Summer 2014 Season Award "Winners"

Long Drive Champion
Chandler with 5 but he knows he shouldn't be too proud of this seeing as how he was playing with the cellar dwellers all season.

Greenie Champion
Dave with 12, which led to an impressive par-3 scoring average of 3.571 (3rd best behind Gary and Faz).

Sandie Champion
Chris Faz with just 2.  Looks like we all need to work on our sand game...or maybe we're all just so good that we hardly ever hit into green-side bunkers.

Earnings Champion
Chris Faz with $95.94, which is only $2.98 more than Darren's season total even though he won half as many events.  Here's a little free advice for you...win majors and definitely do not win the Geoff Skins Game.

Rookie of the Year
Chris Guest - He had some rough patches but saved his season by winning the final event/major and finished 6th in the standings.

The Birdie Man
Chandler with 8...probably all set up by his "long drives."

Fear the Bogey Man
Reid made bogey 42.593% of the time.  I'm still not sure if this is good or bad for him.  I think it'd be considered good if he could get his percentage up a little from 26.852% for making par or better and if he could turn more triples into doubles to save a few crucial strokes.

Mr. Thankful (for the double par max rule)
Brendan racked up a solid 19 double pars out of the 126 holes he played this season.  If BD is gonna have a bad hole...he's gonna have a BAD hole and get his money's worth dammit.

Thanks for the Free Beer!
John: +17 (Lexington Oaks) & +10 (River Strand)
Chris G: +10 (Southern Hills) & +13 (Cypress Creek...Sam Summer!)
Chandler: +10 (River Strand)
Geoff: +10 (Lexington Oaks)
Darren: +14 (Cypress Creek)
Mike: +12 (Lexington Oaks)
Dan: +14 (Southern Hills)
Brendan: +13 (Waterlefe)

DPT Masters - Stats & (Un)interesting Facts

From what I've heard, a meaningless tournament (sorry about that ) wasn't without its share of drama.  I was watching the live leader board from VT and was very confused and saddened by the final results.  I'm sorry Guest had to share his first victory with Chandler but congrats nonetheless!

It took a great deal of luck but after 16 events without a victory, Chandler was able to claim the first major of his career.  Even Sergio and my boy Luke Donald have hope now.

Poor Brendan, almost went the entire season without having to buy a pitcher after buying them in two of his three events played last season.  Will this late season performance impact his draft number for the upcoming Ryder Cup?

Geoff was even par on the par-3s for the first time in his entire career, which consists of 45 events played over the course of five seasons.  His previous best par-3 performance was +2.  Nice shootin' Tex!

Chris Guest just needs to shake off those last few holes and enjoy his first career win and major.  The victory, which jumped him from 12th to 6th in the final standings, was a result of his best par-3 (+4) and par-5 (+4) performances of the season.  It was also the first time he broke par with his net score of 71.


I'll be working up some season-ending stats over the next week or so.  For now, like Chandler said, let us know when and where you're playing and start getting excited for the first annual Ryder Cup event.

 

Ping S55 Irons

Guest is selling a brand new set of S55 irons (3 through PW). Never before been hit.

The store price is around $1,000... but any league member can have them for $800. If you happen to be in the market for new irons, let me or Guest know. I believe he's going to eventually put them up on Ebay if he can't sell them locally.

Golf Sunday 8/24?

If anyone wants to play next Sunday let me know.  I can play any time in the morning.

DPT Masters - Summer 2014 Recap

I'm still not sure how this happened... but Guest and Chandler tied on Saturday, resulting in the first Major victories of their careers.

We were hoping to dodge the rain but a monsoon appeared out of nowhere on the 6th hole. After a 30 minute delay, Darren withdrew from the tournament because there was water on his driver and ball. He definitely couldn't play in those conditions, and Brendan refused to tee up the ball for him. The rest of us finished the round (thankfully with no more rain) in soggy conditions.

Guest was on fire all day, carding 12 pars/bogeys to take a commanding lead. Unfortunately, the most used club in the bag is the putter. After the rain-forced reshuffling of groups, Chandler got to #18 first at even par (net)... and down 6 strokes to Guest. A one-putt par gave Chandler the clubhouse lead at -1, but still 5 strokes behind.

The first group didn't even stick around to watch the finish, opting instead to go inside and drink beers. What they didn't know was that Guest had a 5-putt on #17 for a quad... and followed it up with a 4-putt on #18 for a triple. To my knowledge, Guest missed at least 4 putts from about two feet during the round.

The result was our 3rd tied Major in history (Gary/Reid, Faz/Reid, Chan/Guest). And definitely the biggest collapse of any tournament in history.

And we almost had a 3-way tie, as Reid finished one back. He might have notched a record 6th Major title... but he showed up late and didn't get a chance to warm up. The +6 start on the first two holes basically ruined his round.

Geoff was in the mix too, but an insanely ugly 9 on the first hole and double-pars on #13 and #16 took him out of contention.

Gary was +2 on the final 8 holes and still only finished 4 strokes off the lead.

