Oakley on track to securing his next season
October 17, 2008
Pete Oakley continues to play well enough and earn a nice number of Euros, as the 2008 European Seniors Tour winds down to its finish.
The Director of Golf for The Rookery set a dizzying pace in traveling to tournaments earlier this summer, with trips back and forth between the States and Europe. More recently, however, Oakley centered his efforts on the east side of the pond, to make sure he earns enough money to remain fully exempt through the 2009 season.
In late August, he tied for 17th at 3-over par in the Travis Perkins plc Senior Masters, held on the Dukes Course at Woburn Golf Club, in England. That was good for 4,429.25 Euros. That may not sound like much, but this week that figure converts to $5,975.93.
Oakley then played in the Casa Serena Open in Prague, the Czech Republic’s capital city, held September 5-7. His tie for 16th at 3-under par earned him 9,600 Euros, which is a bit under $13,000.
His next stop on the Tour brought Oakley back to Suffolk, England, for the Weston Homes PGA International Seniors tournament, held at The Stoke By Nayland Club September 12-14. Oakley shot a 2-under par total, good for a tie for 18th place and a relatively light 2,875.54 Euros.
The next tournament took the veteran pro north to the Scottish Seniors Open, held September 26-28. The Marriott Dalmahoy Hotel and Golf Club in Edinburgh, Scotland hosted the event, where Oakley tied for 16th place with a 2-over par finish. The money was a little better, so he earned 4,579.34 Euros, or just about $6,200.
The Senior Tour then took a short break, and returned to action for its only October event, the Lake Garda Italian Seniors Open, held October 10-12 at the Palazzo Arzaga Hotel, Spa & Golf Resort. Oakley tied for 21st at 2-under par, and earned himself another 2,220 Euros.
The only remaining European Senior tournament for this year is the OKI Castellón Open España–Senior Tour Championship, held November 7-9 at the Club de Campo del Mediterráneo, in Castellón, with 400,000 Euros at stake. At this point, Oakley’s 66,657 Euros for the season puts him in 28th place overall, as of October 15.
That should be good enough for Oakley to keep his card for next season. Even so, I’ll certainly understand if he decides that playing in the Tour Championship is somehow more important than coming back to the Cape Region for the Rehoboth Beach Independent Film Festival, which just so happens to be scheduled for the same weekend.
Eustis finally has his first hole-in-one
John Eustis, a long-time member at Shawnee Country Club, has a well-deserved reputation for, shall we say, careful husbandry of his financial resources. This extends to his economical approach to playing golf.
An extremely avid golfer, Eustis plays so many times each season on his home course that his average cost has to work out to about $4.37 per round.
He’ll surely correct that number, as it’s just an educated guess on my part. The fact remains, however, that he does play a lot of golf, and has done so for over twenty years. During all those rounds, however, he’s never had a hole-in-one.
He called me recently, seeking a few recommendations for Myrtle Beach area golf courses. I suggested a couple likely places, including the Heathland course where, I casually mentioned, I had my first (and only) hole-in-one. That comment started him muttering a bit.
It may have also been inspirational. On October 5, in front of two eyewitnesses, Eustis hit a sharp little pitching wedge to the 113-yard par 3 thirteenth hole at Shawnee. “It landed about two feet to the left and a little short of the hole, took two hops, and went right in,” Eustis said recently.
He surprised me, however, when he admitted that he hadn’t put in his $5 toward the club’s hole-in-one club. “I never thought I’d make one, and I had a better use for the $5,” he said.
His golfing friends may agree, and will gladly offer to help Eustis spend his $5 (and more) as part of his celebratory obligations.