Paradise Valley - Kooman Boycheff Memorial
8th Event of 2003 Season
1st Major Tournament of Season
Saturday, May 10, 2003

Ken Lloyd and Paul Higaki hoist spoils of war.

Our first major of 2003 is now a thing of the past. Ken Lloyd and Paul Higaki won the Overall Low Gross and Overall Low Net trophies. Ken's victory was about as marginal as it can be in a low gross championship. His 77 slipped beneath five others who had each shot 78. Paul Higaki's win was quite exceptional as well. He's still recovering from a compound fracture to his right ankle. Steve Obana proved once again that he OWNS the Kooman Boycheff tournament. Since joining the club in 1999, Steve has three times placed first, once placed third, and won the CTP during the remaining year. And just as incredible, if not more so, Lloyd Crenna and Jerry Powell each ended their six-year dry spells! These dry spells rank 5th and 6th on the all-time longest dry spells in club history! The odds against both players ending their fruitless struggles on the same day are monumental.

Over the past two month interest rates have been steadily dropping to modern-day lows. In early March, the 30-year fixed rate stood at 5.35%. By May, rates have dropped to 5.08%. In 2000, rates of 8% and higher were common. What with dropping rates, many homeowners have been refinancing their mortgages. Indeed, some people have refinanced several times over the course of the past few years, thereby locking in lower rates. Currently, about 80% of all new mortgages are in the form of refinances. It's difficult to say where this is all going, but one thing is certain, rates cannot drop much further.

Unlike the interest rates, the scores at Paradise Valley were not at all as low as one would have expected. The conditions were ideal, the weather was perfect and the wind, normally a factor, was down. Unsettled weather had plagued the area in the weeks prior to the tournament. This was one of the wettest seasons in recent memory. With fair conditions, how come the scores weren't lower?

Ken Lloyd won the Kooman Boycheff Overall Low Gross title for the fifth time in his career. Over the past seven years Ken has won the title three times, which is more than any other member. Steve Desimone has won the championship seven times. Ken shot a 77, and by a single stroke held off a large pack at 78. A 6-way tiebreaker would sure have been interesting, but Ken is happy with the way things turned out. Shooting 78's were Steve Desimone, John Robertson, Paul Zingg, Dave Lozow, and Paul Higaki. Wait a minute, did you say Paul Higaki? Yes. Each player except Paul was in the first flight. Paul, matching the best round of his life, was playing in the third flight.

The competition for Overall Low Net was not nearly as close as the race for Low Gross. Paul Higaki's 78 (net 65) edged by two strokes Lloyd Crenna's 90 (net 67). Recovering from a compound fracture suffered on a tennis court, Paul matched his all-time best score. Moreover, he was only 2 strokes from achieving an extremely rare double-major (winning both overall low gross and overall low net). Playing golf on a freshly healing ankle is one thing, but Paul also recently purchased a basketball and a new bike. Massive stitches cut across his ankle where, only a few months ago the raw bone was sticking out, as blood spurting out across the tennis court (elaboration, for effect). And here's Paul, buying a new basketball? Paul's only saving grace is his wife, Gail. She represents the common sense in their relationship, (Paul represents, what? The athlete?) Gail will hopefully apply a strong light to the dark recesses of Paul's brain, where these strange ideas are formulated.

