4th. Rich Brown (86) netted 70 for fifth. Jim Naccarato (90) and Greg Sullivan (85) were tied for 6th with net 72 which Naccarato earned with a very nice par four after his chip shot stopped six inches from the hole on the first handicap hole.
The next scheduled play is Thursday, Feb 9 at the Casablanca at 8:30 a.m. Always check your signup sheets for any corrected times or places. Anyone interested in joining the MMGA can call 702-346-5636. Also check out our website at www.mesquitemensgolf .com.
