Paradise Valley
Kooman Boycheff Memorial
8th Event of 2004 Season
1st Major Tournament of Season
Saturday, May 8, 2004

Jim Peretti receives from Ken Lloyd the perpetual trophy and a very nice clock (to keep). The clocks were selected by board member Mike Armstrong and presented to our Low Gross and Low Net winners.

Steve Sanguinetti with the Kooman Boycheff low net perpetual trophy. Steve had to leave immediately upon completing his round, and so this photo was taken at Poppy Ridge five weeks after the Paradise Valley tournament.

Our first major of the 2004 season is behind us and in the rearview mirror we can glimpse the outline of two members holding major trophies for the first time. Just as Phil Mickelson recently won his first major and got the monkey off his back, so too both of our members did the same, and now there are two monkeys on the loose, looking for other backs to attach themselves. Jim Peretti shot 75 and won the Low Gross at the 26th Annual Kooman Boycheff Memorial Tournament. Steve Sanguinetti shot 77 (net 67) and won the Low Net. For Jim, the road to victory was about as rocky as possible. Jim was the second member at the driving range and his early play can only be described as legendary. This hurts even to say, because Jim is our favorite member to badger, and now we have to eat a little crow and perhaps badger him less?

After going -4 through the first 5 holes, with birdies on holes 2, 3, 4, and 5, Jim began the day with what is likely the best-ever opening in any UCGC event. (We know that the record for consecutive birdies in a tournament is 6, set by Mark Philips at the 1998 Willow Park Faculty/Staff, but Jim's opening was extremely powerful. By the way, Steve Desimone was a first-hand witness to both of these streaks.) There's a saying however, about counting, and eggs, and hatching, and Jim's eggs were far from hatched. Over the next seven holes Jim would take three double bogies. Again, it's not something anyone will ever be able to research, but odds are good that no other low gross major winner ever carded three double bogies. And after 12 holes Jim was basically out of the running. Indeed he was actually four strokes behind the leader, Steve Sanguinetti who was also playing the round of a lifetime.

After 12 holes the leader board looked like this: Steve Sanguinetti was at even par, Van Hall was +1, Saul Geiser was +2 (+1 after #13), Ralph Hill, Robert Desimone, and Steve Desimone were at +3, Jim Peretti, Dave Lozow were at +4, and John Robertson was at +5. So at this point Jim was actually tied for 7th place.

Moreover, to add to the drama, having begun the back nine with double-bogey, bogey, double-bogey, Jim's drive on the 13th hole was in the trees to the left of the fairway. His second shot hit as tree trunk and actually went backwards, nearly taking out Ken Lloyd in the process. Jim was ready for a fork to be jabbed in his side, as he appeared to be quite finished. But to jump ahead let's just note that Jim in fact played the final 6-hole stretch at -1 and edged Saul Geiser by only a single stroke for the win. Back on #13 Jim hit his third shot onto the far back of the green. The pin was located at the very front of the green. Jim's very long putt (at least 70-feet) was heading so fast that had it not been uprooted by the hole it would have gone 15 feet past. This amazing par was nothing in comparison to what took place for Jim on the par three 15th hole, for having taken a bogey at #14 Jim still had the fork in his side. His shot at #15 will serve as UCGC lore. We're not talking about his tee shot, which cleared the lake with ease, having been too much club and viciously pulled. It landed right next to the OB fence and there was no room for a remotely ordinary backswing. Also the fork in his side made it that much more difficult given the tight confines. Jim had to manufacture a swing whereby the lofted club came almost straight down on the ball, it was like trying to punch a lob wedge. Moreover, the hole was placed at the back left of the green and the sharp slope downward from the back of the green over the hills behind it made the approach angle seem impossible. Jim's miracle shot bounced a few times and rolled into the hole for a birdie. He birdied the next hole (#16) and earned par on holes 17 and 18 for a one-stroke victory. Jim's round was perhaps one of the most exciting ever, having played the opening 5 holes at -4, the next 7 holes at +9, then closed with -1 over the final 6 holes. Jim won the low gross perpetual trophy and also has a scar in his side from the fork which penetrated so deeply before his clutch finish.

