2015 DPT Ryder Cup Recap

Our second "Ryder Cup" event is finally over, and it was an excellent weekend for our league. We were able to continue the precedent Faz and Chandler set last year... and there are a few suggestions we'll look into going forward.

World Woods was a great set-up for us and we'll probably never find a better value. Both courses were in excellent shape (minus the expected punched greens on Rolling Oaks) and the villa was perfect for our group. In future years I'll give us some higher-end options... so think about what the weekend is worth to you.

On to the recap!

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Buchert put together a team based on height, not only in stature but also ballooning handicaps. On paper it looked like Darren's team could coast to a victory. The first day of matches didn't change that assumption.

In round one (Four-Ball) the day started with Dave/Darren vs Tall Mike/JW. The orange guys were each getting 10 strokes which might give them a slight advantage, but apparently they didn't decide to start playing actual golf until they were down 5 through eight holes. Strong play on the second nine cut the deficit to one with three remaining, but Dave/Darren ultimately ended the match on the 17th hole.

The Dub tees off on #1 Pine Barrens.

Gary/Brendan went back-and-forth with Buchert/Gorecki the entire round, winning holes 16 and 17 to put Blue up 2-0.

Faz/Guest ran into a red hot (orange hot?) Chandler/Reid team, getting stomped 5&4. After the first round the score was Blue 2, Orange 1.

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The second round (Chapman) saw the biggest beat-down of the weekend. Darren/Brendan failed to win a single hole against Buchert/Tall Mike, losing 7&5. However, this spanking was planned as each captain put together a "sacrificial lamb" team.

Buchert's sacrifice was a JW/Gorecki pairing against Gary/Guest. Sure... most knee-jerk logic would say Gary/Guest would win easily. But JW/Gorecki were getting 12 strokes as a team! They made the most of it going 2-up through eleven holes until a lightning delay cooled Gorecki's old bones. Orange lost 5 of the next 6 holes to ruin a much needed upset.

Dave/Faz vs. Chandler/Reid was very competitive and the only match of the day to go all 18 holes. The Blue guys balanced each other perfectly to win the match 2 Up.

After two rounds the score was Blue 4, Orange 2. The only way Orange had a shot was to dominate singles the next day.

Blue Team... and Guest.

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The captains decided to do the standard random pairings, with one forced match of JW vs. Darren. That contest wasn't as close as the scorecard indicates, with Darren struggling to finish the day. JW won 4 & 2 and picked up the title of "Darren's Daddy."

The first singles match to actually finish was the 6 & 5 clinic Tall Mike put on the putter-diseased Guest. Look for Guest to try different putting techniques in the off-season, including: the claw grip, left hand low, side saddle, broom stick, counter balanced weights, etc...

Faz was the next guy to win, beating Buchert 3 & 2. Buchert, who has been consistently good all year long, shot an atrocious 51 on the front nine. He played better on the back but it was too little, too late.

Chandler struggled late but ultimately closed out Gary on the 17th hole, winning 2 & 1. Gary blew up his round by losing a point on his only stroke-hole of the day (after a perfect drive).

Reid took Dave all the way to the final hole, where he had one stroke left in his sandbag. Reid definitely needed it, halving the match and proving he was an excellent 3rd selection in the draft.

Score at this point: Blue 5.5, Orange 5.5.

Only Brendan vs. Gorecki remained... a contest that had Gorecki miraculously 1 Up through 15. Brendan was in great position to tie the match, but double-hit his chip on 16 to halve the hole with net 5s. Unbelievably, Brendan double-hit again on the next hole to lose the match and the cup. Since everyone was anticipating a final hole showdown, there wasn't a gallery around to witness the violation. But Brendan showed amazing class by calling the penalty on himself.

Phil Mickelson is watching...

By protecting the integrity of the game, Brendan was the real MVP of the weekend. But hey... props to Gorecki for winning the deciding point (with a triple bogey). It was by far the best any of us have ever seen him hit the ball.

Final score: Orange 6.5, Blue 5.5.

2015 DPT Ryder Cup Champions.

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You can find all the results by going to the "Ryder Cup" tab at the top of the blog, and selecting the appropriate year. Each summary also has detailed scorecards from each match.

I'm also going to add (per Reid's request) everyone's overall match-play records. Look for those on the "Stats" page later this week.