Former club champion Tristan Durgin and first time finalist Nick Waltz started their 36 hole match at 7 a.m. with official scorers, trap-rakers and pin-tenders, Stan Wade and Doug Hancock. Stan always provides great blueberry cake and coffee for players and spectators while it lasts.
After the first 22 holes, they were all even and one could tell this was going to be a very close match.
On the 23rd hole (No. 5) Nick’s second shot ended short of the green. Tristan’s second also appeared to be short, but it took a nice hop and ended beyond the pin. Nick bogied and Tristan parred to go one up.
This hole seemed to turn things in Tristan’s favor and by the end of the 28th hole he was ahead by three. Nick, however, battled back and reduced Tristan’s lead to two on the 30th hole (No. 12). The 31st hole (No. 13) could have been a disaster for Nick as he, remembering being short playing this hole earlier, hit his second over the green by 20-25 feet.
His pitch shot back finished close to the hole for a spectacular recovery and a par. On the 34th (No. 16) Nick tightened things up even more by reducing Tristan’s lead to one, but he was running out of holes.
His drive on the short par three 37th hole (No. 17) finished on the edge of the sand in the deep right hand bunker creating a very difficult second shot. Nick bogied, while Tristan made an easy par, winning the match two-up with one hole to go.
Both agreed it was a great match and one that each enjoyed very much. Tristan was happy with his play, but said he was having trouble hitting solid shots on the wet greens and felt “shaky” on any putt over five feet.
A spike mark on the 30th hole caused him to miss a putt of only 15 inches. Without a doubt both of these young players will be returning to the championship finals in future years.
Now here’s an idea, how about a playoff match among the club champions from the Boothbay Country Club, Sheepscot Links, and Wawenock for the Lincoln County championship?
In second place was team Joe McDermott and Tony Papa, and in third was Rich Eaton and Dick Marks. Low putts with 13 was won by McDermott and Papa in a tie with Easton and Marks.
Closest to the line on hole 16 was Vic Macomber and closest to the pin on 15 was Rich Eaton. No one should be surprised the top team in the final standings was team Eaton and Marks with 24 points; second was McDermott and Papa with 35 points; third was Stadtlander and Madam with 34; and, fourth was Spinney and Hanna with 42 points.
These four teams will play off this week for the championship while the remaining teams will play a special competition just for fun. A fine lunch in the Fairway Restaurant and presentation of awards will follow.
This individual fun game with a definite learning curve was won by Punky Adams with a net score of 31. Lynn Connell, aided by a chip-in, was second with a 33, and Judy DiNucci was third with 36.
The annual Evie Thurston 18-hole Tournament will be held on Thurs., Sept. 3 with a shotgun start at 8 a.m. After play, an awards luncheon will take place at the clubhouse restaurant. Then, on Sept. 10, the following Thursday, the league will play its final nine hole game of the season, after which there’ll be a potluck lunch at the president’s house.
(Report by Carol Lindquist.)
After putting out, the score is recorded minus the number of dots provided for that hole. A chip-in was granted five points, an eagle was four points, a birdie was three points, a par was two points and a bogey was one point.
At the end of the round, the player with the highest number of points took the honors. Unfortunately, the league had played only two holes when the rain came and sent most players to the clubhouse. One stalwart group consisting of Stephanie Russell, Carol Lindquist, and Nastasha Cosgrove completed the round after taking a brief break in the shed during the heaviest downpour.
The remainder of the players returned on Tuesday to complete the round. Traci Beier took first place honors with a total of 25 points. She also made a natural birdie on hole No. 11. Alex Whitney took second place honors with a total of 20 points.
The league would also like to congratulate its members Traci Beier for winning the Ladies Club Championship, and Evie Graham for winning the President’s Cup Championship.
