Pro’s and Ams Deadlock in 39th Cape Cod Cup Match
By Jim Horvath
The quality of golf played was outstanding in the 39th annual Cape Cod Cup golf match at the beautiful and venerable Wianno Club Thursday.
There were birdies and eagles aplenty, and when the final results were tallied, the match ended in a 10 ½ – 10 ½ tie.
The Cape Cod Cup match pits a team of 14 of the best amateur golfers in the area against a team of 14 club professionals from the Cape Cod Chapter of the New England PGA. Each of the seven matches has three points at stake – one for the front nine, one for the back nine and one for the 18 hole total.
There was outstanding golf up and down the lineup on both sides. In the very first match, Ben Egan (Bay Club) birdied five of the final eight holes to spur him and his partner Greg Kelly (Bay Club) to a 2 points to 1 victory over Chris Snyder (Woods Hole) and Phil Dinan (Sacconnesset). And despite Kelly’s three birdies on the front nine, Snyder and Dinan had played well enough to win the front, 1 up.
The second match off the tee included four Cape Cod Cup veterans – Andrew Stolze (New Seabury) and Frank Leja (New Seabury) against Whitney Trimble (Oyster Harbors) and Mike Walker (Cape Cod National). The match featured 13 birdies in all, and yet finished in an absolute tie, with each team garnering 1.5 points each.
The third match saw the amateurs stage a back-nine comeback. Chad Crocker (Barnstable Golf) and Mike Lepore (Barnstable Golf) watched Tim Watroba (Hyannisport) and Dave Einstein (Hyannisport) combine for five birdies on the front nine to build a two-up lead. However, Crocker and Lepore shot three-under par on the back to overcome that lead and win the match and two points.
Match four included a back nine rally for the professionals which proved to be impactful to the final score of this year’s Cup match. Amateurs Matt Cornuet (Holly Ridge) and Ben Jenkins (Barnstable Golf) played steady golf to win the front nine and their overall match with Jeff Halunen (Pocasset) and Mike Roan (Mink Meadows). However, Halunen and Roan played the final eight holes in two-under par to tie the back nine and snag a valuable ½ point.
The next match produced a 3 – 0 sweep for the amateurs. Brian Fleckles (Wianno) used his home course knowledge and four birdies to propel him and partner Erik Robinson (Sandwich Hollows) past Shayne Sakson (Ocean Edge) and Collin Hubbell (Wianno). The amateurs were now just one point from winning the Cape Cod Cup for the first time in five years.
Match six produced a ½ point for the amateurs, as Ryan Brown (Cape Cod National) and Parish Pina (Ridge Club) birdied the seventh and eight holes to tie Cape Cod Chapter champion Matt Baran (Ridge Club) and Gregg Richbourg (Cape Cod National) on the first nine. Yet on the back nine, Baran and Richbough teamed for an eagle and two birdies over the final seven holes to win the back and the overall match. Now the amateurs were only a ½ point away from winning the Cup.
The final match of the day was between the Senior teams of Kevin Carey (Dennis Pines) and Don Foberg (Plymouth) and Tom Rooney (Lebaron Hills) and Mark Kitchen (Lebaron Hills) and featured some of the most spectacular golf of the day and a decisive 3 – 0 sweep for the professionals. There were a total of fifteen birdies made in this match. Rooney got things started with birdies on holes #1, #3 and #4 which eventually led to a 1-up lead and one point after nine holes. The second nine produced even more red numbers. This time Rooney birdied four consecutive holes – #10, #11, #12 and #13. However, the pro’s gained no ground as Carey birdied #10, #11 and #12 himself and Foberg came through with a birdie on #13. After team pars on #14 and #15, Kitchen birdied #16 which proved to be the difference. Both Carey and Foberg hit fine shots into the 18th green, yet their birdie putts grazed by the hole. Rooney and Kitchen had held on to win each side 1up and the overall match 2 up. Those three points brought the professionals’ total to 10 ½ and a Cup tie with the amateurs.
This was the fifth tie in the 39-year history of the Cape Cod Cup match. The amateurs still lead the overall series 18-16-5.