On the day Jim recorded only 26 putts. Since putting and chipping have generally been the weakest part of his game, this was an unusual round. But Jim has installed a putting green in his back yard and he lives only 15 minutes from Poppy Ridge with its phenomenal practice facilities. We can only assume that he's been working on his short game out there after work and it's paying off.

Steve Sanguinetti's round was no less spectacular. Steve played the front nine at 1 over par and birdied #10 and #12 to go to -1. Steve took on lots of water over the closing holes though, particularly with double bogies at #15 and #16. It's rare that a low gross winner could have such pronounced blemishes on his scorecard, but Steve earned that luxury with his five birdies (at holes 1, 5, 7, 10, and 12)! Only Jim Peretti had more birdies, with six. Moreover Steve had an epic day in terms of overall success and earnings, for aside from winning the low net, he won his flight (obviously, $50) and the CTP ($20). Our flight winners were (in order) Steve Sanguinetti, Ralph Hill, Jeff Day, Jack King, and Scott Podoll (in the blind bogey flight). Placing second were Jim Peretti, Edgar Johnson, Scott Meredith, and Tom Furtado. Placing third were Saul Geiser, Martin Kitchener, and John Haag. GOY points were doubled and Jeff Day made the most headway on Jim Peretti's lead. Todd Podoll also kept up the pressure by placing third.

The weather was perfect. Earlier in the week there had been a forecast for showers in Fairfield, but by the weekend the threat had all but vanished. A few marshmellowy clouds floated across in the distant horizon, but temperatures were ideal, at say 75-degrees. The winds were calm until about 2pm when gusts picked up. Wind was at most a 1.5 club factor. Holes with the wind, like #17 and #18 played unusually short.

Mike Armstrong was telling stories about his kids while on the practice green: "The kids keep asking me, "Dad what are you going to do for mom on Mother's Day?" (tomorrow) and I tell them, "She's your mother. You better start thinking about it!"

Kelly Alvarez was anxious to play using his new Great Big Bertha II Pro Series (9.5) driver. Kelly had a wonderful front nine, going out in net 34.5 and tied for first with John Haag in the fourth flight. Kelly's game hit some bumps on the back nine but John held on for third place.

Steve Desimone has been very busy preparing the team for the NCAA Championship tournaments. His game has taken a back seat and that was evident today. The team however had a huge success. More on that below.

Minor Tragedy

Bob Sternbach's clubs were stolen while he was getting ready to head to the course. They were on the sidewalk for just a few minutes when someone drove by and grabbed them. Bob had to skip the tournament. Our sympathies go out to Bob and let this serve as a warning that golf clubs are never safe from theft.

Bob's story: "Well, it was a pretty innocent move that looks pretty stupid in retrospect. I often park in the Walnut Creek Kaiser parking structure, mostly empty on a Saturday, to meet Kelly coming up from Pleasanton and drive together to Fairfield (or other points north). I arrived a few minutes early, probably the most shocking thing about this incident as far as Kelly is concerned. The lot is about 4 stairs below street level, and around a concrete sidewall (thus the street is not in view). I began unloading stuff up to the sidewalk and had put down my clubs and golf shoes, to go back to my car for the sandwich and drink, all of about 30 seconds, and came back to witness an SUV parked at the curb. I first thought it was actually Kelly, but when I looked in, it was someone else - who then drove right off. I looked down to see my clubs and golf shoes were gone! Too slow witted to think about getting the license plate, as I first thought it was Kelly playing a joke until I realized what happened. In any event, I will look on the bright side and get all new clubs, new bag, new balls, new shoes".

