OH, THAT TOM WATSON.
It’s been several years since an old-time favorite like Watson has played in a major tournament with a real chance for fame and glory.
When he teed off from No. 18 on the final day of the British Open on Sunday, Watson was just one stroke off the lead for the sixth time during his long and illustrious career.
It’s almost more than the average golf fan can endure. His would have been a very popular win.
Adding to the excitement of the moment was a bunch of the truly young warriors just waiting to secure their spot on the winner’s list.
Stewart Cink had done his best and was not going to give up. He won the day.
For Tom Watson, it was the end of 32 years of battling this famous tournament.
For Cink, his time had come.
Claws and Paws event
Kandace Schmidt wrote a note of appreciation for all who played in the benefit golf tournament at Sequim’s Cedars at Dungeness in late June to raise money for the Clallam County Humane Society.
The net proceeds from the Claws and Paws event brought in $17,000 to support the good works done throughout the year by this group.
All who played in the event and the others who helped produce it should take pride in having been a part of a very worthwhile project.
Scholarship tourney
You will be thrilled to know that more than $60,000 has been raised during the past four years to help provide scholarships for graduating Sequim High School seniors.
The 11th annual Dollars for Scholars Foundation Golf Tournament, set for Aug. 1 at Cedars at Dungeness, will benefit the Sequim graduating class of 2010.
Thanks to the efforts of J.D. Angiuli, Chris Banchero and Kim Bower, the students will have a very generous scholarship.
The tournament will be able to handle 84 golfers, so space is limited.
You may get an entry form from Angiuli at 206-714-2536.
The entry fee is $135, and it covers a catered lunch, a quality golf shirt, a hole-in-one contest for a new car, and prizes for longest drive, closest to the pin and for the top three foursomes.
You may sign up as an individual or as a foursome if you have three golfers you wish to have on your team.
Tee time is 8:30 a.m. Call for your entry form today and recruit your team as quickly as possible.
Junior golf camp
Golf tournaments and golfers as a group can do really good things to help community projects.
Mike Asmundson, the owner of Discovery Bay Golf Course in Port Townsend, reports this year’s junior golf camp for boys and girls ages 6 to 14 was a real success.
The volunteer coaching staff included Dan Swindler, Don Rogers and Marc Hilt.
Boys and girls who attended were very pleased with their camp experience, Asmundson said.
He says their goal “wasn’t so much to create another Tiger Woods but to make sure that the kids had fun so that they associate going to the golf course as a positive experience.”
The skills of putting, playing the short game and swinging the golf club to produce the desired results were taught along with the etiquette for both the golf course and one’s playing companions.
Men’s club news
Some excitement happened last week at Discovery Bay when Troy Kresgard made a hole-in-one by hitting an absolutely perfect 6-iron on the 175-yard 16th hole.
It was Kresgard’s first ace.
Some winners were crowned this weekend during the men’s club championship. Asmundson won the flight A low gross in an 18-hole playoff with Mike Clevenger.
Rich Boyd captured the low net for that flight.
Low gross winner for flight B was Gary Wolfe, and the low net champion was Dan Holme.
On Friday a mixed scramble, sponsored by the men’s and women’s clubs, will be held.
Everyone is invited to join in the golf tournament beginning at 4 p.m. A barbecue on the deck will follow the golf.
There’s room for several more players to enter the golf game.
And last, but certainly not least, the Discovery Bay ladies golf club members competed in the team best ball event on July 16.
The team of Edna Chicarell, Joyce Wenz and Janet Nelson showed great teamwork and won with a net 57.
Lynn Pierle, Pat Burns and Mary Pat Griswold were second with a net 61.
Moments of brilliance came to Sheila Kilmer, who scored a birdie on the 16th hole, and to Wenz, who chipped in for a birdie on the 12th hole.
Port Ludlow golf
At Port Ludlow Golf Club, the Nine Hole Couples event on July 16 was a game called Chatman.
The winners were John and Betty Cargoe, and Tony and Cynthia Durham with a 52.
There was a tie for second between Barclay and Cathie Hampton, and Darrell and Evelyn Fett for one foursome and Truman Thompson and Carolyn Voss, and Clint and Pat Webb for the other foursome. Each team recorded a 57.
The men’s closest to the pin was won by Ed Berthiaume.
The July 14 game played by the 18-hole women’s group saw Linda Aho and Turney Oswald win the day with a 65.
In second place were Debi Bozanich and Burleigh Smith with a 68.5.
Bonnie Vahcic and Lucy Smithe partnered for a 70, and Sandie Yonke and Sandie MacDonald tied with Beth Weaver and Sally Lynam-Lee with each twosome recording at 70.5.
Dungeness golf
Lindsay Busch reports that the Dungeness Lady Niners held a Field Day on July 16.
First division winner was Barb Bullock, who took first with 18 putts.
Debbie Kahle scored a 22 and June Hall had 23.
In the second division, Viginia Dvorshak won with 18 putts.
In other second division action, Terri Green came in first place with 23.5, Virginia Dvorshak in second with 24 and Jan Stromberger third with 28.
There are 64 golfers registered to play in the invitational coming up on Thursday.
A fine banquet is planned following the golf. Call Lindsay Busch if you have any questions at 360-681-2469.
Presidents Cup
The ladies at Dungeness are involved in their annual Presidents Cup race, and Betty Kettel reports it is very exciting.
The games are being won by just a few strokes, and one game had to go two strokes past nine to determine the winner.
Those players still in the chase are Jackie Davis, June Hall, Olympia Brehm and Lori Wyngaert.
The winners of this week’s Mutt and Jeff game were first division, Wyngaert with a 23.5, a tie for second between Marlene Erickson and Barb Bullock, each with a 28.
The second division winner was Ruth Wade, 28.5, while Lili Gomes took second place with a 30.
The closest to the pin was won by Wyngaert.
Erickson won the putting contest, first division, with 35, and the second division putting was won by Busch with 35.
Wyngaert had a birdie on No. 4 while Erickson had a birdie on No. 14.
Peninsula Golf Club
The Peninsula Golf Club ladies club in Port Angeles hosted the Bremerton Gold Mountain ladies at the Sisters Challenge tournament on July 15.
This was the third year for the tournament, which alternates sites from Peninsula Golf Club to Gold Mountain Golf Course each year.
There were nine teams of two women from each golf course, and the game of the day was match play in Ryder Cup format, six scramble, six best ball and six alternate shots.
The trophy was awarded to the Peninsula ladies golf club team for the third year in a row.
Peninsula’s Dolly Burnett also took the closest to the pin award in her division.
The match was followed by a scrumptious lunch and social time.
The July competition for the club is the Ladies Club Championship Medal Play (9 and 18 holes) on Saturday and Sunday.
The Peninsula lady golfers meet at 9 a.m. on Wednesday mornings for a great round of golf.
Visitors and guests are welcome. Call Sandy Granger at 360-565-1237 for more information.
The weather is wonderful, the golf courses are beautiful and waiting for you, so join in a perfect time of the year to play golf.
Remember, “Golf is an easy game, it’s just hard to play!”
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Billy Sallee is the golf columnist for the Peninsula Daily News. He can be reached, when he isn’t on the golf course, at 350-582-9799 or bmsallee@olumpus.net. His columns appear on Wednesdays.
