The Longest Match in UCGC History

An epic match took place during the quarterfinals in the Championship flight. Jeff Hazel defeated David Moers 1up on the 24th hole. Playing at Poppy Ridge on Sunday June 8th, they played the Zinfandel course followed by the Merlot course. After 18 holes the match was even, so they proceeded over to the Chardonnay course. After tying on five consecutive holes, Jeff won the sixth by paring the hole while David earned a bogey. On of the players (I can't remember which) kept sinking really long putts to remain in the match. They played out the remaining three holes and thus played all 27 holes that day. 
 

Championship Flight Final:

Paul Zingg ekes out close win at Black Horse

Paul Zingg defeated Jeff Hazel 1up at Black Horse to win the Championship Flight in the Eddie Reed tournament. They met on August 31st, about a month after the club played Black Horse during its Monterey trip. Both men had exactly the same August index (5.3) and the match lived up to its exciting expectations. Paul eked out a 1up win by earning a par on the 18th hole. The gentlemen were even after the opening 10 holes, but Paul fought to a lead of 3-up with 5 to go, after winning holes 11, 12, and 13. Jeff birdied two of the next three to cut the lead down to one hole. A solid par by Paul on 18 sealed it. They'd played the back tees of the difficult course. Paul shot an 80 and Jeff shot an 82. More details possibly to come...
 

1st Flight Final:

Against all common sense Ross visits Steve's house, and wins

Ross Sakamoto somehow defeated Steve Sanguinetti 2 and 1 to capture the first flight. Steve Sanguinetti had been ambushing unsuspecting visitors at his home course, the Peninsula Country Club. The strategy was working like a charm for him all season. For his first-ever Eddie Reed tournament, Steve played like a veteran. He was the 16th seed and he advanced to the finals. That was huge in itself. Just as all of his fallen predecessors had done, Ross went against all common-sense and accepted Steve's offer to play his home course. Details are sketchy, but somehow Ross survived. We'll keep digging up details as we're sure this story will be worth repeating fow many years to come (if only to berate Steve who unceremoniously dispatched the yours truly in the first round).
 

2nd Flight Final:

Kelly Alvarez Dethrones Defending Champ Scott Meredith

Sunday, August 24th, 2003, at the Paradise Valley Golf Course.

The Pre-Game Show:

• Both men are in the midst of a GOY battle: Alvarez in fourth place, 4 points behind the leader, Meredith in 6th place, 5 points behind the leader. 2 points go to winner of match.
• Meredith, the defending champion of the second flight attempting to win his 8th consecutive win.
• Alvarez tried to get Meredith out to Las Positas (where he ambushes opponents), but Meredith wasn't buying! Meredith wanted to play Alameda (where he ambushes opponents), but Alvarez wasn't buying! Finally they arranged a match at Paradise where they both have played well and poorly and which they both liked. It's 200 yards shorter than Las Positas but 200 yards longer than Alameda. A fair compromise.
• 10 days prior to the event Alvarez was contemplating withdrawing from the tournament because of two bulging disks in his neck that had been worsening over the previous two months. He was chewing vicoden's daily just to get through the day at work. But, he'd been going to his chiropractor every other day and his neck was finally responding. So he setup the match with Meredith hoping it would hold up long enough to complete the Eddie Reed.
• In spite of the pain, Kelly's been improving because he's been able to practice and play a lot lately.
• Meredith was playing with a pounding headache, which got progressively worse in the 90+ degree heat. (When he got home he downed 3 Motrin and crashed).
• Alvarez received 24 strokes, Meredith 17 strokes. The played off one-another's index and Alvarez therefore received 7 strokes.

The Battle:

Alvarez quickly jumped out to a 2-hole lead after the first three holes. Scott eliminated that lead by the 6th hole and pulled ahead by one on the ninth hole. Alvarez birdied the 10th hole (without need of the stroke he got on that hole). The birdie possibly distracted Meredith, whose game fell apart, whereupon he lost the next three holes, going down 3 after 13th. At the 16th tee Alvarez was dormie, 3up with 3 to go. He proceeded to choke on the next two holes which he lost, while Meredith was playing well. In true Eddie Reed Match play fashion it came down to the 18th hole. (a hole Meredith says he couldn't par if his life depended on it!) Alvarez is 1up at this point. Scott's first shot was a safe play well short of the water, Alvarez boomed his drive through the fairway, across the cart path, but with a good lie in deep grass. Meredith's approach was well short, below and to the right of the green, 25 yards away. Alvarez's approach was just short of the front edge of the green. The pin (blue) was in the back right of the green (just over ten feet from back edge) and just 6-feet from the tier edge. Alvarez chipped to within 6 feet (just up to the tier edge & lucky it didn't roll back). Scott pitched over the grassy knoll, but 12-feet from the pin and on the second tier. Assuming Alvarez would 2-putt for the win (and having a stroke to burn), Meredith had to go for the pin. He ran the putt past the pin by 6-feet. Alvarez also went for the pin because he wanted to win without using his stroke ("A stupid play", Alvarez later said, "as echoed by Russell Greenwood".) Alvarez made his come-backer and Scott missed his. Alvarez won 2up.
 

The Aftermath:

Meredith was hoping we could just let the whole thing pass without any
mention of it on the web site or elsewhere. "This, you see, is my only hope of erasing the day from my memory, but, alas I guess I'll have to live with
it until next season's Eddie Reed."

Alvarez's words of wisdom: "The only reason that I won (or even got this far) was that every opponent that I faced shot above their index when playing against me while I just shot to my index.". (Alvarez got 7 strokes but only four were used to tie or win a hole. Alvarez shot 2 under par with his handicap. Meredith shot 3 over par with his handicap.)