FBGC Masters - Spring 2025 Recap

As predicted, Calusa Country Club was a windy, dusty mess. The course mixed fun with frustration: firm fairways, even firmer greens (though oddly slow), and OB lines so strange they’d confuse a surveyor. Scores ballooned.

 

Despite Gorecki attempting to get free golf with some convoluted trailer-park story... it seems they'll have us back if we want to try it again in the Summer. Let me know in the comments and smash those like and subscribe buttons.

 

Yesterday was wild: Melberg carded a 52 on the front, avoiding pars until the 12th. The back nine played 3.5 strokes tougher, yet Adam tanked 10 shots worse than his front. And the field failed to record at least 3 pars on five different holes.

 

But Ho won his 7th ever event and 2nd ever Major, from the tips at 7,404 yards, with an incredibly impressive -3 (net) performance. He also shot the low round of the day with 81 (gross). And it should have been better if not for a triple-bogey on the somewhat easy 16th hole. He also led wire-to-wire

 

Off the top of my head, I think this round ranks up there with Dave's 2017 DPT Open victory at Southern Hills — a 75 (gross) in 20-30 mph cold winds.

 

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But all eyes were on the final group, as Chandler, Moostie, and Casey battled for the cherished DPT Cup.

 

Moostie ejected early, hitting his approach shot on the first hole OB and carding a quad. He made a course management error on #2, opting to hit 3-wood off the tee which led to a double. He somewhat put the wheels back on playing bogey-golf for the next nine holes. But all hopes were lost with a disastrous triple on 12, followed by a tee-ball into "internal OB" at 13.

 

Chandler (me?), despite some terrible play early on, figured he had the season won as Casey required a solo-2nd or better to steal. Of course, Casey shot a 39 (gross) on the front with some of the best driving I've ever seen. His entire round felt like he was destined to win the title:

• Hitting over the lake into the wind on #2, leading to an easy pitch and par.
  
• Crushing a drive on #4, getting home with his second shot, and barely missing an eagle. 
• Hooking his tee shot OB on #5, re-loading and driving it to the fringe pin high. He then chipped it to two inches for a tap-in bogey.
• Pulling it less than a foot from OB on the left side of #9. Pitching out sideways while standing on the other side of the black tarp. Hitting his approach to 8 feet and draining the par putt.

At this point in the tournament, Casey found himself in solo 2nd — while Chandler only had 30 of the 49.7 points he needed. Casey also had his sights on catching Ho and winning outright, making everyone else irrelevant. 

 

For whatever reason (we're dumb), the final group thought Chandler needed a T4 or better to overtake Casey. So we really had no idea how close it was. Here’s how it unfolded (assuming the entire field finished each hole at the same time):

 

10th hole: Casey was a foot from driving the green, but turned a 20-foot downhill eagle putt into a par. Chandler hit his approach to 8 inches and tapped in a birdie. Chandler up by 5.4 points.

 

11th hole: Chandler hits his drive left of the fairway bunker and into a lake. Of course... we discover the lake is marked as OB. Taking a stroke-and-distance penalty, Chandler makes a long putt to save double bogey (Casey makes bogey). But because Adam made a net-birdie to tie Casey in 2nd, Chandler increased his lead to 45.4 points.

 

12th hole: Casey drives it into a fairway bunker and has to play his 2nd shot on his knees. He leaves it in the bunker for an Adolf... advances his 3rd shot to 170 out (up hill, down wind)... and nukes a 7 iron 190+ carry into a lake behind the green. I've never heard that sound from Casey's irons. He then makes an insane up-and-down from a blind spot behind the green for a double bogey. Chandler makes a ho-hum par and leads by 144.2 points.

 

Not ideal.

 

13th hole: Adam implodes vaulting Casey back into solo-2nd. Casey's drive went through the fairway and somehow stopped on a steep hill, just feet from OB. As he hit the approach, his Gap Wedge snapped in half. Chandler leads by 33.7 points.

 

14th hole: It's "Gypsy Time" as Chandler yanks two balls long left — which we assume is OB. Both balls are up and there are no white stakes to be found! Chandler flops on from some rotting sod behind a freshly planted tree, and two putts for bogey. Casey 3-jacks from long range. Chandler leads by 22.9 points.

 

15th hole: Chandler was just off the green in two, and used putter to "chip" to a couple of feet for birdie (net eagle). Casey was in a greenside bunker in two... blasted it over the green... chips to 30 feet... and then drains the putt for par (net birdie). Chandler leads by 33.3 points.

 

16th hole: Chandler makes a boring par while Casey finally hits a bad drive - into a lake. A few chunks later he records his only triple of the day. His mood is deflated, and he begins to accept things might be over. Chandler leads by 50.4 points.

 

17th hole: Casey drains a 12 foot downhill putt for par to keep the dream alive, but another boring par by Chandler eliminates some of the drama. Adam and Marcus have now officially ejected from the event, so there's even less people to play spoiler. Chandler leads by 112.9 points.

 

18th hole: Chandler thought he would win the season with a bogey, and lose with a double bogey. This was NOT the case due to another bogey by Marcus on the final hole. Chandler could have made triple on #18 to win the season by 0.4 points!

 

So the finish was anticlimactic for those watching on 18... and incredibly nerve-wracking for the dumb-dumbs in the final group who can't do simple math. For as close as it felt, this was only our 7th smallest margin of victory in Club history. Regardless, someone was going to win the season without an actual win. 

 

Not the Champion you wanted, but the one you deserve.

 

We start back up at Lake Jovita on Sunday, June 1st. Enjoy the extended break.