IN THE EAGLE FLIGHT

It was evident through the first nine holes that we were in for some low scores.  Tom Camacho held a one shot lead over Chris Mulligan and Michael Gaines at -4, 31.  Gaines would take a one shot lead after 11 holes with Camacho, Mulligan and Joe Vlachos a shot back.  Camacho and Vlachos would tie Gaines after 12 holes, but Gaines would grab the lead back after 13 holes.  Mulligan would fight back to tie for the lead thru 14 holes and it appeared any number of players could be walking away with the victory.  Camacho would rejoin Gaines and Mulligan in the a 3-way tie atop the leaderboard thru 15 holes.  Mulligan would move ahead by a shot following a par on the par 3 seventh hole setting up dramatic finish.  Dan Furlong closed to within a shot and joined Gaines and Camacho at a shot off the pace with a hole to play as Mulligan maintained his one stroke advantage heading to the final hole.  Furlong would par the 9th hole, while Mulligan bogeyed it and Camacho bogeyed the 18th hole as all three ended the round at -3, 67.  Gaines would finish a shot off the lead after a bogey on the 9th hole to finish at net 68.  The dreaded scorecard playoff would decide the outcome with Chris Mulligan prevailing with a back nine net 32, compared to 36 by Camacho and Furlong.  The win was Mulligan’s first this year and his third career OVGA Tour victory.

AVG Score - 82.9

Medalist - Tom Camacho, 75

IN THE BIRDIE FLIGHT…

Rick Lingo jumped out to a one shot lead at the turn over Mark Bixler, Rich Coleman and Chad Stewart following a 3-under, net 32.  Bixler and Stewart leaped over Lingo after net birdies and a net bogey by Lingo on #10.  Bixler would grab the lead after 11 holes with a net birdie to move to -4 and would go on to shoot a back nine net 28 to earn his second win of the season.  Bixler ended the day with a 78, net 61, to win by three shots over Rich Coleman (64).  Bixler’s net 61 is the lowest round on tour this year by three shots.

AVG Score - 87.6

Medalist - Mark Bixler, 78

IN THE PAR FLIGHT…

Ray Hatfield lead a hotly contest Par Flight at the midway point with a 7-under net 28 on the front nine, highlighted by his net albatross on the par 4 8th hole.  Michael Fischer was a shot back followed by Jeff Schlueter and Greg Amend who were three shots behind.  Fischer would draw even after 10 holes, but Hatfield quickly regained the lead after 11 holes and would maintain the lead thru the 12th hole.  The lead would go back and forth between Hatfield and Fischer for the next three holes with Fischer ending up with a one shot lead thru 15 holes.  Hatfield would fall off the pace following a net triple bogey that put him five shots off the lead after 16 holes.  Fischer held a three shot lead over Ed Rae but was struggling to seal the deal.  Rae closed to two shots back after 17 holes after having trailed by as many as six shots on the back nine.  Fischer’s double bogey on the par 3 18th hole opened the door for Rae, but a bogey on his final hole (#9) would give Fischer the victory.  Anthony Eckinger closed with a net birdie on #18 to tie Rae for 2nd place.  It was Fischer’s first win of the 2009 season and his 8th career victory on tour.  It moved him into a tie with Michael Bowen and Gerry Plogman for 2nd most victories in tour history (Jerry Inebnit, 10) and also marks the 2nd time Fischer has won the Father’s Day Open at Fairfield (June 17, 2007).

AVG Score - 99.8

Medalist - Anthony Eckinger, 85

IN THE EAGLE FLIGHT…

Doug Chalk, Dan Furlong and Dave Johnson got underway with net birdies.  Along with Michael Bowen, the four players would share the lead over the first nines holes with Furlong and Johnson hitting the turn at -1 with Chalk and Bowen a shot back.  Johnson took the lead briefly thru 10 holes, before Furlong and Chalk created a three-way tie atop the leaderboard.  Furlong grabbed the lead after 12 holes, but Tom Camacho came on strong to wrestle the lead away thru 13 holes at -2.  Camacho would retain the lead thru 15 holes until a double bogey on his 16th hole dropped him to 3rd place and two shots back of Doug Chalk who took over the top spot.  Camacho would get a shot back after 17 holes and, along with Johnson, trailed Chalk by one stroke with a hole to play.  Chalk would put things out of reach with a birdie on his final hole (#9) to win for the third time this year at -3, 69.  Camacho would finish 2nd at -1 with Furlong, Johnson and Mark Murphy coming in at even par and tied for 3rd.

