Martin Loiselle and Monte McCormick
Captain DiFonzo (left) accepts the unconditional surrender of Captain Gauthier.
The past few months have been a busy time for the MGA. We saw the conclusion of our Match Play Qualifiers, the Spring Member-Member Tournament, and the Wildhorse Cup. Good times for all!
We have also added a new “major” championship: the Wildhorse Match Play Championship. We start out with everyone assigned to a flight, based upon their handicaps, and then each flight member plays each other in Match Play style. At the end of the initial competition, we had nine flight champions: Lawry Cohen, Lee Griswold, Dan Dickens, Ken Cline, Jaques Juneau, Wade Brewton, Johnny Blecher, Frank Edwards, and Sandy Meador. These nine MGA members will play a series of eight matches, each over the next few months, to determine our inaugural Match Play Champion. Good luck to all!
We also saw this spring our largest turnout ever for an MGA-only event: the Spring Member-Member. We had 144 members play, and we had a waiting list! MGA members were able to choose their partner and compete in a handicap flighted event where we played four different nine-hole formats: Scramble, Shamble, Best Ball, and Alternate Shot, over 36 holes. We had six flights, and the winners of each flight were as follows: Flight 1: Tim Anderson and Guy Bent, Flight 2: Ron Hesslein and Rick Rolater, Flight 3: Eddie Dear and James Faulkner, Flight 4: Jim Knowles and Bill Tillman, Flight 5: Bill Crawford and Leroy Schuetts, and Flight 6: Lyle Nevius and Carl Owens. A great time was had by all, with cold beer served on the patio afterwards to relive the “chunks,” “shanks,” and the “lip outs.”
Finally, we just recently concluded the Wildhorse Cup. This is a team event where the participants are drafted onto one of two teams that are captained by the president of the MGA, John Gauthier, and the vice president, Bob Difonzo. After the “draft,” the two teams then faced off in a three-day Match Play event. Each “match” was worth one point. After day one, Team Gauthier led the competition 27-1/2 to 22-1/2. However, after day two, Team Difonzo flipped the competition and held a 52 to 48 lead and then finished off Team Gauthier on day three, 27-1/2 to 22-1/2 for an overall victory for Team DiFonzo of 79-1/2 to 70-1/2. Afterwards, there was food served on the patio, along with cold beverages, where there were toasts and boasts of dominance and promises of revenge!
Membership in the RR Men’s Golf Association is open to all men at the Ranch. The association sponsors weekly play day events and tournaments throughout the year. There are players of all skill levels and handicaps, so come on out and join the fun. Membership applications are available at the Pro Shop and online at www.rrmga.com.