Saturday – Ams at Morley

Crazy weather was part of the story on Saturday, as a blustery morning round at Morley saw a 5-way tie at 57 in the Advanced division between Michael Homan, Shane “VooDoo” Dehner, Mike Tyberg, Tracey Crowder and Justin Martinez. But on this Saturday, it was all about the second round. Morley uber-local Josh Damron and SLO youngster Peter McBride smoked the course with a pair of 1020-rated 53′s on the way to a 1-2 finish. Big Josh was the only player under par at Morley on Saturday (1-under) and took the MA1 win and a shiny new basket. Peter took second at 1-over, while Homan slipped to 3rd at 2-over. LA Steve Valencia, A.J. Risley, Shane Dehner and Mike Tyberg tied for fourth. Kim Cottrell took the win in Advanced Women on the wings of a 912-rated 66 in the first round, holding off a late-charging Shonda Garcia.

Did we mention yet that Dan Shorkey had a good weekend? It started on Saturday with a seven-throw win over second-place Steve Fawcett in Advanced Masters. Dan put together 992 and 984-rated rounds and had the second-best score of the day for all divisions at even par. Dan also took home a nice new basket courtesy of Snapper Pierson. Local thespian Paul Morgavo finished in 3rd at 11-over, Anthony Bassett and Tom Millard tied for 4th at 13-over and Roger Snider finished 6th (14-over), ending his string of SoCal MM1 victories at four. Mark Hauser had the best score both rounds amongst the Grandmasters to finish in 1st at 9-over, followed by Christian Cullen in 2nd at 13-over.

Ben Neely also had the best scores both rounds in his division (61/957 and 59/965) , which therefore led to his win in Intermediate at 6-over par. Daniel Vega was two shots back to take second place. Chris Armacost, Taylor Mate, Paul DesMarais and Brian Vallance tied for 3rd. Chad “Tomahawk” Nichter played way above his rating (883) in winning the Rec division, with consistent rounds of 62 (948-rated) and 61 (947). He beat Chris Goodrich (13-over) by 4 and the 3rd-place pair of William Cooper and James Barnes by nine. Shannon Wylot braved the elements to take Saturday’s Junior division title.

Sunday – Pros at Kit Carson

For some strange reason, pro disc golf events have a hard time filling up in San Diego. Maybe it’s because Micah Dorius lives down here? No matter – TD Mark Verrochi had a plan for filling the field: add a trophy-only option! The result was an Open field of 59 players and a tidy payout of $600 to winner (who else?) Micah Dorius. Micah had identical rounds of 49 (and was the only player to shoot under 50 both rounds) on the way to a 12-under total of 98, one shot better than up-and-comer Max Nichols in 2nd place. Steve Rico came down south from Sylmar to capture 3rd (9-under) and Mike Lust had an impressive showing with two 1000+-rated rounds on his way to 4th (8-under). There was some grumbling out on the course from pros who were frustrated with the heavy pedestrian traffic and the inexperience shown by some trophy-only players, but it provided a great payout for the winners and a great experience for these newer players.

Kim Cottrell made it two wins in two days by taking the Open Women title over Cristina Scantlin, and Allison Wylot walked away with the Masters Women title.

And don’t forget about Dan! Dan Shorkey also made it two-for-two for the weekend, running away with the Masters division title by eight strokes (7-under) over Paul Morgavo (1-over). These two guys were playing trophy-only, so the cash payout fell to 3rd-place Todd Mitchell (4-over) and 4th-place Mike Westerman (also 4-over). Shorkey also had the best score for the day amongst all trophy-only players, which earned him another little golden basket trophy (and I think a new full-size basket?). The Grandmasters division was hotly-contested, with Marcus Cisneros and Greg Olsen tying for first at 2-over. Greg conceded the win to Marcus, who got both the trophy and $195. Tied for third two strokes back were Randy Wylot, Steve Killian and Allen Risley. Perennial San Diego Pro Glenn Triemstra jumped out to a big lead in the first round and held on to win the Senior Grandmasters division with a 2-over total, besting upside-down guru Tom Clickner (9-over). Phil Ganshert, who had the lowest PDGA# of the day (777) took last cash in an oldest dude division that was larger (8 players) than the older dude division (7 Grandmasters) and old dude division (7 Masters). Let’s hear it for the Senior Grands!

The next big tournament to be held in the San Diego Area will be The Challenge @ Goat Hill on Saturday, June 30th.  This 2-round PDGA-sanctioned, SoCal Series event will feature tee times for all players and some challenging new pin positions on the Goat Hill layout.  You may have a chance to check out these new pins at the May Goat Hill monthly on May 20th.  And to keep your game in tune, the alliterative May Morley Monthly, Monday Montiel Doubles, Tuesday Kit Carson Doubles, 9@9 at Cal State on Wednesdays and Wednesday and Friday Morley Doubles should do the trick.