And then there is Brendan... who had a tough day... all day.

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Big John finally qualified for the Official Golf Rankings, joining the list at #10. Faz also ascended to #1 for the first time in his career, despite not playing in the Masters.

Great season everyone. Be sure to report your scores in the off-season... and post anytime you need players or are looking for a game. Most of us still play every week.

Finally... Ryder Cup draft will be held September 20th. You don't need to attend the draft... but you DO need to attend the actual Ryder Cup on September 26, 27 and 28.  Geoff... put it on your calendar.

DPT Ryder Cup - 2014 Information

Here are the details for the first annual DPT Ryder Cup:

Format
This year, two teams of 6 players will compete in two different formats over the course of three rounds.

The first day will be two rounds of Four-Ball (aka: "best ball"). A four-ball match consists of two teams of two players competing directly against each other. Each golfer plays their own ball throughout the round. A team's number of strokes for a given hole is the LOWEST NET individual number of strokes of that team's players on that hole. Every player will receive 80% of their handicap. We will play a morning session, take a quick break for lunch, and then head out for an afternoon session.

The second day will be a morning session of Singles (aka: individual match play). This is no different than what we do in the Fazioli Match Play event every season. Your opponent will be determined in a drunken stupor the night before. Each player gets 80% of their handicap, consistent with our league rules.

In all three rounds, each match won is worth 1 point. Each match that is halved (tied) is worth 1/2 a point. The first team to earn 6.5 overall points will be the winner.

Captains
Starting in 2015, captains will be determined by the Official Golf Rankings, with the top ranked golfer selecting first. We're doing this for many reasons, but mainly to put the top two players of the year on opposite teams. Keep in mind the Official Golf Rankings only look back one year. So everyone's rankings right now will have nothing to do with the 2015 Ryder Cup.

That being said... Faz and Chandler will be captains this year in order to set precedent. Faz will be representing the Euro-Trash Blue team and selecting first (based on rankings). If you are selected to his team you will receive capri pants, paid paternity leave, a 25 hour work week, wine and financial instability. Chandler will represent the Communist Red team. His players will receive half a loaf of bread, one Pinnacle golf ball (don't lose it), a poster of Karl Marx and mandatory work-camp enrollment.

Draft
We will hold a live draft on September 20th (location TBD). You do not need to attend this draft. Faz will select picks #1, 4, 5, 8 and 9. Chandler will select #2, 3, 6, 7 and be stuck with the last pick. After the draft, the teams will create their pairings for the first two Four-Ball sessions and match-ups will be announced.

Golf and Lodging Venue
We'll be staying and playing two nights/days down in Sebring, FL. Arrive any time after work on Friday, September 26th at our hotel: Inn On The Lakes. Our package includes breakfast both Saturday and Sunday morning before our rounds. Cost is $190 after tax for lodging, breakfast and three rounds of golf.

Saturday we will be playing the Four-Ball matches at Sun 'N Lake golf club (morning session on Deer Run at 8:30am, afternoon on Turtle Run at 1:30pm). Sunday's Singles matches will be at Highlands Ridge (North Course at 9:30am).

If you have any questions... post them now.

Jamaican Open - Stats & (Un)interesting Facts

How fitting that a few DPT Tour streaks came to an end at the Jamaican Open seeing as how it was the great Jamaican song writer, George Harrison, who first coined the phrase "All things must pass."

Jamaican by association?

Before Saturday, Chandler had played 21 events without making more than one double par in a single round.  Unfortunately, he made two 8s on par-4s and even threw in an additional 8 on a par-5, which ended his other streak of 23 events without having to buy a pitcher.  The one streak still alive for this once great contender is his 16 events played since his last victory.  To ease his pain a little, I'll point out that he made birdie on the par-4 3rd hole, which everybody else but Brendan made double bogey or worse on.  Good luck Team Red!


The typically consistent Irish Dave had played 10 events with making at least one par or better on a par-3 but the streak ended on Saturday with him making bogey on all four par-3s.  I'm not sure what led to his shaky performance but I'd personally love to see him straighten things out and earn his first career victory this weekend.


Historically it hasn't exactly been my style to not have at least one blow up hole per round but somehow this season I played 101 holes without making worse than double bogey.  This streak ended on the 17th hole after a hooked drive into the water followed by the worst wedge shot from 100 yards I've hit in several months.  It was fun while it lasted...


On a positive note, Chris Guest ended his streak of holes played without making a birdie on his 92nd hole of the season.  He also made two pars and eight bogeys on his way to a 3rd place finish, the highest of his short career.


And yes, Darren FINALLY made par on a par-5.  It only took him 23 tries!

DPT Masters - Summer 2014

We will finish the season on Saturday, August 16th down at Waterlefe. First tee time is 9:08am. Waterlefe is located next to River Strand, and in my opinion is the best layout in the area.

See you then.

