SunLand Golf & Country Club general manager and head pro Tyler Sweet accomplished something last week in Las Vegas that nearly every visitor to the city tries and fails to achieve.
He left the arid atmosphere of Sin City a winner.
No, he wasn’t gambling, he was golfing.
Sweet won the two-day 2009 ESPN National Golf Challenge Club Pro Tournament in a one-hole playoff over Jim Ousley, head pro at Tippecanoe Country Club in Monticello, Ind.
Competing against 110 other club pros at the Las Vegas Paiute Golf Resort, Sweet shot 69 on the first day of the competition to finish fourth for the round and make the final foursome for the last day of the tournament.
Sweet made his move on the par-3 14th hole, draining a 25-foot birdie putt to take his first lead of the tournament.
He maintained sole possession of first place until the 17th hole where he missed out on a 6-foot putt with a left-to-right break, while playing partner Dave Carr tapped in for birdie and a share of the lead.
Sweet regrouped on the 420-yard par-4 18th hole, skirting the water surrounding the green with a 9-iron to within 10 feet.
He holed the knee-knocking putt and finished with a 68, good for 7-under for the tournament.
Ousley joined Sweet for the playoff after coming back from an opening-round 74 by firing a blistering 63 on day two.
The duo played the 18th hole one more time with Sweet mentally heading back to the tee box after his 15-foot birdie attempt for the win lipped out, leaving Ousley a 3 ½-foot par putt to continue the playoff.
With the pressure on, Ousley missed the putt, giving some Sweet relief and a championship to the area pro.
The club pro tournament was a portion of the ESPN National Golf Challenge, a four-tournament series that was filmed for an hour-long golf special that will air at a to-be-determined date on ESPN2.
I’ll let you know when the air date is announced.
SunLand at Pinehurst
Sweet and SunLand members Walter Clark, Mike Phelan and Fred Smith also are competing at the three-day PGA McGladrey Team Championship at the Pinehurst Resort in Pinehurst, N.C.
The foursome was in 36th place through day one (Monday) after shooting a 2-under par 144 on the Pinehurst No. 8 course.
Tuesday saw the players compete on the most famous course at Pinehurst, No. 2, home of the 1999 and 2005 U.S. Open Championship.
A report on the foursome’s trip to pine country and a picture should follow in next week’s column.
Hilltop coming up
Port Townsend Golf Club manager Vicki Handyside reports that the club has settled on a format for its popular Hilltop Open.
The club will use a two-person 6-6-6 format (six holes best ball, six holes scramble, six holes Chapman) for the Nov. 7 tournament with a 10 a.m. shotgun start.
Cost is $40 for members and $50 for nonmembers with a homemade lasagna feed and award presentation following play at the Hilltop Tavern.
Players are encouraged to sign up quickly as interest in this tournament is typically high and spots fill up fast.
The club has switched to winter rates, $10 for nine holes and $18 for 18 holes, and the course is in great condition and very dry, even after the recent rainfalls.
Area results
Port Townsend hosted its Halloween Scramble last weekend.
Mike and Brian Lux took home the gross title with a 62 while Terry Berge and Jefferson County Superior Court Judge Craddock Verser took home net champion honors with a 50.
Port Ludlow
Last Tuesday, Port Ludlow Golf Club’s 18-hole Women’s group played Bingo Bango Bongo, scoring one point each for first to the green, closest to the hole and first to hole out her putt.
Lucinda Thompson placed first and birdied the Timber course’s third hole, followed by Cherie Wright and Burleigh Smith in a tie for second, and Adele Govert finishing fourth.
The ladies held a catered lunch at the Bay Club after the event and elected officers for the 2010 season.
Sandie Yonke, the 2009 captain, was awarded a crystal picture frame and “thanked for her dedication and energy invested in making this season such a success,” Port Ludlow member Barbara Berthiaume said.
A full list of season awards and 2010 officers can be found on Page B2.
Dungeness awards
Sequim’s Cedars at Dungeness Lady Niners played their final game of the season and capped the year off with an awards banquet following play last Thursday.
Pins were presented to the 13 ladies who joined the “Birdie Club” during league play, including Barb Bullock and Virginia Dvorshak, who each notched three birdies over the course of the year.
Lady Niners member Pat Charters took the time to pour over old scorecards to present the Eclectic Awards, the lowest scores achieved on each hole by each player during the season.
Jo Hendrickson finished on top with a net of 36, followed by Debbie Kahle’s 37, Barb Bullock’s 39 and Andie Gram’s 40.
Lori Purser and Jan Stromberger tied for low gross with 23, and Vernice Quigley and Lindsay Busch were just back of those two with scores of 24.
Purser tracked GHIN handicap statistics all season and awarded “Most Improved” awards to Ginny Hammond-Thompson, Busch and Dvorshak.
Busch also was awarded the “Club Champion” award by Lady Niners captain Hendrickson, for claiming the team match play competition held in August and September.
The new Lady Niners season will begin in March 2010.
SunLand scramble
SunLand’s Women’s Golf Association played a scramble, then held its final general meeting of the year last Thursday.
The team of Cynthia Edel, Mary Jo LeSage, Janet Littlefield and Dorothy Plenert earned top honors after shooting an 81 followed by Dana Burback, Janet Real, Sherry Meythaler and Joan Kasher, who finished with an 82.
The women recognized Dana Burback for her service as 2009 captain and selected Shirley Mullikin as 2010 captain, Marine Hirschfeld as assistant captain, Nancy Harlan as treasurer and Littlefield as secretary.
Kathy Mahnerd was honored as Most Improved, and the women remembered Littlefield’s hole-in-one during league play.
The women finish the season with a nine-hole Halloween Tournament this week.
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Golf columnist Michael Carman can be reached at 360-504-0181 or at pdngolf@gmail.com.