Here's one that falls in the category, "painful lessons". Bob Sternbach failed to place, but would have won his flight had it not been for one minor oversight. Before we continue we need to acquaint you with Bob's game. Bob has an obsession for playing the ball wherever it lands. Bob is a doctor, and perhaps his dedication to keeping people alive at any cost, has been transferred to his game. If the ball bounces off a sign an lands in the back of a moving dump truck, Bob will immediately begin running toward the parking lot, keys in hand. If the ball ricochets off a tree and lands in a baby stroller, well, this would be a tough call... Anyway, this obsession cost him dearly at Paradise Valley. Standing on the 17th tee, Bob was leading his flight. After a mediocre drive, Bob hit an even uglier shot into the hazard, a creek which runs along the right side of the fairway. It's dense in that area, but Bob, as always, was undaunted. Bob carried a few clubs into the hazard, and was accessing the situation. Realizing how impossible his lie was, Bob decided to pick up and take the penalty, but while he was bending over to pick up the ball he leaned on one of the clubs in his hand, like a cane, with the club in contact with the ground. Playing partner (and sharing the same flight) Russ Greenwood noticed this and said, 'That's a penalty!". Grounding a club while in a hazard is a 2-stroke penalty. The premise is that one is testing the ground, which is the reason for the rule. One may carry and set a bag down in the hazard, but no single clubs may contact the ground. Were it not for this simple mistake, Bob would have won his flight. Bob nevertheless wins praise for his honesty and acceptance of the rules. Bob also wins praise for not strangling Russ. (Interestingly, the two gentlemen both won their opening Eddie Reed matches and will square off in Round 2 next month. We recommend Russ bone up on all the rules, because Bob will be watching closely). 

Kelly Alvarez had a tough time of it on the second hole. Off the tee he clipped the oak in the middle of the fairway. He pulled his second shot into the trees on the left. Third shot punched out to the fairway. Fourth shot shanked straight right into the hazard....now he's pissed. 5th, 6th, 7th shots were practice in the hazard. He didn't realize until Russell informed him that the club hitting the ground in the hazard counts as a swing. 8th shot was barely free of the hazard. 9th shot was in the bunker, 10 out of the bunker, 11 the short of green, 12th on green, and a 3 putt. It worked out something like that. That's the best he can remember and he tried to forget it right away. Kelly knew the rule but was too pissed off to pay attention after the shank. Another day, another painful lesson learned.

A little over 25 years ago, Kooman Boycheff, the club's founder, lost his life due to a heart attack. Modern science and more healthier lifestyles have dramatically reduced the rate of deaths which occur due to heart attacks. Risk of dying after developing heart failure has fallen about one-third since the 1950s. Were Kooman still alive he would be celebrating his 87th birthday on July 27th.

Mike Armstrong and Paul Zingg warm up by taking huge cuts at the ball. A new camera lens helped make them appear more majestic.

Van Hall towered above the ball. Small insects, and members alike, were petrified by this ominous figure.

Steve Desimone appeared unstoppable. He was going for a three-peat, his third-ever three peat. Over the years, the three-peat has occurred 5 times.

Chris Brown, a range ball caught in the wheelhouse.

Mark Steppan empties his bucket.

Steve Obana is a marvel of consistency. While experimenting with the camera, I took four pictures of Steve. Each of the shots looked identical. I've never seen anything like it.

Paul Zingg literally towers over a practice putt. Paul prevailed in his close match with Steve Obana. Paul also recently played as guest in an LPGA Pro-Am event. Paul was in the same foursome as Kelli Kuehne, with Annika Sörenstam in the group ahead, and Juli Inkster in the group behind. Paul is a good player. Kelli said that she's never, during any of the Pro-Ams been paired with an amateur golfer as good as he. Usually the Amateurs are true hackers! Anyway, Paul said it was an amazing experience. He also wondered how well Annika might do in the PGA event next month. The length of the holes will make it really tough on her game, which is 20 yards shorter off the tee than the average PGA player's drive.

Elliott Zeller was hamming it up for the camera, and telling bad jokes. As is typical, on the first tee Elliott complained bitterly of a new injury. Perhaps it was his recurring back injury or tendentious in his elbow. It's always something. Then he'll generally complain about the pain-killers and how he's so drugged up he can hardly play. Then of course, as always, Elliott proceeds to play at or near net par and place or win the event. One really has to wonder what kind of painkillers he's taking, and where to get them.

Lloyd Crenna has been coming on strong of late. Today Lloyd would win his flight. It would end the 5th-longest dry spell in club history. Lloyd hadn't won a flight in 6 years and 2 months. His last win was at Delta View on March 8, 1997.

Guest Bill Sloan works on some short putts.

John Haag is a long-time member, but he seldom can make it out for tournaments. Here John tells a story to Martin Kitchener.

Steve Sanguinetti. hits his opening drive. At the turn Steve was leading the second flight, but his game became a bit unsettled on the back.