Jamaican Open - Summer 2014 Recap

Faz finally ran out of gas. He seemed to be headed for a record 5th title of the year, until he made triple bogey on #17. Gary was able to pull away from the field with pars on the final two holes, shooting the only sub-par round (net) of the day.

River Strand was in excellent shape, and had the fastest and best greens we've seen all season. Excellent venue choice by the league commissioners.

Faz's epic season comes to a close since he will miss this week's Major. He finished 1st or 2nd in six of eight tournaments. Faz gets to spend another winter with the DPT Cup, and his name is once again etched in history.

The rest of us losers will play this Saturday at either Lake Jovita or Waterlefe. I'll finalize the location on Monday. We'll tee off around 9am so Brendan and Guest can get to their FSU pub crawl. Check back here for the final announcement.

As of right now we have: Chan, John, Gary, Darren, Geoff, Brendan, Guest, Dave and Reid (on baby watch). Comment if this isn't correct.

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Later this week I'll post up the details on the Ryder Cup, being played in Sebring the weekend of September 27th. PUT IT ON YOUR CALENDAR.

Tuesday Announcements

Look at this flag:

Make sure you wear a shirt on Saturday that is one of those colors. There is a $2 penalty for offending Reid's heritage.

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I need to get a room list submitted for the Ryder Cup. We will have 6 rooms with double occupancy. I'll do an entire in-depth post on the event later... but go ahead and tell me who you want to room with. Do it now!

JW Hangover Invitational - Stats & (Un)interesting Facts

The newly re-branded JW Hangover Invitational may have suffered a little in terms of attendance but the six of us managed to pick up the slack for all the no-shows.  Man, the sights and sounds of this Carrollwood hot spot were not to be missed!  We had Lafawnduh on the stage, mini Sly Stallone (toupee and all) on the dance floor, Big John's cougar friend getting denied by Gary, and Darren even decided to add some much needed "character" to the coveted DPT Cup after being forced to throw down a few penalty shots.

Not surprisingly, the previous night's shenanigans led to some interesting results on the course.  We now have rock solid proof (see chart below) that extremely hungover people run out of gas after 13 holes.  The par-3 13th truly was the peak of our group performance.  It's the only hole this season to have a scoring average of less than par with Chandler making birdie and the other five all making par.

Hungover Golf is Hard	1-13	14-18
Group Stroke Avg per Hole (over par)	.808	1.967
Combined Strokes Over Par	63	59
Combined Triples or Worse	3	9
Combined Pars or Better	31	3

There were a few individual highlights worth noting.

- JW made his first greenie and his first sandie
- JW went 14 holes before making a max double par (his longest stretch of the season)
- Chandler made two 2s, nobody else has done that this season except Gary at Countryway
- Faz made eagle, only the 2nd one in league history
- John earned his highest career finish (2nd)
- Darren is still without a par on a par-5 (20 attempts)


I leave you with this gem from Friday night...

Off to the Big & Tall store in their Z4

JW Hangover Invitational - Summer 2014 Recap

We should have known the funky, fresh beats that filled O'Briens was a sign that Faz's dominance would continue. Latinkisha and her Savage All Stars slapped the bass all night while the field quickly dwindled to 6 golfers. We almost had our first late DQ ever, but Darren did drink most of his penalty shots (3 of 4... you can't count the community ones). Tall Mike continues to physically deteriorate in front of our eyes, taking the WD for a Tiger Woods-esque back injury. And Reid skipped the bar and the tournament so he could share coke with other DPT Tour wives, just like Dustin Johnson.

Sorry, Geoff. This is no way for you to find out.

As for the golf, the league played well for most of the tournament. Quail Hollow is one of the easier courses in the rotation and the greens were the best they've ever had. JW pretty much had his title defense locked up, but something happened after hole 13. The entire field blew up with JW getting the worst of it (+18 on the final five holes). He quickly dropped from first to last. Faz was the only one who somewhat held it together, making 4 bogeys to win by five. Big John is still searching for his first victory as he dropped 10 shots during the stretch to finish solo second. Gary and Darren also limped across the finish line for a tie at third.

Faz's victory officially secures his second DPT Cup and sends the exclusive Champions Dinner back to Bern's. He currently has four victories and one 2nd place finish in only 7 events this season. He also recorded the second ever eagle in league history.

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In other league news:

- The DPT Masters will be held August 16th. Comment now if you're playing.

- The details for the Ryder Cup will be posted this week as soon as they're official. Tall Mike is taking the final spot.

Jamaican Open

Got us a group rate at River Strand for $29 next Saturday, starting at 9:56am. We have 9 people so far... still waiting to hear from Dan.  As the weekend gets closer, we might need to fill the other spots.

Don't forget to wear the correct colors. See you there.

Hangover Bar Outing - Tonight!

The JW Hangover Invitational is a tradition we started in order to force the league to hang out together. We move the location each season to be near the home of a league member. Tonight, it's Darren's night in Carrollwood.

And apparently... Carrollwood is up to no good. Darren's favorite band is playing tonight! Gonna be awesome.

Be at O'Briens at 9pm!