Author: Frank Mejia

Team Captains Tom Clement (Black Team) and Frank Mejia (Red Team) held the player draft last night (Wednesday, 9/29)
Here are the teams.

RYDER CUP (WELLMAN CUP) FORMAT & PLAY
It’s a Ryder Cup format, a team against team challenge.

We have two 8-man teams playing at four of the premier courses in the Pinehurst area in a Match Play Format through Four rounds – Best Ball, Alternate Shot, Captain’s Choice, and Singles

October 8, Friday – Tobacco Road, designed by renowned Mike Strantz.   1050 to 1120am tee times
Best Ball (Four Ball) – two-2man teams, all four balls in play. Lowest ball score for the hole will give that team’s ball a point. Move to next hole.

October 9, Saturday – Talamore, designed by renowned Rees Jones.   0756 to 0820am tee times.
Captain’s Choice- one person per team is designated as Captain. Both members of team tee off, as with every shot, but the captain will determine which ball is advantageous and will play team’s next 2 shots from there. Subsequently two shots will occur from one Captain’s ball choice location, until you hole out. Lowest team score from “choice” locations will win the hole. Move to next hole.

October 9, Saturday – Mid Pines, designed by renowned Donald Ross.   2:12 to 2:39pm tee time (sunset is at 7pm).
Alternate Shot – Two-2man teams, one ball in play per team. Whomever tees off at # 1 will have to tee off at all odd number holes, the other member tees off the even number holes. You alternate hitting your team ball from tee until you hole out and whatever team has a better score will win the hole. Move to next hole. (It moves pretty quickly as there is only one ball in play per team, and please reserve saying “Sorry” for each partner may end up saying it a hundred times!!)

October 10, Sunday – Southern Pines Country Club (1906), designed by renowned Donald Ross.   0916 to 0940am tee time.
Singles – your Team Captain will match you against the other Team Captain’s challenger. One-on-one, probably of comparable talent and handicap, hence you will have your hands full to win a point for your team. Eight single matches going on, eight points on the table for the taking. This is the make or break day for your team.

June 2010 — The old adage proves true, The Spam doesn’t start until the back nine on Sunday. Grabbing 26 Skins on the final day, including 19 of all 24 available on the back nine, Jim Frenette stormed past a fading foursome (see Alex S, especially) to capture his first ever Spam, his second major BGA championship overall. In an attempt to go back and channel Ben Hogan, Frank Mejia (great Hogan white hat and slacks!) took the Saturday overnight lead, added the first 14 Skins on Sunday, then came to a grinding halt — shut out over the last 8 holes (he didn’t know how to read the scorecard and understand he had to give up a few strokes) — to finish a very good but disappointing second (a win would have completed his career Grand Slam, joining Tom C. and Don D. as the only players to win all four majors). BGA rookie Bob Blum overcame early tournament trick shot tomfoolery to finish 3rd, edging out BGA veteran Mike “I Play Cornhole Like I Skip Rocks On A Lake” Campbell for 4th place.

Final and complete weekend standings, attached. Top 3 in purple. Top 10 in yellow.

Get well wishes to Bobby Brunner (ribs) and Vince Olds (elbow), both becoming the first two players to ever withdraw from a BGA Major. We are getting older …

Low gross winners, in order, 1. Frank Mejia (242), 2. rookie Barry McHan (244) and 3. “BPNTWAM” Alex Scarcella (250)

Low net winners, in order 1. Steve Flynn (211), 2. rookie Jeremy Moreland (213) and 3. Barry McHan (214)

And speaking of low net, we had one player who finished 202 — but by finishing the weekend with a net round score of 67 and besting the next closest player by 3 strokes a round, CLEARLY there must have been SOME error in the way that player established his OWN handicap for this tournament (I won’t mention his name here … but his initials are “Frank Mejia”

On the highnet side, see the guys with the underline — to Cale J, Charlie D, Vinnie O and Zach Drehoff. Bottom line — you guys didn’t set your handicaps high enough. The next Spam, swallow just a little pride and up the number closer to where you’ll probably come in on the kind of tough and nice courses we play in a major (in order to better keep yourselves legitimately in the mix). You deserve better!

Cornhole was simply fantastic and hilarious Saturday night! Charlie, thank you for herding the cats and setting this up, it was great!

And thanks to a good bunch of you guys who went out of your way to to contribute your time, treasure and moral support to me as we put this year’s Spam together.