(Also, on the bright side Bob borrowed Kelly's club and won his initial Eddie Reed match)

Club President Eats Humble Pie at Paradise

After losing a basketball pool bet to Jeff Day, the President had to A). Tend the flag, B). retrieve Jeff's ball from the hole, and C). wash Jeff's clubs following the round. The services rendered seemed to give Jeff just the right amount of confidence to outperform all others in the flight, for he shot a net 72 and won the flight. Jeff was a gracious winner and thoughtfully gave his caddy the proper 10% of his winnings in the form of a new ProV1 ball. The president was busy, for in addition to his semi-caddying he took 360 pictures and broke 100 for the first time in 2004, ending one of the worst-ever golfing streaks by a club president.

Web Site Passes 5,000 Photo Threshold

With 96 enlargeable photos (192 in all), this page set the record for most pictures for a single tournament summary. The previous record was Las Vegas which occurred over a three day period. With the addition of these new photos our site now has over 5,000 pictures of our members in action (5,149 to be precise).

On the range Steve Desimone, Ken Lloyd and Robert Desimone prep for battle. Steve and Ken have, between the two of them, accounted for seven of the past Kooman Boycheff Low Gross Championships over the past nine years.

Steve, Ken Robert and Dave Moers. The weather was gorgeous this day.

Steve was hitting the ball well, as usual. He was again favored to win the Kooman this year. Steve has won this Major seven times with his first title coming in 1981.

While on the range Steve was discussing prospects for the 2004 Cal Men's squad. Asked about Peter Tomasulo's wrist injury (tendonitis) Steve said it was nearly 100% and that he was playing again. Moreover, Scott Carlyle's back injury was also better. Walburg commented that everything seemed to be falling into place and that the team looked to be peeking for the upcoming championships. "It's all about timing", he said, impressively. Steve remained silent. However, clearly Steve was well aware of this timing and of the possibilities.

Quick Summary of Cal Men's Post-Season:

NCAA West Regionals
Thursday May 20, 2004 - Saturday May 22, 2004
Sunriver Resort-Crosswater Club, Sunriver, OR
(hosted by the University of Portland)
The Cal Men's Team (ranked 19th in the country) headed to the NCAA West Regionals in Oregon. The Top-10 finishers qualified for the NCAA Championships at the Cascades Golf Course June 1-4. Cal was seeded sixth and finished in 7th place (UCLA won) thanks primarily to an amazing second round in which they turned in a 277 (-11), which was the lowest one-day performance by any of the 27 other teams.

107th NCAA Division I Men's Championship
Tuesday June 1, 2004 - Friday June 4, 2004
The Cascades @ The Homestead, Hot Springs, VA
(hosted by Virginia Tech)
Jeff Hood led the Bears with a 5-under round on day one. They held the team lead outright after Day 1 and Day 2. At the end of the third round they were in third place, 8-stokes behind UCLA. On the final day amid rain and strong winds the Bears posted the day's only sub par team score (-1) and won the 2004 NCAA Championship by 6 strokes!

Ken Lloyd has also been successful in the Kooman Boycheff Memorial, having won five times, with his first win coming in 1988. Ken was once a member of the Cal Men's Golf team. Ken has also been the long time President of the Cal Golf committee, the Cal Men's Team supporters. This large committee was established in 1980 and supports men’s golf through an endowment, annual donations, and special events. The endowment fund has reached nearly 2.5 million dollars and continues to grow towards the committee’s $8 million goal. Over the years the team has performed well, and in 1995 they placed 6th in the NCAA Championships, which prior to winning it all in 2004 has stood as the benchmark year for Cal Golf. On the driving range Ken was in fact wearing a Cal Golf shirt and hat from the 1995 NCAA Golf Championships.

Robert Desimone recently completed his freshman year at Northern Michigan University.