Ken Lloyd pounds his first drive. Ken would go onto win the Overall Low Gross with a score of 78. 

On #18 Ken tapped in for a one-stroke victory, with 5 others having shot 79. A miss here would have resulted in a 6-person playoff.

Jim Peretti didn't place, but he won the first flight's CTP with a shot of 8'-9" on #12.

Jeff Hazel had a good front nine, and was in position to place, but lost some mojo after the turn.

Steve Obana was playing in two Majors on this day. Not only playing in the Kooman Boycheff Memorial, but he and Paul Zingg would also be holding their Eddie Reed match. Playing in the Championship bracket, Paul, with his lower index (by 3.6 strokes) had the upper hand, but Steve gave him a run for the money. Steve shot a 79 (net 70) and won his flight. Paul shot a 78 (net 73) and placed 4th in his flight, however Paul nevertheless prevailed in the match with a narrow victory on the 19th hole.

Here's Steve Obana's summary of his match vs. Paul Zingg:

"Paul made a numerous great two-putts from over 40 feet, although he did miss two 3-footers. I couldn't make a putt outside of seven feet, but only missed one 3-footer.

The last two holes...

I was one up going into 17. We both hit good drives and had wedge or less in. He hit a great wedge just below the hole and my sand wedge ended up just short of the green. He made a nice birdie from about 10 feet to tie me. Then on 18, he was struggling (short of the green in three) and I was left of the green in two. After our chip shots, I had a ten-footer to win...which, of course, I missed. He then had a seven-footer to tie and he put it right in the center of the cup -- great pressure putt.

We went back to 18 for a playoff (the funny thing is that we could have played 18 three-times since there were no groups in sight after the group behind us finished). Anyway, Paul hit a long drive, but it was left. He played his next shot from the middle of the first fairway and hit a nice mid-iron to within 20 feet of the hole. I hit a good drive and had a gap wedge in. As with my first approach at 18, I ended up left again. My subsequent chip bounced dead left when it hit the fringe and ended up eight feet away. Paul just missed his birdie putt and had a gimmie par. I missed my chance to tie and enjoyed the cold beer inside!"

Paul Zingg on the 18th tee. A bogey here extended his Eddie Reed match, and also left him one stroke shy of a playoff with Ken Lloyd for overall low gross.

Mark Holman was tied with Paul Higaki (Overall Low Net winner) at the turn. Both had shot net 34.5 on the front. Paul went onto shoot a 37 (net 30.5) on the back nine and win the overall low net with a 65. Mark, however, slipped into reality on the back side with a 47 (net 40.5).

Dave Lozow won the first flight with a 78 (net 71). Lozow was holding his Eddie Reed match against upstart, and underdog, Dave Moers (below). Lozow, the 4th seed, was upset by the 13th-seeded Moers by a score of 3 and 1. 

Dave Moers failed to place in the Kooman Boycheff tournament, however he beat Lozow in his first-ever Eddie Reed match. 

Chad Carey played remarkably. His 79 (net 72) earned him second place in the first flight. As the 14th seed in the Eddie Reed championship flight, he also ousted #3 seed Mark Steppan in their match, with a score of 3 and 2. Some days you have it and this was Chad's day. 

Eddie Reed didn't hit too many wonderful shots, but he did hit one when it counted. Eddie had the day's closest shot at #12, and won the CTP with a shot to 2'-9 12".

We haven't seen Ron Irving since the Club Championship at Boundary Oak in October of 2001. Ron returned today and won the Blind Bogey flight, with a net 76. It was his first win since the Faculty/Staff at Willow Park in June of 2000.

In 1979, John Scott won the inaugural Kooman Boycheff tournament, shooting a net 78. John's is the first name engraved on the trophy. Today John would tie Ron Irving in the Blind Bogey flight, but lose the tie-breaker.

John Robertson won the overall low gross in 1999, 20 years after his friend John Scott. On this day John shot a 78 and missed a playoff by one-stroke. He did at least win the 5-person tiebreaker for 3rd place in the first flight.

Greg Kramp turned in an 81 (net 73) and was part of the 5-person tiebreaker for third place in the first flight.

