Much needed rain shortens Quaker college tournament
October 1, 2010
The Cape Region has been suffering a bit from a lack of rain, so the recent rainy weather should have been appreciated by most.
Just the same, the 71 collegiate golfers playing in the Sept. 27 Rehoboth Beach Fall Invitational golf tournament at Kings Creek Country Club would probably have been just fine with another day’s delay in the downpours.
According to Kings Creek staffers, about two inches of rain fell overnight Sunday through early Monday morning, forcing a 90-minute delay in the start for the scheduled 36-hole single day event.
The opening delay, the wet conditions, and the reality of more rain to come led to a decision to shorten the tournament to a single 18-hole round.
The University of Maryland Terrapin team won team honors with a 281 score, followed by the host Quaker squad at 295.
Maryland’s John Popek won medallist honors with a 2-under par 69. Dylan Newman of Iona, Max Marsico of Penn, and Tom Hanna of Maryland tied for second, one stroke back.
Penn head coach was pleased with his team’s effort, according to a published report at the Penn athletics website: “This was our fourth straight runner-up finish at Rehoboth. It was a solid result for our guys, we beat all of the teams that I think we should be beating. I was pleased with the balance of our results.”
Here’s how all the teams scored:
1. Maryland, 281; 2. Penn, 295; 3. Iona, 299; 4. Mount St. Mary’s, 301; 5. Monmouth, 304; 5. St. John Fisher, 304; 5. St. Peter’s, 304; 8. Manhattan, 316; 8. McDaniel, 316; 10. Wesley, 320; 11. La Salle, 321; 12. Franklin & Marshall, 324; and 13. St. Francis, 339.
Rehoboth CC 18-Hole Ladies Results
The Rehoboth Beach Country Club 18 Hole Ladies group played their Ryder Cup tournament #2 on Sept. 22. Two teams shared first place honors with a pair of 67s: Beth Carpenter and Judy Bennett, along with Karen Storms and Linda Riley. Kim Stockson and Sheila Halfpenny won second place with a 68 total. Perry Drevo and Joan Crowley took third place overall with their 69.
Sometimes it’s just not the player’s fault
A recent Ruling of the Day at the USGA website gives a good example how government by committee can have its drawbacks, even on the golf course.
The situation involved a stroke-play competition. The A player handed in his score, which was correctly noted for each hole. Unfortunately, the total score noted on the card was mistakenly shown as one stroke less than his actual score.
The Committee then disqualified player A for the error, but the mistake was actually theirs. The total score on the card is not what’s important—the hole-by-hole score is what counts.
Meanwhile, before that error is discovered, players B and C play off for first place, and B wins the playoff.
Before B is awarded his prize, however, the Committee recognized its mistake in how it handled A’s score.
The question presented to the USGA was straightforward, if a bit surprising:
“Should the Committee rectify its error?”
The answer, thankfully enough, was equally straightforward: “Yes. The penalty applied to A should be rescinded and A should be declared the winner — see Rule 34-1b.”
Sometimes I think these rulings should be accompanied by their very own Homer Simpson soundbite: “D’Oh!!”
Ryder Cup Weekend
This weekend (Oct. 1-3) is the occasion for the 2010 Ryder Cup, held this year at The Celtic Manor Resort, in the City of Newport, Wales.
The morning matches on Friday use the fourball format, with foursomes scheduled in the afternoon. The same formats are used again on Saturday, with twelve singles matches set for Sunday.
The American squad includes several Ryder rookies, along with a smattering of veterans. This year’s European squad appears to be stronger than the group that lost at Vahalla in Kentucky in 2008.
It should be fun to watch!