While in High School Robert had served as the Captain of the Golf team and even won a $1,000 scholarship from the Oakland Chamber of Commerce, Sports Prep of the Year winner. [See photo, with Roddrick Lee, the East Bay district community relations coordinator, Robert Desimone (second from the left), Daniel Fisher, and speaker Mark Ibanez from KTVU/Fox Channel 2.]

Club Secretary/Treasurer Mike Birnbach was taking Ralph Hill to school on the practice green. Ralph took Mike to school on the golf course however, shooting a 79 (net 69) and winning the second flight. Ralph's net 69 was one of only three scores in the 60's.

Steve Desimone kids around with Ken on the first tee. While Steve and Ken were goofing around Jim Peretti and Steve Sanguinetti were shooting lights-out golf, Jim with the day's lowest net score (75), and Steve Sanguinetti with the day's lowest net score (67). Both men took home large trophies.

Play was slow at Paradise Valley. Tee times were already backed up before we arrived. It generally backs up at the second tee. Here Rollie Otto and Steve Desimone make wise cracks while Ken Lloyd takes the tee.

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Front: Jim Peretti (club's biggest ham) and Rollie Otto.
Back: Mark Steppan, David Moers, Steve Sanguinetti, Robert Desimone, Steve Desimone, and Ken Lloyd.

Walburg took advantage of the delay at the second tee by capturing a serious of group photos, with two foursomes to each photo. There were five of these group shots taken, which accounted for the first ten foursomes. (There were 16 foursomes, but Walburg had to scurry back to the first tee before members of his own foursome began to wonder.) Each of the large group photos on this page has been "Super-Sized", Click on the Super-Size link to download a 1600 x 1200 version of the image. With each of these, the standard large size (800 x 600) is still available by clicking on the image itself.

Mark Steppan and David Moers were in the midst of their Eddie Reed match. Mark won the match 3 and 1.

Ken Lloyd back at the 1st hole. Ken is the defending Champ, having won the Low Gross Trophy last year by shooting a 77. It was close though as there were five players with 78. This year Ken turned in a 78, which was only good enough for a tie at 5th place.

Jim Peretti hitting his opening drive. Jim began the day with what is likely the best-ever opening in any UCGC event. Through the opening five holes he was -4, with a par here at #1 followed by 4 consecutive birdies, (second best UCGC birdie streak).

Jim's short chip to the first hole.

Jim missed his birdie attempt here at #1, but made up for it with birdies on the next four holes. Steve Desimone was impressed, or rather, stunned.

Jim's drive at #18. After a rocky few holes in the middle part of his round Jim pulled it together again over the last few holes to win by one stroke over hard-charging Saul Geiser. After his miraculous holed shot for a birdie on #15, Jim birdied #16 and earned par on the remaining holes. The par here on #18 earned Jim the close victory. Jim maintained a 2 point lead in the Golfer of the Year contest, but Jeff Day made headway by winning his flight.

Jim watches Steve Sanguinetti drive the ball on #18. Steve's round was at least as impressive as Jim's. Indeed Steve was the flight winner over second place Jim. A bogey here on #18 didn't much matter to Steve, who had nevertheless captured the Low Net Championship. What hurt Steve the most were the consecutive double bogies on holes #15 and #16. Had he managed to par those holes Steve would have carded a 73 (net 63) and handily won the both Low Gross and Low Net. (Note: In our major events no one can take home overall low gross and overall low net trophies. Had Steve won both, he would have had to select one and give away the other.)

Steve birdied the opening hole thanks primarily to this miracle shot from the fairway bunker. The bunker was 40 yards out and Steve nailed it to within 3-feet.

Here Steve eyes his short birdie putt.

And here he drains it. Steve Sanguinetti was also off to a great start. Steve turned in a 37 on the front nine and was at even par through the first eight holes.

Here's Steve's drive at #2. He would par the hole, taking bogies only holes #4, #9, #11, and #18, with birdies at holes #1, #5, #7, #10, and #12, and the aforementioned doubles at #15 and #16. Aside from the large hardware, Steve also won the CTP at the 12th hole with his shot to 8'-5".