Avg Score - 86.1

Medalist - Tom Camacho, 79

IN THE BIRDIE FLIGHT…

Cy Zibrik dominated the first nine holes, making the turn at -2 and two shots up on Harry Bradley.  Zibrik’s lead would grow to 4 shots thru 11 holes as he stood at -3.  Bradley would close the gap to one shot thanks in part to back-to-back bogeys by Zibrik.  Bradley, having started on the front nine would par his 14th hole, while Zibrik was staring down the gun barrel of the #1 handicapped hole in the 489-yard par 5 fifth hole.  Zibrik laced a drive down the left hand side of the fairway but the ball had trickled into a hidden hazard.  Zibrik’s approach found the hazard behind the green and he walked off with an 8 and dropped to 2nd, three shots behind Bradley.  The race became more for 2nd place than first as Chad Stewart, Tim Sorg and eventually Rick Lingo would all hold the 2nd spot for the final four holes.  None of them could catch Bradley as he prevailed by a shot over Lingo and Sorg and -1, 71.  It was the 3rd career victory for Bradley following up wins in 2007 (Middletown Open) and 2008 (Majestic Springs Open).

Avg Score - 94.5

Medalist - Rick Lingo, 86

IN THE PAR FLIGHT…

Frank Hill started off the day with the lead, but after five holes the tournament became the James Crockett show.  Crockett would hit the turn with a 4-shot lead over Frank Hill and never look back.  The ridiculous met the sublime when Crockett scored gross birdie, net 0 on the par 3 12th hole for an 8-shot lead.  The question then became if Crockett could post a personal best score.  But lost in the tension of whether Crockett could hold up for 18 straight holes, Phyllis Bare was inching closer to the lead.  Down by as many as 10 strokes, Bare had closed to within three heading to the 18th hole.  But Crockett would record net birdie on #18 to secure his 4th career OVGA Tour victory with an 8-under, 64.  And to top it off, Crockett broke the 100-barrier for the first time, posting a 99.

Avg Score - 108.4

Medalist - Phyllis Bare, 90

In the Eagle Flight…

The OVGA Masters Preview Pick, Sam Melton, had it going early as he and Karsten Klint battled thru their first nine holes.  Melton finally wrestled the lead away at the turn by a shot at even par 36 (net).  It looked like Melton would pull away, building a three shot lead after 14 holes, but Klint and Mark Murphy closed to within a shot after 15 holes.  After a birdie by Murphy at #16, he grabbed a one shot lead over Melton as Klint fell 2 shots back.  It remained that way thru 17 holes with Murphy sitting at -2, Melton at -1 and Klint at even par.  Klint finishing on the front nine would record a net birdie, Melton would par the 18th hole, meaning a par by Murphy on the #18 handicapped hole would mean the tailor would be getting his Green Shirt ready.  But fate has a funny way of ruining things as Murphy limped home with a double bogey meaning a tie between Melton and Klint with Murphy finishing a shot back.  Going to the scorecard playoff, Melton would defeat Klint 36-37 to win the Green Shirt and record his third victory of the season.

Medalist - Sam Melton, 77

Avg Score - 88.4

In the Birdie Flight…

Gary Vogeler took the top spot on the leaderboard three holes into the round and never looked back.  At the turn he held a two shot lead over Aaron Stephenson at -3.  His lead grew to three shots after 12 holes but Stephenson battled back to within a stroke after 13 holes.  A net birdie on Gary’s 15th hole (#6) gave him a four shot advantage and he would hold on to win by three shots over Aaron Stephenson.  Brett Maynard’s eagle (net double eagle) on his final hole (#9) grabbed him third place and an additional 104 points.  Rick Lingo was also under par net, finishing the day in 4th place at -1, 71. 

Medalist - Gary Vogeler, 80

Avg Score - 93.9

In the Par Flight…

Terry Bailey started out playing the best golf he’s played in some time.  Bailey came to the turn at -5, but not to be outdone, Bill Gabriel was right there with him.  Gabriel would take the lead briefly after 10 holes but that’s when Bill Shannon took over.  Shannon grabbed a one shot lead thru 11 holes and held it until, a hard charging, Doug Hart tied him after 16 holes.  Hart, who at one point was eight shots off the lead, screamed back to take a one shot lead thru 17 holes.  But as we saw with Mark Murphy, it’s not who tees off on the final hole with the lead but the person who putts out the final hole with the lead.  Hart would net bogey his final hole, while Bill Shannon would record net par and we would have our second scorecard playoff to determine a Green Shirt.  In the end, Shannon would prevail 34-37 in the scorecard playoff to become just the second player in OVGA history to win two majors, joining Thomas Rohn in that category.  Shannon won his first major on July 15, 2006 at the Tri-State Open which was held at Twin Oaks that year.

