Well, nothing like writing my season-ending commentary two and a half months AFTER it actually ended! One would believe that, once the tournaments are finished, I would have plenty of time to compile, compose and publish some thoughts about the season just completed. But, I guess not. I could bore you with the details and litany of reasons why I haven't posted, yet that would require my trying to recall them. And, since I likely would not be able to do that, I would end up making them up (which might make for better reading).Nevertheless, some of the (brief) late-season highlights include:
*An exciting finish to the Senior Four-Ball and overall season when Jon Empanger holed a 116-yard wedge shot for an eagle 2 on the 36th hole as the sun was going down (picture above) giving he and partner Gary Johnson a two-stroke victory. It would have been more dramatic had they been in the last group and he had been the last to play to the green, but.............
*The MGA Mid-Amateur had a great three days at Minneapolis GC and Burl Oaks GC. Troy Johnson took home the title with superb play that resulted in a 4-under par 212 total that was seven stroke in front of the next contenders, Larry Barnacle and Sammy Schmitz.
Despite Johnson's play, the talk of the tournament was a hole location on Burl Oaks' third hole. Cut too close to a quick slope, many players found their ball rolling tantalizingly close to the hole, only to have it come back to their feet some 25 feet away. Unfortunately, this occurred multiple times for a few players. It was one of those times that, as staff, you simply chalk up to experience.
From an administrative point, once players start going through the hole, there are limited things we can do. While Decision 33-2b/1.5 gives us five possible options, there was only one that offered any possibility without significant ramifications. Option (a) suggests: "Have play continue with the hole location unchanged on the basis that the conditions are the same for all players in the field." Thus, this is how we proceeded.
The fall golf season offered us some great weather .......... right up until November 10. The 6" of snow that fell that weekend, followed by temperatures in the 30s, signaled the official end to the 2010 season. At least I had Rosemount HS football to follow -- all the way to the Championship game!
Until next time (but hopefully not in another 2 1/2 months) --
Doug