Steve Desimone watching Steve Sanguinetti on #18. Dez had been witness to two exceptional rounds, both of which garnered large trophies. Dez himself hadn't played particularly well (for himself), shooting a 77 (net 76).

Robert Desimone with his second shot at #1. Like his father, Robert was in excellent position at the first hole, perhaps 15 yards from the green in two (on the par five). Each earned par.

Robert also earned par here on the second hole. His 78 (net 72) earned him a 5th place finish in the low gross competition and in his flight's net competition.

Robert watches Rollie Otto with a testy downhill putt on #1.

Rollie hit driver here on #2. Many were using irons. The 5th and 10th holes at Paradise Valley are the best holes in terms of risk/reward.

David Moers driving the ball at #2.

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Dave Webb, Saul Geiser, Mike Birnbach, Ralph Hill, Mike O'Neill, Van Hall, Mike Armstrong, and John Robertson. These guys were trouble all the way. Getting these guys to assemble for this photo at the 2nd tee was like herding cats.

Van Hall was playing his Eddie Reed match against John Robertson. John won the match 1up, having also only bettered Van's 81 by one stroke.

Saul Geiser smoked the front nine shooting 36, and only a single stroke behind Jim Peretti. Both men also fired 40 on the back and so Jim held his 1-stroke lead. Saul had birdies on holes #1, #9, and #13.

Mike Birnbach, Dave Webb Mike Armstrong and Ralph Hill entertain themselves by playing bumpers (tee box game) on the second tee. Things got slow out there. And bumpers is a really dorky game that grown men play to pass time while waiting.

Dave Webb's approach shot back on #1.Dave Webb has won the low gross title three times, with his first win coming in 1984. Dave was once a member of the Cal Men's Golf team.

Van Hall on the first green. Van lost his Eddie Reed match to John Robertson, but did it in style, lasting until the final hole.

Here Van hits his drive at #2.

John Robertson won the Kooman Boycheff Low Gross in 1999 with a score of 75. You can never count John out of any major competition.

John's drive on the 2nd hole. Last year John placed 3rd in the first flight.

Mike O'Neill on the 2nd hole. Mike shot 45 on the front nine but bounced back with a 40 on the back to finish the second flight in 4th place.

Ralph Hill prepares to take his stance at the second hole. Ralph's front nine was perhaps the most blistering front nine on the day, for this 10 handicapper shot even par 36. His net 31 on the front gave him a one stroke lead over Steve Sanguinetti and Jim Peretti in the Net contest, and in the Gross contest he was only one stroke behind Jim Peretti and tied with Saul Geiser for second lowest gross score after nine. Ralph's play didn't hold up as well on the back nine, but he still fired a net 69 and won the second flight. He also placed 7th in the gross competition with a 79.

Mike Birnbach had a rough opening nine, but greatly improved with a 42 on the back to place 6th in the second flight.

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Left to right are: Mark Siegel, Ed Louie, Rob Gall (guest), Chad Carey, Dave Lozow, Scott Podoll (guest), Todd Podoll, and Paul Higaki. Note: Chad is holding Dave's shaft.

Following this photo Todd Podoll took the tee and wickedly sliced his ball into the hazard, and eventually taking a double-bogey. Todd was playing Ed Louie in their Eddie Reed match, which Todd still managed to win 3 and 2.

Mark Siegel intently eyes his 30-foot birdie putt at #1. Mark earned par with the quality two-putt. Mark didn't play particularly well on this day, but he did manage to birdie the very difficult 11th hole.

Todd Podoll follows his putt at #1. Todd had a rough front nine, but then got into a grove on the back and shot a 42, for a combined 89 (net 73), which gave him third place in the third flight. Todd is also a member of our 4-person NCGA 2004 Associate Club Championships team, which on Thursday May 13 successfully advanced to the Sectional Qualifying at Poppy Ridge on Tuesday, June 29, 2004. Our group turned in a combined score of 121 (23 under par) and placed second in the qualifier at Franklin Canyon. 18 teams were vying for 5 slots which advanced. At the Sectionals (at Poppy Ridge) there will be 30 teams advancing on to the Championship at Spyglass Hill. Go Bears!

