2022-HARBOUR CUP/STATracker Week-31
Highlights
(thru: 9/30/2022)
The 2022 race for the HARBOUR CUP, completed its 31st week of play.
With 4 weeks and 13 rounds to go in the season, here are some notable Week-31 highlights…
Week-31 turned out to be a unique week. Only one round was played during the week due to a scheduling conflict on Monday and the closure on Friday because of the coming tropical storm, Ian. Fortunately, the storm was substantially less than expected and the STATracker season swings back into play on Monday, Oct. 3rd. Only 13 scheduled rounds remain to played. Of those 13, only 2 will be individual competitions.
As mentioned, only the MGA individual playdate round was completed last week. The winners were TOM CARUSO(#9) and ED WHITE(#27) in their respective flights. For Caruso, it was his 5th individual win of the season as he edged out Frank Amato by 3 strokes. He now leads by 1 in that category over JIM FURMAN and C.A. SMITH. White’s victory was also a 3 stroke win over runner-up STEVE ROBICHAUD. For White, it was his first individual win of the season.
The two remaining individual competitions left in the season are scheduled for Oct.
12th and Oct. 26th, both of which are MGA playdates.
With only Wednesday’s round to examine, lets dive in…
Standings leader MARK CARMICHAEL(#1) was back in action. He scored a birdie, a CTP and a sandy for a 15 point showing in the round. That was Carmichael’s 40th sandy of the season! Last season, the most sandies by anyone was 28, and that was achieved by Mark as well. He and Stan Koonce were 1 and 2 in that category last year with 48 sandies between them. Speaking of STANKOONCE(#2), the Virginian did not play on Wednesday.
FRANK AMATO(#4) had a banner day finishing 2nd along with 3 birdies and a holeout for 28 points. For Amato, it was his first top 3 finish in any individual round this season.
BOB MARTIN(#35) continues his comeback from neck surgery and continues to improve. He snared a birdie and a holeout for 18 points. RICK WOLFE(#15) had the scope screwed on tight as he claimed 2 of 4 CTPs during Wednesday’s round.
The holeout-fest continued for the second week in a row as a total of 6 players were able to capitalize on the excellent conditions around the greens, and garner their very own 15-pointer.
Martin, Robinson, Edmundson, Amato, Welch and Swan all joined in the fun. For FRANK AMATO, his holeout pulled him with 6 points of BOB GILLHAM, for 3rd place. For first year player, TIM WELCH(#21), he continues to make a gallant effort to grab a playoff spot before the season’s end. KEITH SWAN(#10) pulls with 6 points of Caruso in a top 10 race.
With Wednesday’s round being the last round in September, the competition for the 3rd major of the season, The Broad Creek OPEN, has concluded. Due to the weather emergency which closed the course on Friday, players can turn in their 4 best scorecards this coming week. A champion will be announced shortly. On the line is 15 points for 1st, 12 points for 2nd and 9 points for 3rd place.
…Coming up this week…
Bald Eagles will play on Monday, 10/3 and Friday, 10/7…
The MGA holds its 16th Tournament of the season, the MAGNUM-44 ShootOut! This event requires players to perform with ONLY 4 clubs-total (of their choice) in their golf bag. Players must leave all other clubs behind. Normal handicaps will be used.
2022-HARBOUR CUP/STATracker Week-32
Highlights
(thru:10/7/2022)
The 2022 race for the HARBOUR CUP, completed its 32nd week of play.
With 3 weeks and 10 rounds to go in the season, here are some notable Week-32 highlights…
BATTLE FOR MGA TOURNAMENTS CHAMPION HEATS UP
Week-32 featured 3 completed rounds, one of which was the 16th MGA tournament of the season.
During this individual MGA round, STAN KOONCE gained ground on Tournament standings leader, MARK CARMICHAEL. After Wednesday’s round, Koonce found himself just 17 points behind Carmichael with just one more MGA tourney to go in the 2022 season. Koonce pulled out a 3 stroke victory over BRUCE HICE. In addition, Koonce snared a CTP and registered a holeout. Carmichael finished 3rd and had a sandy. It was a 22 point round for Koonce while Carmichael, who’s not going to make it easy, had 13 points for the tournament.
The next MGA tourney scheduled for Oct 19th is the Alternate Shot contest with a partner.
The STATracker components in play for that round will only award points for 1st 2nd and 3rd place finishes, CTPs, and holeouts. Koonce’s best chance of catching Carmichael is to hope he’s standing over a number of holeout opportunities as he and his partner alternate shots. Meanwhile, Carmichael has only been shutout just once in the 67 events he has played in this season. So, it’s a tall order for Koonce but, if anyone can do it, it’s him. If not, Carmichael will capture the first ever Double Crown, winning both the Harbour Cup AND the MGA Tournaments Champion trophy.