Medalist - Bill Shannon, 90

Avg Score - 106.7

In the Eagle Flight…

Michael Bowen started out fast with a net eagle on #1 and held the lead for the first three holes before Kirt Kiser grabbed the lead on #4.  Kiser made the turn at -1 with a 2-shot lead over Michael Frank.  Frank would eventually tie Kiser on #11, but would fall 2 shots back after #13 and would finish 7 shots off the pace.  Meanwhile, Doug Chalk, who trailed by as many as 4 shots, drew to within a stroke after 15 holes.  By #17 he had caught Kiser and they would finish 18 holes at +1 (72) and go to the scorecard playoff.  Since both players were 12 handicaps, Chalk won the scorecard playoff with a back nine 40 to Kiser’s 43.  For Chalk it was his second win by playoff this year following up his victory at the Kenton County Championship at Willows.

AVG Score:  90.3

Co-Medalist:  Doug Chalk/Kirt Kiser - 84

In the Birdie Flight…

Matt Berry jumped out to a 1 stroke lead with a net eagle on #1 but was quickly joined after two holes by Jason Scroggin and Mark Bixler at -1.  Berry would fall off the lead while Scroggin and Bixler would dual through 4 holes.  Bixler would fall a shot back after 5 holes and would finish 2 shots off the pace.  Mike Greivenkamp challenged briefly taking the lead after 7 holes, but Jason Scroggin quickly regained the lead and made the turn alone at -3.  Scroggin would hold the lead thru 12 holes, but Matt Berry would surge back to take a 1 shot lead after 13 holes only to be joined by two of the three Scroggin brothers as Jeff forced a 3-way tie.  Jeff would drop back after 15 holes and finish a shot back in 3rd place.  Jason would grab the lead back from Berry after 16 holes and held a 3-shot lead over Berry, Jeff and Greivenkamp with 2 holes to play.  Berry would draw even after 18 holes and send the competition to a scorecard playoff where Jason Scroggins recorded his first OVGA victory with net 33 on the back compared to Matt’s net 39.

AVG Score:  98.5

Medalist:  Matt Berry - 87

In the Par Flight…

Matt Longland jumped out to a with a net double eagle on his first hole and held the lead thru the first 8 holes before Jamie Hayes grabbed the lead away at the turn.  Hayes played his first nine holes in -6 for a 3 shot lead.  Longland and Scott Springer would work themselves back into a tie with Hayes after 13 holes, but Hayes quickly built a 3 shot lead thru 15.  Frank Kilgore would make his presence known tying for the lead thru 16 holes, but would finish 3 shots off the pace 2 holes later.  Longland would draw even with Hayes after 17 holes at +3.  Longland’s net par on #18 would fall one shot short as Hayes recorded net birdie to capture his first OVGA victory in his 64th career tournament. 

AVG Score:  112.1

Co-Medalist:  Scott Springer/Matt Longland - 95 

In the Eagle Flight…

Dan Furlong got out of the gate like Rachel Alexandra in the Preakness with a net eagle on the first hole.  Furlong would maintain a lead through seven holes before Chad Roidt would grab the lead at the turn at -2, net 34.  Roidt would maintain the lead alone until Joe Vlachos tied him after 14 holes at -3.  After 15 holes, Ron Spencer had made it a 3-way tie atop the leaderboard.  A bogey on #16 would put Vlachos a shot back and the 2004 OVGA Player of the Year would finish one shot back.  Roidt would bogey #17 to fall a shot back of Spencer who played the final five holes in -2 to win his first OVGA Tour event.

AVG SCORE - 83.8
Medalist - Chad Roidt (77)

In the Birdie Flight…

Carl Cowan came to the turn with a one shot advantage over Matt Johnson at -1.  Johnson quickly erased the deficit by pulling even and then taking a one shot lead thru 11 holes.  However, Cowan, with a net birdie on #12, drew even once more.  Cowan’s net birdie on #13 gave him a one shot lead that would grow to 2 shots thru 15 holes.  Johnson would pull to within a stroke after 16 holes following a net birdie, but a bogey on #17 would spell doom for Johnson as Cowan would finish three shots clear at -5, net 66 to claim his first OVGA Tour victory.

AVG SCORE - 92.2
Medalist - Carl Cowan (83)

In the Par Flight…

If ever there was a strategy for winning tournaments at Vineyard it would be to keep your ball in the fairway.  Frank Hill apparently heard about this as he hit 12 of 14 fairways and all seven on the back nine.  Hill made the turn at -1 and then blew away the field on the back nine carding an impressive 46 (net 31) to finish five shots ahead of Ray Hatfield at -5, net 66.  The win was Hill’s second on the OVGA Tour.  His first came in July of last year at Sebastian Hills.

