COWAN-COWAN WIN LABOR DAY TOURNAMENT BY FIVE

With less than 40 entries by Thursday, the Annual Labor Day Tournament did not look as it would draw many players this year, however, by the morning of tournament day, we had 82, and before the players started at 8:30, we ended up with 98 players divided in 49 teams.

The field was divided into four flights ("A", "B", "C", "D") in the following manner: scores equal or lower than 71 made the "A" flight, scores of 72-75, made the "B" flight, scores of 76-79 made the "C" flight and scores of 80 and over made up the "D" flight. The format was the usual 6-6-6 where teams play holes 1-6 in a Low Ball format, holes 7-12 in an Alternate Shot format, and holes 13-18 in a scramble format. As you all realize, the Alternate Shot format becomes the most important of all, as there is only one ball in play and you don't want to put your partner where he can't play the next shot.

Ann Cowan and son Sean Cowan though, had no difficulties in any of the formats as they ended up with a score of 61, winning by five shots over Brock Kauk and Brett Nichols who has given Elk City someone to cheer for in national competitions as this year he qualified for the United States Amateur and the United States Mid Amateur (in the U.S. Amateur, Brertt could not recover from an opening 78 and did not qualify for the Match Play finals, the U.S. Mid Amateur is yet to be played. In third place was the team of Mark Fairchild and Cole Bynum who managed a 67, and with a 69, in fourth were Jordan Williamson and Brad O'Hara.

In the "B" Flight, a playoff was necessary as 6 teams toed for low score with a 72: Casey & Whitney Marshall, Rusty Ridling & Jack Coody, Brad & Dayva Spitzer, Leon Stuart & Tyler Windsor, Larry Hudgens & Jeff Rule, Quint Nichols & David Graham. As per the established rules, first place would be determined by a sudden death playoff starting on #10 and using the Alternate Shot format, and all other ties would be settled by a scorecard playoff starting on hole #7.

Thinking that their score would not be good enough to place, Rusty and Jack had left and only the remaining five teams went on to have a playoff. In the first hole, Larry & Jeff and Casey & Whitney were eliminated with bogeys with Casey-Whitney winning the scorecard playoff for 4th place. The other three teams went on to #11, where Brad & Dayva made a two-putt birdie from the fringe for a win. The scorecard playoff gave Leon & Tyler second place, leaving Quint & David in 3rd place.

The "C" Flight had seven teams tied for 1st place at 76: brothers Greg & Ronnie Newton, Mike Clinton & Mark Trotter, Greg Dodson & Lynn Bailey, Riley Ridling & Jake Coody (who, along with dads Rusty and Jack, had also left), Damon Butcher and son Bryce (they also left before the playoff started), Mark Flavin & Mike Gimeson and Jamie Allison with Warren Mayfield: Allison & Mayfiield won first place in the second playoff hole over Flavin & Gimeson, Dodson & Bailey won 3rd place and Clinton & Trotter won 4th.

The "D" Flight was won by Shane Wilcox & Scott Herron (80) who defeated Balne Eagan & Chad Parkhurst in the first playoff hole. In third with 81 was the team of Jesse Sharp & Terry Stone and in fourth was the team of Tim Ellison and Josh Ellison.

For all the shots I witnessed while taking pictures, the best one had to be the second shot by Sheri Stover on hole #10 during regulation play; husband Pete hit a "hosel rocket" to the driving range, from where Sheri used a fairway wood for her approach, which ended up a couple of feet from the hole for an easy tap-in for par.... way to go Sheri!

The season is closing on us with a busy schedule in September and first week of October: Elks Lodge Tournament is coming this weekend (Saturday, Sept. 7), Loves-Linn Chidlren's Miracle Network Hospitals (Set. 20), Kiwanis (Sept. 21), GPN Bank Bedlam Cup (Sept. 28) and the Tuesday Night Scramble's final in Saturday, Oct. 5th