THE PENINSULA CUP is on the line at Port Ludlow Golf Club this weekend.
Saturday’s third annual Peninsula Cup competition, pitting the best golfers from six of seven North Olympic Peninsula golf courses, will tee off on Ludlow’s Tide and Timber nines at 9 a.m. Saturday.
Port Townsend has a couple of conflicts Saturday. It is hosting the annual Jim Caldwell Memorial Tournament and its own Rhododendron Festival is Saturday, so the course won’t field a team this year.
Defending champion SunLand Golf & Country Club of Sequim will be on hand seeking a repeat performance along with teams from Peninsula Golf Club of Port Angeles, Cedars at Dungeness Golf Course of Sequim, SkyRidge Golf Course of Sequim, Discovery Bay Golf Club of Port Townsend and host Port Ludlow.
Teams will consist of 12 amateur players playing a stroke format.
Each team will use the two best gross scores and eight best net scores to make a total team score.
The tournament is open to spectators.
Port Ludlow is a wonderful place to watch a golf tournament.
SunLand schedule
SunLand has a ton of events coming up in the next few weeks.
Head pro Tyler Sweet and staffers will host demo days with TaylorMade from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday, May 27 and with Callaway from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Friday, June 3.
May is PGA Free Lesson Month and Sweet will hold free 10-minute lessons starting at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, May 31.
Golfers will be able to use any new clubs purchased at the demo days and can put Tyler’s tips to the test at SunLand’s open house on Saturday, June 4.
Players can get in a round of golf, have lunch and learn about SunLand all for only $10.
SunLand also will host an ESPN Golf Challenge Qualifier on Saturday, June 11.
This qualifier costs $52 and includes a dozen Callaway IX Tour golf balls, a Golf magazine subscription and 18 holes.
Winners won’t have to advance too far as SunLand will be the host of the 2011 ESPN Regional Tournament on Aug. 14.
For more information, or to sign up for any SunLand-related event, phone the pro shop at 360-683-6800, ext. 13.
On tap at PT
Rhody weekend! Those words have put a smile on my face since I could crawl.
The annual two-event Jim Caldwell Memorial Rhody Open always provides a great kickoff to Rhody Saturday and a fitting finish on Sunday for those who may have had a little too much “Rhody Rum” the day before and aren’t interested in the 7-plus mile Rhody Run.
Players can play in both tournaments or choose from Saturday or Sunday.
Saturday’s individual 18-hole gross and net men’s and ladies divisions golf tournament will tee off with an 8 a.m. shotgun start.
There will be prizes for long putt in each division and closest to the pin.
Players can put in on an optional honey pot.
Entry fee for the tournament is $35 plus $10 greens fees for nonmembers.
Sunday’s portion is a two-person best ball 18-hole gross and net men’s and ladies division tournament.
Players will tee off with a shotgun start at 9 a.m.
Sunday also will have prizes for longest putt and closest to the pin, and an optional honey pot.
Entry fee is $30 per player plus $10 in greens fees for nonmembers.
Entry fees from Saturday and Sunday include a $5 donation to the Rhododendron Festival.
A door prize drawing will be available on Saturday and Sunday.
For $10 players will receive a sleeve of balls and a chance to win four tickets to see the Seattle Mariners take on the Los Angeles Angels on Sept. 26.
Proceeds from the door prize drawing will go to the Rhododendron Festival.
The door prize drawing will be held following play on Sunday.
In other Port Townsend news, the course’s grass tees on the driving range will open today.
Lessons are available with PGA pros Mike Early and Gabriel Tonan.
Golfers only also can search for hidden rocks while out playing the course.
If golfers can find one, they will receive a two-for-one meal, 50 percent off for one person or a free hot dog or brautwurst from the course’s Hidden Rock Cafe.
On June 11, Port Townsend Golf Club will host the annual Port Townsend Alumni Association Golf Classic that pits Port Townsend graduates against their Chimacum rivals.
The tourney raises funds for the PTHS Alumni Scholarship Fund.
The 18-hole four-person scramble will begin with an 8:30 a.m. shotgun start.
For more information, or to sign up for any Port Townsend event, phone the pro shop at 360-385-4547.
Fifth major to us
A few Europeans, led by Lee Westwood, may not think The Players Championship is worthy of its unofficial title as the “Fifth Major,” but the TPC Sawgrass is a wonderful course for spectators and viewers at home and it usually yields one of the finest tournaments of the year.
Last weekend’s tournament, won by K.J. Choi on the first playoff hole, was no exception.
A good read for the reason why certain Europeans don’t like participating in certain PGA Tour events is available at tinyurl.com/3pw548p.
Too bad for those guys because they missed out on seeing a turtle pull a full-gainer off of the 16th green (tinyurl.com/3ko57rg) and Ian Poulter’s mad dash for a later tee time (tinyurl.com/3uoe6g9).
Poulter was trying to avoid having to finish his final hole at 7:30 a.m. on Sunday morning.
The video shows that perpetually-grouchy Johnny Miller didn’t appreciate Poulter’s run for thecomforts of his goose-down pillow.
It was a topic of chatter for the announcers but the players in the groups ahead had all given Poulter the go-ahead to “play through” and tee off in order to finish the hole on Saturday night and avoid that early morning tee time.
They understand what that extra four hours can mean after a long weekend of play.
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Michael Carman is the golf columnist for the Peninsula Daily News. He can be reached at 360-417-3527 or at pdngolf@gmail.com.