AVG SCORE - 106.3
Medalist - Anthony Eckinger (93)

IN THE EAGLE FLIGHT

Five players held a share of the lead over the first nine holes of the tournament but Mark Murphy, who won last week at Sharon Woods, held a share of the lead for all nine holes and made the turn with a one shot lead over Matthew Sehnert, Tab Nelson and Darin DePew at even par.  Sehnert would draw even with Murphy and the two would co-lead until Sehnert grabbed the lead on the 13th hole.  Murphy fell a shot back and would get no closer the rest of the way.  Sehnert’s lead would grow to 3 shots thru #15, but the man known more for heckling hockey players than hitting golf balls was making his move.  Kevin Gadker, aka The Heckler from Hell at Cincinnati Cyclones games, was two shots back after #16, but a birdie on the 17th hole, followed by Sehnert’s triple bogey gave Gadker a 2 shot lead heading to the finishing hole.  Gadker’s net par on the 537-yard par 5 was enough to hold off Mark Murphy by a shot and claim his first OVGA Tour victory in his first tour event.

1.  Kevin Gadker - 73 (83)

2.  Mark Murphy - 74 (82)

3.  Matthew Sehnert - 75 (84)

IN THE BIRDIE FLIGHT

Michael Frank burst out of the gate leading for the first eight holes, but a double bogey on #9 opened the door for Harry Bradley to grab a 2 shot lead at the turn at -3.  Bradley maintained his 2 shot lead thru the 12th hole, but a string of four straight net bogeys eliminated Bradley from contention.  Owen Warner would hold a share of the lead on the 13th hole, but a net birdie by Cy Zibrik moved the Columbus resident into the lead after 14 holes.  Zibrik’s lead would get to two shots after the 15th hole, but Doug Chalk was making a run at the leader.  Chalk got to a shot back after 16 holes and remained there as they Zibrik and Chalk headed to #18.  Chalk’s net par would tied him with Zibrik at net 72 (E) as they went to the first OVGA Playoff of 2009.  Both would record net bogey on the #1 handicapped hole before Chalk would record the victory with a net birdie on the #2 handicapped hole.

1.  Doug Chalk - 72 (86)  *WON IN PLAYOFF

2.  Cy Zibrik - 72 (89)

3.  Owen Warner - 75 (88)

IN THE PAR FLIGHT 

We already saw from Kevin Gadker in the Eagle Flight that sometimes your first event might be your coming out party.  That sure looked to be the case for Jeff Scroggin who held a share of the lead on each of the first nine holes of his OVGA career.  Scroggin would head to the turn with a 1 shot lead at -2 net.  However the 420-yard par 4 10th hole would prove a problem for Scroggin whose net double bogey allowed Anthony Eckinger to tie at even par.  Scroggin would fall off the lead on #11 as Michael Fischer replaced him in the tie with Eckinger.  Fischer would take a 2 shot lead after 12 holes, but Scroggin would storm back to take the lead after 14 holes at -2.  Scroggin would stumble on #15 which allowed Michael Fischer to grab a 4 shot lead following a net birdie.  Fischer would tee off on #18 holding a 3 shot lead over Eckinger at -1.  He would putt out having lost the lead and now heading to a playoff with Matt Johnson who was 4 shots back at the start of the hole.  Johnson’s net par got him into the playoff and his net birdie on the first playoff hole was enough to claim his first OVGA Tour victory.

1.  Matt Johnson - 75 (99) *WON IN PLAYOFF

2.  Michael Fischer - 75 (101)

3.  Anthony Eckinger - 76 (105)

The OVGA TOUR returns to action next Sunday at The Vineyard for Round 2 of the Great Parks Championship.  Charles Johnson currently holds a 1 shot lead over Steve Waterhouse at -7. 

Deadline for entry at Vineyard is Monday at noon.  Only 64 spots are available for this tournament.

In the Eagle Flight
Doug Chalk led for six holes on the front nine while a total of six players had a share of the lead over the first nine holes but it was Michael Bowen who took a one shot lead at +1, net 36 at the turn.  However, Michael Gaines would take the lead on the 10th hole, before Chalk wrangled it away on #11.  Gaines would grab the lead back on #13 before the field bunched up with five players sharing the lead after 14 holes (Gaines, Chalk, Bowen, Mark Murphy and Chris Mulligan) at +3, net 56.  After 15 holes, Gaines and Mulligan would drop a shot back and get no closer.  After 16 holes, Bowen would fall off the pace and three shots off the lead.  Murphy and Chalk would head to #18 tied at +1, net 67.  Murphy’s net par would give the Eagle flight it’s first non-Sam Melton winner of 2009 and for Murphy it would be win #5 in his OVGA career.

