OMG!!! september 23rd, 2007. what a day it was. the beautiful weather, a beautiful Bernardsville Country Club course, the members gathering from near and far, returning to see what are now old friends, a day to get away and party, to compete in a golf tournament for the BCC Cup, returning to where it all started, the Tick Open. the stage was set, the 14 actors were in attendance, the drama was to begin. the first act was the revelation of the evolution, the ever improving golfers welcomed year after year by an ever more difficult BCC course.
a tee was spun to choose the three foursomes in the 1st round qualifier, and off they went, two points for the win, one for the tie. four players introduced themselves to the field with eight points each, the SVCC’s derek schulz and the BCC groundskeeper battled it out in one group, as the SVCC’s capt. billy jo and matt “rodeo clown” pichel came out of the other two. billy jo winning the Octopine Trophy for closest to the pin with a 4 foot 4 inch shot @ #4.
act two, the seeded 2nd round qualifier saw these same players continue their fine play but the round was highlighted by a spirited charge made by the SVCC’s tony “TD” d’anna, who was in a threesome the BCC groundskeeper and BCC x-champ mike rosenberg. the groundskeeper, in his second tough qualifier of the day, went toe to toe with this range tuned machine, going down early and then scrambling for points, making a birdie on #8 and still losing the match within a match, 7 points to 8. and there it was, the final round qualifiers were matt, with 16 points, derek and the groundskeeper with 15, billy jo 14 and tony with 13.
the players then enjoyed a bountiful bar-b-que on the BCC Patio, a feast brought by all, delicious and delightful. ta ta ta taaaa!!! act three, the championship round! @ #1 O.K. Corral (95yds) the groundskeeper started by going pin hunting, landing 2 feet away from the hoop, but this was a talented group, and billy jo knocked in a 15 foot chip to halve the hoop, 1 point each. @ #2 One Bad Apple (127 yds) the hoop was halved by tony and the groundskeeper with a par. @ #3 Sight Unseen (113yds) it was the groundskeeper again, a birdie again, 2 more points. @ #4 Octopine (103yds) the tide turned, with matt, billy and tony making par and taking away the groundskeeper’s momentum. @ the turn it was the groundskeeper with 4, billy jo and tony 2, matt 1 and then derek, mysteriously scoreless.
@#5 Octopine’s Revenge (83yds) matt and billy made fine tee shots, each making birdie. @ #6 Pine’s Gauntlet (109yds) matt’s run continued with another birdie, this time a long chip in front the of groundskeeper who had but a tap-in par. @#7 Big Roundup (129 yds) all the contenders made par, shared the points and set us up for one of the most exciting championship rounds in BCC history. matt and G with 5, billy jo 4, tony 3. @ #8 Barn’s Window (111yds) matt was first and hit a solid shot but short and right. a fired up groundskeeper then fired his ball long, long and out of play, shocked, he stepped aside, his fate now in the hands of his competitors. billy jo swung and his ball landed a good 15 yards short and right, left with a tricky and fast chip downhill, left to right. tony and derek were last to tee off, but definitely not least, each nailing their shots to about 3 feet, wow.
matt was first, pushing his left handed chip to the left and long. as the gallery mulled over all the scoring possibilities, billy jo made his chip, a bounce and then the click of the ball hitting the pin, followed by the roar of the gallery and players, a birdie! but it’s not over yet! if tony or derek put one of their 3 foot chips for birdie into the hoop, there would be a 3-way tie and a sudden death playoff. the gallery watched in silence and awe as one chip went long and then next one fell short. ladies and gentlemen, we have a new champion, the title of best player to not have won a championship is no more, the monkey is off his back, the 2007 TIck Open Champion is the Steeple View Country Club’s greenskeeper and captain, billy jo auld. congratulations to him and thanks to all your BCC member’s for making it the great event that it was.
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