In other news, BRIAN McDOWELL got his first individual win of the season when he edged out ED EDMUNDSON for the 2 stroke victory on Wednesday.
McDowell had a birdie and a holeout.
For Edmundson, it was the second week in a row with a top 3 finish for the first year member, in individual play.
It was a week of big days, the biggest of which was claimed by TOM CARUSO as he set a STATracker record with 3 holeout birdies in one round! Two of the three were back-to-back on #s 18 and 1. It was the 2nd week in a row that Caruso scored back-to-back holeouts. He ended up with 59 points for the week, a personal best. PAUL CORMIER had a big round on Monday as he scored 37 points gathering in a CTP, a holeout and 2 sandies. He ended the week with 42 points. Another big round was had by KEITH SWAN on Friday. Swan scored 35 points with a holeout and two sandies. He ended up with 38 points for the week. Swan, an alternate in last year’s playoffs, has solidly cemented a spot in the upcoming playoffs on November 2nd
MARK CARMICHAEL added another 40 points to his league-leading total as he continues to coast towards a second straight Harbour Cup.
Due to Hurricane Ian, the conclusion of the September month-long Broad Creek Open was delayed.
At this time the results have been tallied. The top 3 finishers will be announced this Wednesday.
…Coming up this week…
Bald Eagles will play on Monday, 10/10 and Friday, 10/14…
The MGA holds an individual format playdate on Wednesday 10/1
2022-HARBOUR CUP/STATracker Week-33
Highlights
(thru: 10/14/2022)
The 2022 race for the HARBOUR CUP, completed its 33rd week of play.
With 2 weeks and 6 rounds to go in the season, here are some notable Week-33 highlights…
First, due to a scheduling conflict, the 2022 STATracker season will conclude with the completion of the round scheduled for play on Friday, October 28th and NOT on Monday, 10/31.
One can tell its coming to the end of the season as the uptick in birdies, holeouts and sandies in these last couple of weeks, has been quite dynamic. But, with just 2 weeks (6 scheduled rounds) left to go, there’s a lot to get to… so… here we go…
After the delayed results were finally tallied, MARK CARMICHAEL was officially crowned the Broad Creek OPEN Champion for the 2nd year in a row. Carmichael edged out Stan Koonce for a 2 stroke victory, with a -7. PAUL CORMIER finished 3rd at -1. With the 15 points Carmichael received for that major win, he is only 30 points away from tying his own historic STATracker record of 1,149 points when he won last year’s inaugural Harbour Cup. The feeling here is that a new record is about to be set.
And speaking of STATracker points records, after STAN KOONCE completed his 41 point round on Friday (1st place team finish, CTP, 2 birdies, 2 holeouts), he became only the second player in STATracker history to reach the 900 points mark. Koonce currently sits at 935 points and has been placed on the thousand points watch. He’s got 6 rounds to get another 65 points. The way he has been playing since September, its very possible. Last year, Koonce finished in 4th place with 518 points. Koonce and Carmichael will be in the featured group this coming Wednesday, in the final MGA tournament to be played in the STATracker season.
Koonce will be attempting to overtake Carmichael in the race for the Tournaments Championship. Carmichael is poised to become STATracker’s first ever double crown winner, unless, Koonce can pull a rabbit out of the hat on Wednesday, in the strategy-laden Alternate Shot format. It’s going to be an exciting finish to a historic season, here at the HPGC.
No stranger to big points, last year’s STATracker runner-up, BOB GILLHAM, who played in Monday’s and Wednesday’s rounds, went 33-36 for a 69 point week. Last year, Gillham finished with 857 points in 52 rounds. He currently sits at 811 after 41 rounds of play. Gillham had 3 birdies on Monday, a 2nd place team finish, a CTP and 2 sandies. On Friday, he poured it on with 6 birdies, a 3rdplace finish, another CTP and a holeout. He also shot a 67 to boot!
Another big gun, PAUL CORMIER, bagged 10 birdies along the way to a 51 point week that also included a couple of sandies as well. Cormier will be making his first playoff appearance in his first year here at the club.
In the MGA playdate on Wednesday, GUS VILLANOVA and KEN PLANTIN
both got their first individual wins of the season, in their repective flights. While Villanova’s steady round included just one birdie, it ended up being a 4 stroke victory for the big guy from New Jersey. Plantin’s margin of victory was just 2 strokes but he scored a holeout during his round.
