Musselwhite Sinks Winning Putt in Men’s Member-Guest.

At the end of a weekend where storms loomed but never arrived, Kevin Levine thundered a drive down the 18th fairway and Dale Musselwhite struck confidently from 6 feet to claim the grand prize at the Men’s Member-Guest tournament.

Just moments earlier, Jeremy Yoder came within inches of sinking a sublime chip from the right rough, and Tim Jackson sank a 15-footer to keep his team’s hopes alive. But it was all in vain – Musselwhite rolled home the winning putt with impressive ease, as carts filled with golfer-turned-spectators surrounded the green.

18 teams were divided into three flights, each team playing 5 nine-hole matches, one against every team in their flight. Winners of each flight would then play off for the grand prize and be crowned overall winners.

First Flight
In the first flight, Dave Long Jr. showed the kind of form that has earned him a +6 handicap – he was 9-under par for his three matches on Saturday, and despite giving up shots galore, proved a formidable pairing with Jeremy Yoder, who is playing his best golf of the year.

Tryon Country Club welcomed back Craig Gillie with open arms – he made some crucial putts to keep his team in contention on Saturday. Members at TCC have grown accustomed to seeing heroics from Keith Beaver, but it was his brother Doug who scrambled for a dramatic birdie to earn a vital point, keeping their team in the hunt at the end of Day 1.

By the last nine, Trey Dusenbury and Jon Skillman had snatched the lead, if only by the smallest of margins. They led by a half point over Yoder and Long – fittingly, their final opponents of the tournament. Not to be counted out, the Beaver brothers lurked just 2 points back. Ultimately, Yoder and Long pulled away for a decisive 7-3 victory, sealing their win and booking the first spot in the grand final.

Second Flight
In the second flight, Ethan Waldman and Tim Jackson opened with a statement of intent – they shellacked Robert Carter and Lee Bradley 8-2, putting the rest of the group on notice. Elsewhere, father-son team Steve and Dustin Fry eked out a hard-fought victory over John Sankey and George Floyd.

Just when it looked like Waldman and Jackson would run away with it, the Frys caused a stir in the penultimate match, beating the favorites, putting themselves in contention, and setting up a nerve-rattling final round. Waldman and Jackson would end how they began, however, scoring 8 points as they did in their opener to seal the win and play themselves into the shootout. Ed Weatherby and Bruce Cole finished strong on Sunday – their two wins down the stretch earned them second place in the flight.

Third Flight
The third flight boasted the most flamboyant outfits of the weekend – Soren Johnson, playing with Cliff Cameron, sported attire that would make Payne Stewart and Ian Poulter look conservative. The flight also had one of the smoothest golf swings of the weekend – Kevin Levine, guest of Dale Musselwhite, played some beautiful golf as they ran the table with five straight wins. John Schickling and Jeff Williams battled hard and stayed in striking distance, but had to settle for second place.

The Shootout
When flight winners had been decided, beaten competitors refreshed their coolers and returned to their carts for a front-row view of the dramatic final hole. Golf carts surrounded the tee box and lined the fairway on the 18th hole to watch the one-hole shootout.

A palpable buzz abounded, then silence as competitors prepared to hit their drives.

Under this spotlight, Kevin Levine stepped up and hit the drive of the tournament, absolutely piping his tee shot down the left side of the fairway leaving just a wedge into the green. Yoder smashed a pristine 3-wood to position “A”, and when Long missed the green on the right side, nearly made the chip for birdie. Waldman and Jackson found tree trouble, but scrambled well to make bogey, putting the pressure back on Dale Musselwhite. Left with six feet for par, and the win, Musselwhite calmly closed the deal, putting the icing on a wonderful performance.

Closest to the pin
Robert Carter’s roots at the course run deep – so deep that some say the only time he has gotten up and down on these greens was as a toddler having fallen over. On the 12th tee Sunday, however, Mr. Carter was all business, knocking it stiff to 4 feet 10 inches and earning himself a dozen golf balls in the process. “I just show up here and go to work,” Carter mused at the awards ceremony, “I don’t know any other way.”

Ethan Waldman and Ed Weatherby also picked up closest to the pin prizes on holes 3 (9 feet 1 inch) and 8 (15 feet 2 inches) respectively, and Jeff Williams hit the jackpot on 17 with a stunning approach to win himself a top-of-the-line Titleist Vokey wedge.

Closing notes
This was another fantastic weekend of golf – thanks to all those who participated, and we hope to see you back here again next year!

Thanks to Gerald once more for all the hard work that goes into running an event so seamlessly. And thanks to our sponsor, Clover Acupuncture (check out the website for more information or make an appointment online.)