Todd earned a par here on the 17th hole. By this time his match with Ed Louie had been closed out.

Ed Louie with his drive on the 2nd hole. Last year Ed Louie peeled off an 85 (net 68) and placed 2nd in the third flight. Ed played solidly this year, but Todd Podoll played more solidly and won their match.

Scott Podoll is Todd's brother. Scott also played well and won the Blind Bogey fight with an 87 (net 69).

Paul Higaki reacts to a close miss at #1. Paul is the defending champion in the net competition, having fired a 78 (net 65). This year only mustered a 90, but still had a very respectable front nine (42).

Dave Lozow hits his drive at #17. Dave began his round with incredibly solid play, earning par on the opening five holes. Unfortunately his ht streak ended shortly after. Dave won the first flight here last year.

In the foreground Andrew Kang hit back over the hazard. Andrew played the 11th hole in the most circuitous route, but amazingly still managed a bogey.

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Left to right are: Andrew Bodisco (guest), Vince Garcia (guest), Jimmy Ikeda, Edgar Johnson, Chris Brown, Rick Guevara, Ross Sakamoto, and Mark Holman. These guys were also difficult to round up.

Ross Sakamoto claimed the CTP for the second flight with the closest shot of the day in any flight: 2'-9" on hole #12.

Jimmy Ikeda hit a terrific approach shot here on #1. Jimmy had a great front nine (41), and even played well for most of the back nine, however the wheel fell off (big time) on the 16th hole where Jimmy took a 13. Jimmy had a perfect Eddie Reed type round, but he wasn't playing a match today. He had another good Eddie reed type round at the Metropolitan later in the month where he defeated Dan Copenhagen 3 and 2.

Rick Guevara follows his approach shot at #1. Rick played consistently, but it wasn't his best stuff. Rick's been saving his best stuff for the NCGA Associate Club Championships, for he's on the four-person squad along with Todd Podoll, Jim Peretti and Jeff Day.

Mark Holman reacts to his missed putt on #1. Simultaneously, a minor earthquake nearly pulled his feet out from under him.

Vince Garcia warms up as Mark Holman (not pictured in smaller version of photo, click image for full size photo) prepares for his drive at #2. This is a really great photo of Vince. (Here's another)

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Here's a nutty group of golfing knuckleheads (photographer included): Greg Smith (Our newest member), Bill Marchant, Steven Hong, Ron Gallagher, Randy Ballew, Scott Meredith, and Jerry Powell.

With the edition of our newest member, Greg Smith, the UCGC has some real cache with the St. Mary's College scene. Greg Smith is a Professor in the Biology Department at Saint Mary's College while Ed Biglin and Br. Ron Gallagher are Professors in the English Department at Saint Mary's College. (Note: yours truly is also an alumnus from St. Mary's.)

Ron Gallagher was holding his Eddie Reed match vs. Bill Marchant. Ron won 1-up on the final hole. Bill won the third flight CTP with a shot on hole #12 to 7'-7".

Scott Meredith focuses on his putt at #1. Scott played a very consistent round, 44 + 44 = 88 (net 72). Scott didn't have any birdies, but he had lots of pars and his worst score was a triple on #11. Scott placed second in the third flight, losing to Jeff Day in a tiebreaker.

Last year Jerry Powell won the 4th flight to end a six-year dry spell! Jerry's dry spell had ranked 6th on the All-Time Longest Dry Spell list in club history! Prior to that Jerry's most recent victory had been at Oakmont West on 5/3/1997. Since last season Jerry's success has been renown, having won at the Club Championship last year and placed third in the 2003 Golfer of the Year. Jerry also placed 2nd this year at Windsor.

