Bill Towne, Peter Jones, John Gillis and Pat Kinney carded 120 to win. Tied at 121 were Bruce Robson, Bob Briskie, Roger Williams and Jim Manninen, and Monte Allen, Dennis Ruppert, Stan Outland and Don Yoder. In fourth place, at 122, were Bill Campling, Joe Ryan, Tom Murphy and Stafford Thornton.
In a two-best-balls-of-the-foursome contest, the winners were Dick Wilson, Len Louden, Tom Nacca and Bob Romiti, tied at 129 with Ron Ostrander, Paul Molloy, Joe Merry and Jim O’Malley. Tied at 131 were the teams of Bob Briski, Bill Saylor, Ken Kennedy and Jon Rindfleisch, and J. Gagliard, Dug Dugger, Dick Strine and Tom Daughtrey.
Pinehurst: The Birdies played best-ball on par-3s and par-4s and two best balls on par-5s, on Course No. 5, at 95 percent of handicap.
Tee Noggle, Susan Smith, Jo Rolman and Judy Silver won with 69. Audrae Thibodeau, Margaret Van Riper, Mary Jane White and Ann Nash were second with 70. Andrea Wells, Dorothy Zihal, Olive Muiter and Anne Moore were third with 74. Cecilia Zingleman, Rita Rocchi, Jacque Weston and Ann Leib tied for fourth at 75 with Doris Richardson, Kathy Mangarell, Eileen Lowrie and Mary Bradbury, and Joan Sponik, Dee Becker, Margaret Cropley and Terry Rutowski. Sara Sutton, Diana Bennett, Shirley Kronbach and Rosemary Maurer tied for seventh at 78 with Norma Schultz, Mary Lou Sutter, Patti O’Day and Dee Rintz.
Ann Nash, Sara Sutton, Judy Silver, Susan Smith,Tee Noggle and Jo Rolman recorded birdies,
The Women’s Golf Association played a modified captain’s choice, with the team of Tonya Brown, Diane McCall, Patti O’Day and Jean Sundstrom winning first place with 57. Tied at 62 for second place were the teams of Myrna Floyd, Corky Howell, Chris Nielsen and Jackie Tucker; Joann Breslin, Jackie Meyer, Cindy Motter and Mary Beth Speedling; and Olive Muiter, Tee Noggle, Mary Radebach and Dorothy Zihal. Diane McCarthy, Penny Warters, Sandy Smith and Ann Nash had 63.
Midland: The team of Jim Braunscheidel, Dick Heilman, Chalres Cook and Fred Cirule won a Men’s Golf Association two-best-balls-of-the-foursome tournament with 122.
Jim Braunscheidel had the low gross, 80. Jack Henderson and Jim Braunscheidel tied for low net, 67.
In the Nine-Hole Skins Game, Paul Beck won three skins, and Jim Taylor and Howard Fordree tied at one each.
Whispering Woods: Will Jackson, Bill Bartlett, Jim Dashner and Don Schmidt scored 70 to win the Team Modified Scramble. Tied at 71 were the teams of Bill Anderson, Chuck Deal, Claude Bandy and Tom Caseber, and Rich Moran, Joe Haas and Chuck Hoener.
Sorenstam in PGA? “Suzy Whaley may not be the only woman to play in a PGA Tour event in 2003. The world’s top-ranked female player, Annika Sorenstam, has expressed interest in sampling a PGA Tour stop, too. And several tournament directors appear eager and willing to give her the opportunity.”
This quote is from an article in Golfweek magazine.
Whaley qualified for her spot in the Greater Hartford Open in the fall of 2002. Her yardage was just a little less than the men on qualifying day, but she will be playing the back tees during the tournament. Interest in her competition is high at Whispering Pines, because her father-in-law, Ned Whaley, is a longtime member of the country club and resident of the village.
Phil Mickelson points out that, “The PGA Tour has always been about having the best players in the world compete, and we have never differentiated male or female.”
However, not everyone is eager to see women qualify for a spot on the PGA Tour. Some say the women would be taking a spot from a more deserving competitor. Others feel that women will find it a lot tougher to qualify than they think. Still more wonder why women would want to intervene in the PGA Tour. It isn’t done in tennis, or basketball, or baseball.
Women and golf are certainly a hot topic these days, with the anticipation of Whaley playing in the GHO, Sorenstam being offered exemptions on the PGA Tour, and all the controversy about women being offered (one of these days) a membership in the Augusta National Golf Club. Talk radio, golf columns, and television commentators tee up their opinions every day.
Sorenstam says she does not wish to upstage Whaley, and I trust that will be the case.
It will be interesting to see how the year goes. I’m looking forward to it.