But of course – please come out to the work parties at Brengle Terrace Park in Vista – Saturdays and Sundays from 7am to 3pm!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Scott Miller and Don Vincent took 3rd after a CTP playoff win over A.J. Risley and Ron Lehmel, who had tied at 13-under.  There were 25 players for the first week of the series.  Not a bad turnout considering it coincided with the NCAA Basketball Finals game.  The league will run until October, with sign-ups starting at 5pm each Monday at Montiel Park.  There’s a chance the series will alternate between Montiel and CSUSM – there’s a sponsorship deal in the works with a business close to CSUSM. 

Full results on discgolfscene.com

Luke Christensen accepts the 1st-place trophy.

Braving some of the craziest disc golf weather seen in San Diego in a long time, 64 players came together for the March Goat Hill monthly and all left with stories to tell.  When it was over, Luke Christensen had bested Nick Newton and Carlo Pelg in a sudden-death-by-drowning CTP shot to take 1st place in the open division.  The twenty-one Open players played an interesting Goat Hill layout – all baskets set in their longest placements and teeing off from the blue (back) ball golf tees.  This resulted in a layout well over 13,000 feet that left many long-throwing players grinning but resulted in 4-hour rounds.  Luke, Nick and Carlo finished with scores of 72 and took the three payout spots, with Josh Damron one behind with a 73 (which included a 2 on the 495-foot 11th hole) and Marc Jarvis and A.J. Risley one more stroke back at 74.

The Advanced division saw a solid 1st-place performance by local Trever Patterson, a member of the Goat’s Friday after-work patrol, who carded a 68 in the heavy wind.  Morley favorite Adazm Nash was one shot behind in 2nd with a 69, with 3rd place going to Huntington Beach’s Mike Sheridan.  Trever’s round included a drop-in deuce on hole 11 and an amazingly-easy three on hole 7, while Mike’s highlight was canning a 150ft shot for 3 on 796ft hole 17, with his overstable Pig.  David Dohr and Josh Hesser, both of San Diego, tied for 1st place in Intermediate with a pair of 68′s.  Dave won the CTP playoff in the rain and took the win in the Intermediate division.  Russell Jackson took third with a 70.  Helen Wilson made the trip down from Victorville to win the Ladies’ division, with 9@9 regular Pam Iam taking second place.

But the weather was the star of the show on Sunday.  Players battled steady 10-15 mph winds throughout the event, which gusted at times in the 20-25 mph range.  The first four or five groups were able to play in mostly dry conditions, but most of the field had the pleasure of experiencing near-monsoon level rain for at least part of the back nine.  Those competitors who had finished early sat under the pro shop patio roof, munching on tasty brats and watching the green-yellow-orange bands of rain on the Weather Channel’s mobile phone app.  At multiple points in the deluge, the rain was falling sideways, which didn’t stop some of the Open players from carding amazing scores.  Word is that Goat Hill management has placed an official request with the powers at be for more favorable conditions for the next monthly.  Sign up early for that one, as it’s sure to fill fast.

Imaging what can get done if YOU show up. There is a lot to accomplish.  Joining the crew for a few hours would be much appreciated.  Plus you’d have the pride of knowing that you were part of the team that made it happen.  As of today, very few people can say that.

Work will commence again at 7:00 am every Saturday and Sunday morning from now until May.  Get a few friends and put a few hours in.

Please help the Aces accomplish something for us all to enjoy. Contact John Heaton (john@whirldsports.com) with when you can help and include your telephone number so we can contact you.

In the Open division, Carlo Pelg shot a lights out 46 and broke the course record by two strokes, using only three mulligans. Micah Dorius had set the record last year with no mulligans.  Carlo’s 12-under round beat 2nd place finisher Brad Armstrong by five shots, with Luke Christensen and Deano Porter two more throws back.  Kim Cottrell squeaked out a win in the Women’s Open division with a 74, one shot ahead of Shonda Garcia and two over Allison Wylot.

Golden Sombrero Top 4, from left: Patrick Paramore, A.J. Risley, Daniel Lichtman, Carl Renda

A.J. Risley won the Advanced division with a 6-under 52, three shots better than a group of four golfers at 3-under (Matt Howard, Daniel Lichtman, Patrick Paramore and Jon Yergler).  The Advanced division was the center of competition for the Golden Sombrero title, the overall crown for the 7-event GS series.  Going into this tournament, Carl Renda held the lead, followed by A.J., Daniel and Patrick, so these four played on the same card at Mission Bay. A.J.’s margin of victory over the others allowed him to jump into the winner’s spot for the Golden Sombrero, with Daniel taking second, Carl third and Patrick fourth.  A.J. took home his fourth gold-painted sombrero and a Discatcher Pro basket with the win.

The Intermediate and Recreational divisions both featured close competition.  Brian Vallance shot a 2-under 56 for the win in Intermediate, one shot ahead of Hans Degner and Doug Larhette.  In Rec, Brett Camack beat out a field of 30 disc golfers with another 2-under 56, one throw better than Daniel Flores.  Juniors David Kyhlstedt and Shannon Wylot won the under-13 Boys and under-10 girls divisions, respectively.