Who are the ladies in this shot? "That's no lady. That's my golfing partner!" Left to right are Geraldine Lauro, Martha Kimmich, Ryan Tabibian, and Dale Steele. Geraldine and Martha haven't been our most active members, but it's great to see that they've finally come out for an event. The last event they played in was September 15, 2001, at Poppy Ridge, four days after 9/11. OK you two, now you have to keep coming out... No more long, lonely stretches for us.

Exceptional golf was not produced by this foursome, however they looked good out there. Ryan, in particular, with his elegant and strong follow-through, looked good. Dale actually assembled a strong back nine (net 34).

Geraldine is very intense on the putting green. Here she eyed a 20-footer on #2.

Martha blasted out from this greenside bunker at #2.

Dale Steele also hit this great shot out of the bunker on #2.

Hal Teasdale hitting his approach at #5. Hal had a net 37 on the front nine, but ran into turbulence on the back side.

Don Wade takes aim at the 8th hole. Don hit a nice drive.

Boyd McCaslin earned a par here at #8.

Jack King on #8. Jack took five consecutive 5's to close out the front nine. Jack played consistent golf all day and it paid off with victory over the fourth flight. He turned in a 101 (net 72), to take a two stroke lead over Tom Furtado. Prior to this win, Jack's most recent victory came in March of 1999 when he won the 2nd flight with a net 77. Prior to that Jack won the 4th flight in May of 1994 with a net 67 at Alameda North. And prior to that Jack won the 2nd flight in September of 1990 with a net 68 at Diablo Creek. Jack doesn't win often, but he seems to win about every 5 years. We can expect Jack to tear it up again in 2009.

Chris Brown on #16. The creek along the 16th hole has doubtless served as a source of frustration for golfers throughout the years.

Tom Furtado was faced with this difficult shot on hole #2. He was near the tee of the third hole and hit a great shot over the bridge. Despite the quad here on #2 Tom managed to hold on and his 94 (net 74) was good enough for a 2nd place finish in the fourth flight.

Here Tom follows his approach at #5.

Tom's drive at #14 landed in the large bunkers which protect the short hole. Tom earned par despite this sandy lie.

Tom had this trick chip shot on #15.

Tom's drive at #18.

Tom drove his approach long at #18 and had to play his third shot from in front of the clubhouse. Thankfully the members were too distracted with beer to pay Tom any attention.

Andrew Kang made the common mistake of hitting his drive too far on #6. He hit his next shot safely over the water.

Andrew chuckled over the long putt he sank on #13. Had it not fallen in the hole it surely would have drifted off the front of the green. The par here was unexpected, especially since his drive was pulled so far left, almost OB.

Aaron Walburg lost an NCAA College Basketball pool to Jeff Day and the loser had to take on loads of duties at Paradise. Duties included tending the flag and retrieving the winners balls from every hole. Also the loser had to scrub the winners' clubs following the round. With all of this assistance, would Jeff perform well? And if Jeff did perform well, would he tip his caddy the standard 15% of winnings? Only time would tell.

By the 4th hole things weren't looking to promising for Jeff. He opened with a double, followed by three bogies a par and a quint, then two bogies and a double. Tipping the caddy was the least thing on Jeff's mind.

The fourth hole looks to be the site of future homes. Jeff is an architect but today, instead of designing a home, he (ultimately) crafted a fine round of golf.

To be more precise Jeff crafted a fine back nine, for his game was a mess on the front nine. Here on #6 Jeff took a double bogey. Indeed his 50 at the turn left him with little room for error, and he used little room on the back with his blistering 40, which included a triple bogey on #15!

After the front nine Jeff putt on the rally cap. Here on #11 Jeff began his run with a par. He finished the final 8 holes with 3 pars, 2 birdies, 2 bogies and a triple-bogey on #15.