BRUCE HICE had a 46 point round on Friday as he helped his team to a 1st place finish along with a birdie, 2 holeouts and a sandy. With all that, Hice moved up into the 18th spot in the Combined standings, just 14 points behind David Ross (#16). Just 5 points ahead of him now is Frank Aiuto. With Jim Furman out for the season, either Hice or Aiuto will receive an invitation to the playoffs as an alternate. If Hice makes it to the playoffs…watch out! Hice had 5 individual wins last year including the Masters. He and Carmichael had tied for the most individual wins in 2021. This year, Hice has been the runner-up 5 times in individual play, including one of the majors. So, he can sweep away a tournament anytime he is contending.
Speaking of hanging out in the wings, BOB REIVIK made some important gains last week as he attempts to knock on the door to a first time playoff appearance. He finished in a tie for 2nd place in Wednesday’s playdate but, more importantly, he scored a badly needed holeout on Friday to pull himself within 12 points of Frank Aiuto, the current designated playoff alternate. With 6 rounds left to go, he’s got to leap over Hice and Aiuto.
RICK WOLFE had a 35 point week helping him to nail down a playoff spot for the 2nd year in a row. Wolfe currently sits in the 14th spot in the Combined standings. Wolfe finished 12th last year and has heated up his play in recent weeks.
And last, but not least, 90 year old JERRY KOPEC, who finished in a tie for 3rd place, had a double holeout round during Wednesday’s individual game. His 33 points for the round was a personal best. Congratulations!
…Scheduled for this coming week… (Week #34)
Bald Eagles will play on Monday, 10/17 and Friday, 10/21…
The MGA holds its 17th tournament of the season on Wednesday 10/19… Tee time is 8:30AM
The tournament will be a player’s choice 2-man team alternate shot format.
2022-HARBOUR CUP/STATracker Week-34
Highlights
(thru: 10/21/2022)
The 2022 race for the HARBOUR CUP, completed its 34th week of play.
With 1 week and 3 rounds to go in the season, here are some notable Week-34 highlights…
CARMICHAEL GRABS HISTORIC FIRST DOUBLE CROWN!!!
AMATO SCORES 2nd EAGLE OF SEASON… KOONCE EDGES TOWARDS
1000 POINTS
LAST WEEK OF SEASON UPON US… PLAYOFF PICTURE SHARPENS UP
MARK CARMICHAEL edged closer last week, to his STATracker season record of 1149 points. He managed to stay steady in the final MGA tourney of season on Wednesday, to capture the first ever Double-Crown by winning the Tournaments Championship with his first place finish in those standings. Stan Koonce made a gallant effort in the final couple of tourneys, but it was not to be this year. Carmichael needs just 8 more points in this coming last week of the season, to tie the points record. He’ll certainly be leading the field of 20 players to make it to the Nov. 2nd playoff round. He reached his 75th & 76th birdies of the season in Monday’s round. Further, he set another STATracker record by capturing 3 CTPs in one round. The snowball from Indiana is rolling good!
FRANK AMATO (#4) scored his 2nd eagle of the season in Monday’s round, tying a STATracker record for eagles in a single season. Amato sent his second shot towards the green on hole #2 landing his ball just 6 feet from the pin. He calmly one-putted for his eagle. He also added 2 birdies during the same round.
Amato will be making his first playoff appearance come Nov. 2nd
STAN KOONCE (#2) inched closer to the 1000 points mark with a total of 18 points in Week-34.
Koonce scored 2 birdies and a sandy in Monday’s round but went quiet for the rest of the week.
The last week of the season finds PAUL CORMIER (#5) turning up the thermostat on his play, as he sights up the looming playoffs. Cormier dialed in another 6 birdies 2 holeouts and 2 sandies in the same round on Monday, piling up 60 points for his round that day. He added another 23 points for the rest of the week. Cormier also, will be making his first playoff appearance on Nov. 2nd
With the completion of the MGA Tounaments season this past Wednesday, we can now present the four players who will represent the Tournaments Standings in the next week’s playoffs. Due to the players that finished towards the top in both the Combined and Tournaments standings, it was necessary to choose qualified alternates. The following players have achieved that status…
… JEFF SCOTT, SEAN MULHALL, TIM WELCH and BRIAN McDOWELL. If
they accept their invitations, they will be playing for the $100 1st place prize and STATracker Playoffs Champion title. Playoff invitations will start to be handed out during this last week of the season.
The last MGA tournament of the season, the 2-man Team Alternate Shot, saw first time MGA wins for both RICK WOLFE and BRIAN SANDALL, who teamed up for their 3 stroke victory. In the Gold tee flight, it was STEVE ROBICHAUD and BOB REIVIK teaming up for their 2 stroke win. Bob Reivik is currently sitting in a playoff position in the Combined standings.
…Scheduled for this coming week… (Week #35)
Bald Eagles will play on Monday, 10/24 and Friday, 10/28…
The MGA holds an individual format playdate, on Wednesday 10/19
The 2022 STATracker season concludes with the completion of play on Friday,
Oct. 28, 2022