In the Birdie Flight
A few players, Phyllis Bare, Rick Lingo and Jim Cachat got hot early, but Rich Lakes took the lead on the 6th hole and made the turn at +1, net 36.  Rich Coleman would tie Lakes after 10 holes, but Lakes would begin to pull away, building a 3 shot lead thru 13 holes at E, net 49.  Bare closed to within a shot after 15 holes, but Lakes quickly extended his lead back to three shots after 16 holes and cruised to his first win of 2009 and his 3rd career OVGA Tour victory with an even par net 70.

In the Par Flight
Charles Johnson started the day going net eagle, net eagle, net birdie and had a five shot lead thru the first three holes before hanging on for a one shot lead at the turn at -5, net 30.  Frank Hill (-4), James Crockett (-3) and Steve Waterhouse (E) were also in the hunt after the first nine holes.  Johnson would build a three shot lead thru 13 holes, but James Crockett would pull within one after #14 and would take a one shot lead after #15 at -4, net 53.  But as quickly as Crockett took the lead, Waterhouse would snatch it away with a net double eagle on #16 to hold a one shot lead over Crockett and Hill.  Waterhouse’s net birdie on #17 gave him a two shot lead heading to the final hole.  But the pressure was too much as Waterhouse would post a net bogey and Johnson would finish with a net eagle to steal his first career OVGA Tour victory finishing at -6, net 64.

Congratulations to Mark Murphy, Rich Lakes and Charles Johnson on their victories at Sharon Woods.  Saturday’s event was the first round of the Great Parks Championship which is a 4-round tournament played at the four Hamilton County Park Courses this season (Sharon Woods, Vineyard, Miami Whitewater and Mill Course).  The player with the low net (no flights) for all four rounds will be named the winner.

Top 5 after Round 1
1.  Charles Johnson, -6, 64
2.  Steve Waterhouse, -5, 65
3.  Frank Hill, -2, 68
4.  James Crockett, -1, 69
5.  Rich Lakes, E, 70

Last season’s GPC Champion, Rich Coleman is 10 shots off the lead after a +4, 74 on Saturday.  Round 2 of the Great Parks Championship, is Sunday, May 17 at Vineyard.

CTP Winners - $32 - Skins will be announced tomorrow night

Eagle/Birdie Flight

#8 - Joe Wieland

#11 - Rich Lakes

Par Flight

#2 - Frank Kilgore (Bevans/Chalk were on the sheet but not Par flight players)

#8 - Anthony Eckinger

PAYOUT = $25 per skin

PAYOUT = $19 per skin

Apparently once was not going to be good enough for Sam Melton.  The sweet swinging 5-handicap recorded his first OVGA victory yesterday at Deer Run and completed Opening Weekend with a clean sweep at Walden Ponds.  Melton held off a late charging Rich Lakes, along with a trio of others at net 73, with a par on the 18th hole (Lakes had bogey) to finish at even par net 72.  Melton became the first player since Jerry Inebnit to win as the lowest handicap golfer in the field.

In the Birdie Flight

Rich Coleman started strong, but handed over the spotlight to two rookies who decided to make their impact known on Opening Weekend.  Matt Johnson held the lead until the 15th hole when Brett Maynard made a charge and pulled away for a two shot victory in his first OVGA event.  Maynard became the first player since Opening Day last year (Cole Cartwright and Trevor Gummere) to win in their first OVGA tournament.  Maynard finished the day at -2, net 70.

In the Par Flight

It looked like Jamie Hayes was going to run away with the tournament, building a 6 shot advantage through 12 holes, but he faltered late while Bill Shannon made a charge on the back nine.  Playing holes 10-15 in just 18 net shots, Shannon erased the 6-shot deficit and took a two shot lead after 16 holes in route to an 8-under, net 64. 

All in all, Walden Ponds played much tougher this year with an average score of 97.5 compared to 93.8 strokes in 2008. 

Next week, the OVGA heads to Sharon Woods for the first leg of the Great Parks Championship.  The GPC encompasses four events at Hamilton County Park District Courses (Sharon Woods, Vineyard, Miami Whitewater and Mill Course).  The player with the lowest net score in these four events will be crowned as the Great Parks Champion complete with trophy that you can keep as well as having your name displayed on a traveling trophy that can be viewed at the Mill Course.  Rich Coleman is the reigning GPC Champion.