Solid play down the homestretch of Saturday's five-hole shootout gave Jon Getz and Jim Tweeten the overall championship of the three-day, 14th annual Moose Madness Men's Member-Guest golf tournament at The Valley Club.
The happiness and relief, and the tradition, were enough to cause the winners to jump into the lake adjacent to the 418-yard par-4 18th hole on the Hale Irwin North Course. Fortunately the sun was out because the lake temperature was about 62 degrees.
With spectators in about 60 golf carts lining the final green shouting "Lake, lake," Getz dove immediately into the water. Meanwhile, Tweeten ponied up to the edge of the lake and bravely did a back-flip into the drink. He was surprised that the water was so shallow.
Second place went to Jim Schultz and Jeff Davis. In third place were Curtis Gardner and John Murray. Tied for fourth place were Hanley Dawson and Bud Furman, and Phillip O'Reilly and Steve Daffer.
As always, the format for Moose Madness was a treat for this year's 120 players.
Valley Club golf director Stoney Brown said, "Each team was comprised of a Valley Club member and his guest. Guests came from not only the valley but the entire country as well. Teams teed it up for a practice round on Wednesday and started the tournament on Thursday.
"The format was round robin with 10 flights of six teams each. Each team in the flight played a nine-hole match with the other five teams in their flight with nine points up for grabs in each match.
"After the final nine-hole match on Saturday, the flight winners (total points leaders) met in 10-team shootout to determine the overall champion."
Saturday's alternating shot Moose Chase sent the winning teams of all 10 flights from Thursday and Friday's round robin to the tee at the North Nine's 393-yard par-4 #9 hole.
Three teams were eliminated on the #9 hole, two teams on the #10 and #11 holes, and one more team bit the dust on #17. It left two teams, Getz and Tweeten and Schultz and Davis, still standing on #18.
Brown announced other winners of special contests:
In Wednesday's practice round, closest-to-the-hole winners were Bob Phillips, Gerry Riggs and Latham Williams. Matthew Oakes had the straightest drive, while Phil O'Reilly belted the long drive.
Chipping champion was Michael Fitzpatrick in Friday's skills events. Bob Phillips was putting champ, winning a putt-off at the awards cocktail party.
Here are results of the 10 flights in best ball, round-robin play Thursday and Friday:
Butler National (Illinois): 1—Jon Getz and Jim Tweeten 29.5. 2—Jim Cannavino and Matthew Oakes 25, Richard Shelton and Mike Davis 25. 4—Gary Crowe and Gerald Riggs 20. 5—Jack Dies and Bill Rosato 18. 6—Jeff Jeffery and Ben Haddad 17.5.
Sand Ridge (Ohio): 1—Jim Schultz and Jeff Davis 25.5. 2—John Kelly and Mac Joye 25.5. 3—Michael Quinn and Bob Dunn 25. 4—Blair Hull and Adi Erber 22. 5—Todd Peebler and Alex Brown 19. 6—John Ashton and Harry Burn 18.
Wade Hampton (North Carolina): 1—Curtis Gardner and John Murray 24.5. 2—Latham Williams and Peter Palmedo 24. 3—Scott Rogers and Chris Neils 23. 4—Jeffrey Mansoor and Jim Curran 21.5. 5—Walter Stoecklein and William Donahue 21, Ray Knowles and Randy McDowell 21.
Dallas National (Texas): 1—Phillip O'Reilly and Steve Daffer 27. 2—Charles Durnin and Curtis Spencer 26. 3—Allan Snyder and Bill Bohrer 22.5. 4—Jerry Mells and Harry Schrieber 21. 5—Ken McCain and Larry Hodge 20. 6—Jay Cassell and David Brown 18.5.
The Quarry (California): 1—Hanley Dawson and Albert Bud Furman 30.5. 2—Lou Mace and Sid Mace 25. 3—Michael Ochsman and William Burak 23. 4—Chris Stephens and Ken Herich 21.5. 5—Jim Daniels and Terry Daniels 19.5. 6—Dave Rose and Jack Dell 15.5.
Victoria National (Indiana): 1—Jerry Boas and Bob Phillips 28. 2—Jeffrey Batt and Gary Morgan 24.5. 3—Steven Rose and John Pyle 22.5. 4—Sean Terry and David Schirmer 21.5, Hunter Vogel and Michael Fitzpatrick 21.5. 6—Doug Rhymes and Tom Crosswhite 17.
Shadow Creek (Nevada): 1—Papa Doug Manchester and Rich Logan 31. 2—Mitch Milias and Sean Ryan 25. 3—David Rognlien and Buddy Pepp 21. 4—Alvin Shoemaker and Joe DeBriyn 19.5, John Martinson and Jeff Rawson 19.5. 6—Dave Hennessy and Jeff Russell 19.
Sage Valley (South Carolina): 1—Ronald Brown and Ryan Brown. 2—Jeff Rust and Lyman Rust 23, William L. Hill and Richard Brown 23. 4—Dean Hovencamp and David Kempken 22. 5—Robert Cook and Larry Alessio 21.5. 6—Ned Sachs and David Sachs 20.
Estancia (Arizona): 1—Robert Allen and Lori Goetz 26.5. 2—Greg Swink and Todd Martin 26.5. 3—Doug Christie and Michael Christie 22.5, Ronald Fairfax and Michael Beck 22.5, Dick Toomey and Steve Bates 22.5. 6—Larry Helzel and Raymond Marino 14.5.
Flint Hills (Kansas): 1—Michael O'Neil and Woody Woodward 29. 2—Paul Willis and Tom Held 26.5. 3—Roger Miller and Louie D'Ambrosio 21. 4—John Shoemaker and Ernest Rosato 20.5. 5—Stuart Nibley and Scott Terrall 19.5. 6—Dave Almond and Ross Williams 18.5.
Southpaw striker Jim Schultz lifts an iron shot during Saturday’s Moose Madness action at The Valley Club. Schultz and playing partner Jeff Davis went all the way to the North Course #18 hole and finished second. Photo by Willy Cook