John Haag was participating in his first UCGC event of the 2003 season. John's last appearance was at Roddy Ranch in April 2002. 

Martin Kitchener is a true A's fan. You can always spot a true A's fan by the old, sun-bleached baseball cap.

Ron Gallagher's 86 (net 71) was good enough for a 3rd place finish in the third flight.

Chris Mater's tied for 4th, 1-stroke back in the second flight.

In spite of a multitude of career-ending injuries, Elliott Zeller turned in a net 72, and placed third (one stroke shy of placing 1st) in the fourth flight.

Rob Simonds finally caved into peer pressure, and wore a decent pair of Bermuda-length short. In the past, Rob has been thoroughly berated on this web site for wearing shorts that were much too short for any of our male members to get away with. Congratulations to Rob for finally exiting the 1970's and ushering in a whole new era, the 1980's style.

Kevin Hillesland's 86 (net 73) earned him a 2nd place finish in the second flight. His 40 (net 33.5) on the back was one of the better net scores on the back nine.

Marty Connell wearing pink AGAIN! At least this time he's not wearing the pink slacks. God forbid he ever decide to wear the pink shirt with the pink slacks. One has also to wonder, did he really purchase these pink clothes, or did he just accidentally wash a red item with his whites? Only Marty knows for certain.

Dave Wherritt pounces on the ball at hole #1. 

Glenda Goode watches her husband Ted perform a chip shot on #5. Ted knew she was watching, and therefore was really trying to impress her. Glenda was very impressed, Ted. But mostly she was impressed that you managed to avoid falling into the bunker on your follow-through.

This represents everything that's wrong with the game of golf today. Kelly, Russell, and Bob reveal why so many people have abandoned the game.

Bob Traum on #14. Bob announced after the round that he's moving to Las Vegas. In fact, he's moving to the Revere Golf Club, the same course we visited last year! Bob will have much room for improvement, because at last year's Las Vegas tournament Bob turned in the highest gross score, and the highest net score. Next time we're in Las Vegas we'll expect improvement.

Russell with a chip at #14. Russell will be facing Bob Sternbach in his next Eddie Reed match.

Bob Sternbach had everything under control at hole #14. His dropped club on #17 cost him the tournament.

Aaron never had anything under control. In fact, here on #6 he took a quintuple bogey 9, after flying the green four times. He went from the bunker on one side of the green, to the bunker on the other, back, and then back again. Finally shanking one back into the center of the fairway, out about 50 yards from the green. After that, he began bird-watching.

Tom Furtado's approach on #7. Like Aaron, Tom had a rough day.

Andrew Kang's play was also a bit sporadic. Here on #9 he attempts a long birdie.

Interesting tidbits - On the hillside, pictured beneath Tom's right elbow, is an abandoned sulfur mine. Years ago people thought it was haunted because at night yellow clouds would issue forth from the opening in the mine.

Andrew came on strong over the last few holes, but still was 2- strokes out of placing in the money.

Yoch Lin's ball somehow stayed in bounds on #5. Yoch shot a 49 on the front, then followed with a 41 on the back to place 2ndin the fourth flight. His never-say-die attitude proves that you're not out until you're out. Nevertheless, Yoch is usually out. He just got lucky this time.

Yoch's drive on #18 left him in a tough spot.

Still, he did a great job with this limited back-swing.

Yoch and Andrew scrutinize the results. Yoch is in disbelief that he actually placed. So was Andrew. Yoch came outta nowhere.

Ryan Tabibian, Charles Lee, and Dave Rose drink a few beers before hitting the highway.

Some fine hardware was presented. Clocks were for keeping, the perpetual trophies were only to keep for a year, and then get  returned.

Most of the non-winners interpreted it as time to get some lessons.

Along with Lloyd Crenna, Jerry Powell also ended his long dry spell. Here Jerry proudly displays his 1st place check. Jerry hadn't seen one of these for 6 years and 7 days. His last victory came at Oakmont West on 5/3/1997. If things continue like this, Jerry won't win again until 2009.

Complete Flight Results:

Overall Low Gross