Jeff was yelling disgustedly after his drive on #14. Here on the green, thanks to a terrific approach shot, he was looking over a birdie put (which he drained). Some balls listen. Most don't.

The 15th hole was almost Jeff's undoing. He was everywhere and wet. He walked off the green having carded a triple-bogey, but he hung in tight and birdied #16.

Jeff capped his round with a par at #18. He hit a perfect drive.

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Jeff's approach was to the right, and it took another three strokes to putt the ball in the hole. (This photo is probably the best of the day so I made it "super-size-able.")

Jeff taps in for bogey. His 90 (net 72), coupled with a tie-breaker over Scott Meredith gave him a win in the third flight. The 10 GOY points Jeff earned kept him only 2 points shy of GOY leader Jim Peretti.

Aaron Walburg hitting from some gunk on the 5th hole. Having yet failed to break 100 all year, Walburg was actually stringing together a decent round. A 42 (net 35) put him in 3rd place in the second flight at the turn. The wheels began falling off on the back nine and with the quint on #16 his goose was cooked.

Aaron with a sloppy drive on #18. The new driver has been fun, but the same old swing has been a drag. Nevertheless, our club president did manage to break 100 for the first time in 2004, with a 93.

After the round Walburg's work was just beginning. He had to scrub Jeff Day's clubs. He borrowed a wet rag from the maintenance staff and got busy.

Jeff enjoyed taking these pictures...

The clubs were immaculate! Note: This is that last tournament Aaron played wearing these glasses. He was scheduled to undergo lasik surgery on May 13, at the UC Optometry Clinic. The operation was a complete success, and Aaron now has 20/15 vision. (meaning he can read at 20 feet what an average person can only read from 15 feet). Watch out, Tiger! (BTW, the surgeon was a Stanford grad. Still worked out though.)

Toward the end of the tournament Steve and Boyd McCaslin were having an interesting discussion in the clubhouse. Upon entering the clubhouse this reporter thought they were actually having a real squabble, when in fact they were discussing an incident which occurred nearly 50 years earlier. Like two trees, neither was budging on positions, with roots entrenched. The discussion revolved around Ken Venturi's recently (March 2004) published book, "Getting Up & Down: My 60 Years in Golf." In his book Venturi claimed that a rules violation by Arnold Palmer led to his Masters win in 1958. Steve insisted that Palmer was correct and the rules officials justified Palmer's actions. Boyd insisted that Palmer had broken the rules. To this day neither Palmer nor Venturi has budged, nor have Desimone and McCaslin.


Ken and Steve crunch the numbers (and tell stories).

Jack King watches Boyd McCaslin attempt the snow-globe toy. Aaron brought this out back in January and members have been pulling their hair out ever since, trying to complete the tricky game. Robert Desimone actually got it to work in about 20 minutes, which was fast. Boyd never got it.

Low Net Perpetual Trophy for Steve Sanguinetti.

Having completed the results Dez gave his buddy Steve Sanguinetti a call to inform him of the victory. Sanguinetti was a huge winner. He won the low net trophy, the first flight, and the CTP. Prize money totaled $65!

Jack King was celebrating his $50 check with Geraldine Lauro.

Jeff Day was also in a celebratory mood, having miraculously come back from that 50 on the front nine. But would Jeff remember his helpful caddy???

Yes, Jeff gave Aaron one of the ProV1's he purchased with his winnings, which amounted to the equivalent of a 15% tip. Aaron was appreciative, and even got a bit teary-eyed.

Jim Peretti won his first low gross major. It was the day's biggest story, and the day's most covered story. There were about a dozen photos of Jim posing with that damn trophy.

Here's another (and the one atop this page is yet another!) No one has ever willingly posed for so many photos as did Jim Peretti on this afternoon. On this day we all learned a little more about Jim than we knew before. First of all, he's actually a decent golfer. Secondly, Jim is a ham. Actually, perhaps we didn't learn very much after all...

Complete Flight Results: