Cape golf team wins two conference matches with improved play
April 11, 2003
The Cape Henlopen Vikings golf team stepped up the pace and improved their team scoring with their last two victories over conference rivals Indian River and Lake Forest.
On April 3, the team traveled to Cripple Creek Country Club and won the match on the front nine of the Indians home turf, 167-211. Tyler Witman was first among all players with a two-over-par 38.
“It was cold,” he said. “I doubled the [par-5] fifth hole, and parred the rest.”
Brad Schneider made a big improvement on his prior competitive rounds with a nice 39. “I had a real nice birdie on the sixth hole, and had a chance for another birdie on the seventh hole, but I missed a putt from two feet. I could have done even better, but I doubled the last hole when I hit a tree.”
Brett Hertel also improved his game-day scoring with a 43. “The round started off well and mostly stayed that way, except that I doubled and tripled the two par 5s.”
Micah Vugrinec and Andy Lee tied for the fourth-best round among the Viking players with their 47s. Of his round, Vugrinec said simply that he couldn’t hit it straight, and was pulling his shots to the left. “I need to get a lesson from [Shawnee head pro] Devon [Peterson].”
On April 8, the Vikings hosted the Lake Forest Spartans at Rehoboth Beach Country Club, and beat the struggling Kent County team 158-190. The Cape team score was the lowest it’d been this season, as was the weather during the chilly, windy afternoon. Most of the kids looked numbed to the bone after their rounds.
Witman took medalist honors with a 1-over 35 on the front nine. “I had to scramble a lot today. I was missing greens, and I couldn’t putt. I missed a putt from 4 feet on 2, from 3 feet on 6, from 6 feet on 9, and 6 feet on 19. I couldn’t really feel my hands in this cold.”
John Purple showed not only a major improvement in his scoring with his 40, but also a keen sense of current events.
I watched his drive on the first hole. Almost immediately after he hit his ball in the air, he shouted “Shi-ite!”
I just assumed he was talking about the Iraq conflict.
Notwithstanding his apparent interest in foreign affairs, Purple stayed focused enough to post a fine score in the miserable conditions. “I parred 3, 5, 6, 8, and 9. I bogeyed 2, 7, and 19, but I tripled the first hole with a three-putt. I switched putters to my new Titleist Futura, and I was a lot more confident today I guess.”
Schneider continued his improvement with a 41. “I can’t feel my hands. It was cold, very cold. I parred 1, 5, and 19, and bogeyed 2, 3, 6, and 9. I had a four-putt on the seventh hole for a triple bogey, though. And on 6, I had a three-putt when the ball hung on the edge.”
Hertel completed the team scoring with a 42, much closer to his practice round scores. “I had eight straight bogeys, and then parred the ninth hole with a nice 2-putt. On the first five holes I had a real chance for par, and kept just missing it.”
If this week’s wet weather permits, the team is scheduled to host Laurel on April 10.
Short Putts
This Monday a large group of college teams are scheduled to return to the Cape Region for the George Washington University Spring Invitational Tournament at Kings Creek Country Club. The Kings Creek members enjoy hosting the increasingly popular tournament, and the skill level of the college golfers is impressive. Call the pro shop at 302-227-8953 for more information.
Cape Region resident Bobby Dean asked me to tell fellow readers of this column about a new event, the Schwenz/Nickerson Memorial Golf Tournament, to be held at Atlantic Golf at Queenstown Harbor, Maryland on June 16, 2003. The tournament is in memory of two Maryland police officers who were killed in the line of duty in Centerville, Maryland on February 13, 2001. Proceeds from the event will help support a scholarship fund at Anne Arundel Community College for criminal justice students. For more information, call 410-992-5840.