Post by The Boss on Nov 15, 2021 18:36:47 GMT
The first 10 events of the season constituted the Winter Trophy, to be won by the top money-winner, but it was also a period where I tried to set conditions which would see the original pro scores and the current ‘guest’ scores reach a similar level. It took me until the 4th event to get it right, Jack Nicklaus winning the San Diego Open by 1 shot from guest Terry Baldwin, and the rest of the guests spread out through the final leaderboard. In the tourneys that followed I think I got the conditions right most of the time, which reassured me that this concept could work.
The climax of the Winter Trophy came in the very last tourney, Event 10, the Monsanto Open. Les Souter had all but clinched the trophy, but hadn’t anticipated the efforts of Hans Kunok. Hans pipped Les by 1 shot with a final round 64 to win the Monsanto and, in the process, he also edged out Les to claim the Winter Trophy by the slender margin of $611. Both players had won 2 events and this series of tournaments also saw Mark Lipping make his season’s debut in Event 7, the Texas Open.
The next 10 events made up the Spring Swing, during which we had our first Major, The Masters. Mark Lipping made his intentions clear when he won 3 of the first 5 tourneys. As for The Masters, Bob Fletcher’s green jacket had already been taken out of the wardrobe, but fate had other plans. Needing only a bogey or better on the 72nd hole to register a famous win, Bob 4-putted to finish tied 3rd with Gary Player, and he continues to have therapy to this day. The guests fared well during this series of events, winning 6 of the 10, including Ian McKinley winning his first trophy in the Houston Champions International, but Mark Lipping’s 3 early successes meant he won the Spring Swing trophy easily.
Halfway through the season several players had come and gone, probably for several different reasons - the occasional severity of the conditions, the game settings, the lack of a birdie-fest, and possibly others too. Ian and I tried our best to make sure everyone could be competitive by tweaking our own handicap system which, I have to say, has worked extremely well, and for that I am very grateful to Ian for the hours he has put in working on it. Anyway, a hardcore of players stayed with us, and to those players I offer my huge thanks.
The Summer Bowl, the prize for the top earner in events 21 to 30, included the US Open and also the Open Championship. The guests drew a blank in the American Major, but Ian McKinley had a superb win at St Andrews. Ironically, Ian’s tournament winnings were the third lowest of the season, I suspect because of the lack of a sponsor for the event. Bob Fletcher’s win at Quail Hollow, one of his favourite courses, in the Kemper Open, helped place him in pole position to win the Summer Bowl, but the eventual winner was not decided until the final event, the Westchester Classic. As it turned out, the tourney was won by Barney Buss who pocketed $50,000 for doing so. Bob finished in a lowly share of 32nd, but his winnings of just $1,325 meant his total earnings exceeded Barney’s by $657, thereby allowing him to claim the Summer Bowl prize.
The top money-winner for the last 13 tournaments was awarded the Autumn Cup, but there was also the prize for being the top money-winner for the whole 1970 season. Mark Lipping had built up a substantial lead by this time, however, and he remained the hot favourite. But Randy Grant had other ideas, winning 3 of the first 7 events, including the Dow Jones Open Invitational for which he banked a massive $60,000. However, after that Randy’s challenge petered out, although he did have the consolation of securing the Autumn Cup. Mark Lipping won a total of $330,081, but he only added one more win and that was in the season’s last event, the Bahama Islands Open. The 4th Major, the PGA Championship, once again proved elusive for the guests, but over the whole year they grabbed 26 wins out of the 43 tournaments, including the one Major.
All in all, Ian and I are very happy with how the season, and the whole concept, panned out. We hope the current group of players stay with us to enjoy the challenges ahead in the 2000 season! And once again, a big thanks to everyone who played and contributed over the past year!!
[Written by Rip Snorter, Golf Reporter Extraordinaire, in conjunction with Bob Fletcher]
The climax of the Winter Trophy came in the very last tourney, Event 10, the Monsanto Open. Les Souter had all but clinched the trophy, but hadn’t anticipated the efforts of Hans Kunok. Hans pipped Les by 1 shot with a final round 64 to win the Monsanto and, in the process, he also edged out Les to claim the Winter Trophy by the slender margin of $611. Both players had won 2 events and this series of tournaments also saw Mark Lipping make his season’s debut in Event 7, the Texas Open.
The next 10 events made up the Spring Swing, during which we had our first Major, The Masters. Mark Lipping made his intentions clear when he won 3 of the first 5 tourneys. As for The Masters, Bob Fletcher’s green jacket had already been taken out of the wardrobe, but fate had other plans. Needing only a bogey or better on the 72nd hole to register a famous win, Bob 4-putted to finish tied 3rd with Gary Player, and he continues to have therapy to this day. The guests fared well during this series of events, winning 6 of the 10, including Ian McKinley winning his first trophy in the Houston Champions International, but Mark Lipping’s 3 early successes meant he won the Spring Swing trophy easily.
Halfway through the season several players had come and gone, probably for several different reasons - the occasional severity of the conditions, the game settings, the lack of a birdie-fest, and possibly others too. Ian and I tried our best to make sure everyone could be competitive by tweaking our own handicap system which, I have to say, has worked extremely well, and for that I am very grateful to Ian for the hours he has put in working on it. Anyway, a hardcore of players stayed with us, and to those players I offer my huge thanks.
The Summer Bowl, the prize for the top earner in events 21 to 30, included the US Open and also the Open Championship. The guests drew a blank in the American Major, but Ian McKinley had a superb win at St Andrews. Ironically, Ian’s tournament winnings were the third lowest of the season, I suspect because of the lack of a sponsor for the event. Bob Fletcher’s win at Quail Hollow, one of his favourite courses, in the Kemper Open, helped place him in pole position to win the Summer Bowl, but the eventual winner was not decided until the final event, the Westchester Classic. As it turned out, the tourney was won by Barney Buss who pocketed $50,000 for doing so. Bob finished in a lowly share of 32nd, but his winnings of just $1,325 meant his total earnings exceeded Barney’s by $657, thereby allowing him to claim the Summer Bowl prize.
The top money-winner for the last 13 tournaments was awarded the Autumn Cup, but there was also the prize for being the top money-winner for the whole 1970 season. Mark Lipping had built up a substantial lead by this time, however, and he remained the hot favourite. But Randy Grant had other ideas, winning 3 of the first 7 events, including the Dow Jones Open Invitational for which he banked a massive $60,000. However, after that Randy’s challenge petered out, although he did have the consolation of securing the Autumn Cup. Mark Lipping won a total of $330,081, but he only added one more win and that was in the season’s last event, the Bahama Islands Open. The 4th Major, the PGA Championship, once again proved elusive for the guests, but over the whole year they grabbed 26 wins out of the 43 tournaments, including the one Major.
All in all, Ian and I are very happy with how the season, and the whole concept, panned out. We hope the current group of players stay with us to enjoy the challenges ahead in the 2000 season! And once again, a big thanks to everyone who played and contributed over the past year!!
[Written by Rip Snorter, Golf Reporter Extraordinaire, in conjunction with Bob Fletcher]