There was great chemistry among players throughout the tournament. The SDSF Pro shop @ KCP set up a table with awesome selection of discs and apparel. They also gave generously to the raffle. Play It Again Sports in Pacific Beach donated golf discs and a bag to the raffle, as well as a disc and mini for the top three finishers in each of the 7 divisions.  This tournament wrapped up the Golden Sombrero Series, in which 293 players played in seven events across Southern California (Redlands, San Marcos, Los Angeles, Beaumont, El Cajon (Sycuan), Wrightwood and San Diego), raising $8, 545 for charities that feed the hungry.

Last year’s rain prevented carts, but this year the weather was cool and clear throughout the round, allowing many players to take advantage of riding in a cart.  The set up and tear down of the temporary course was well choreographed by the many volunteers that helped throughout the night. Many thanks to Mission Bay Golf Course for the opportunity to hold the tournament and congrats to TD Randy Wylot for a well-run event.

Full Mission Bay results at PDGA.com.

Full Golden Sombrero Series Points.

Sunday is an event that has been much-anticipated: the return of Ice Bowl disc golf to Mission Bay Golf Course.  TD Randy Wylot reports that he has a full field and long waiting list for this event, which will be the deciding event for the Golden Sombrero Series crown…er, sombrero.  Randy has teamed up with Snapper Pierson to design a challenging 18-hole disc golf course on this executive length ball golf course.  One cool thing about this tournament is that it will be played under the lights.  Players must check in at 3:30p on Sunday in order to get things teed off on time, as the tournament has a short window of opportunity to play.  Because of the tight time frame, players will only be allowed one mulligan per hole and it can only be used on the tee.  Proceeds from this event will go to the San Diego Food Bank.  Randy may still be in need of portable baskets for the event. If you are playing and can bring one, please do.

As mentioned earlier, this tournament will decide the Golden Sombrero Series winner.  First place in the series will win an Innova Discatcher Sport basket and the fabulous Golden Sombrero trophy hat.  Carl Renda is the current leader in the series with 198 points collected from four events.  Players receive points in events based on the number of players that they beat, with their top four point-total events counting toward the title.  A. J. Risley is currently in second place with 189 points, which means that in order to pass Renda for the series title he would need to beat nine more players than Renda does on Sunday.  Dan Lichtman is currently in third place with 173 points, but probably has the best shot at catching Renda since his finish on Sunday will likely earn him more points than his current low score of four (20 points from Beaumont).  Lichtman would need to beat 4 more players than Renda in order to catch him.  Confusing?  You betcha, but that’s part of the fun.  You can find the current GS Series points standings here.

As for the competition, Saturday was “Beanieman” Carl Renda’s chance to shine, as he picked up his first win in a PDGA-sanctioned event.  Renda and 2nd place finisher Daniel Lichtman tied with totals of 79 after 36 holes, but Carl was able to cinch the victory in a one-hole sudden death playoff. Patrick Paramore won a CTP contest to break a three-way tie, one stroke back for 3rd place with A.J. Risley and Paul Morgavo.  Angel Garcia was the remaining member of a rather idiosyncratic lead card, finishing one more stroke back at 81.

In the Intermediate division, Matt Howard took first place with a two-round total of 84.  Kevin Christie found that the low-ceiling Olive Glen layout suited his style of play, as he took second place with an 88.  Josh Hesser (who also did quite well in the raffle) won a playoff with Glen Kluge for 3rd place (89) and Phil Jordan carded a 90 for 5th place.  Shonda Garcia fired a very respectable 106 to win the Ladies’ division.

Some disc golfers tend to look down their noses at mulligan-aided Ice Bowl victories, but for many in attendance at this and other events, a win is a win.  Patrick Paramore had this to say about Renda’s win: ”Considering that we all used mulligans and were limited to 3 per hole, Carl did rightfully win this XC-tier event. He made some crucial putts that gave him the edge.”  Witnesses to Saturday’s rounds further pointed out that the tournament winner was probably not the top mulligan-user of the day.  But he was definitely the one who used the necessary amount at the right times.  And you would be hard-pressed to find critics at the San Diego Food Bank.  Food bank officials have stated in the past that each dollar donated can feed three hungry people, which means that there are 5,000 people who will get to eat a meal because of Saturday’s mulligan-hounds.  Take that nay-sayers.

The Sycuan Ice Bowl and the earlier San Marcos Ice Bowl were two stops on the 7-event 2012 Golden Sombrero Series of Ice Bowl tournaments.  This is the fourth year of the series, and this year’s collection of events will set records for charitable donations.  So far, the Golden Sombrero events have raised $6,570 (Redlands – $927, San marcos – $1,000, Chavez Ridge/L.A. – $2,538, Beaumont – $355, Sycuan – $1,750).  Remaining events include Wrightwood on Sat., Feb 25th and San Diego/Mission Bay Golf Course on Sunday, Feb 26th.

Full results can be found here.  Full Golden Sombrero Series standings can be found here.

Inside the green fence line is O.B. Very O.B.

Green construction fencing has been installed through much of the upper campus area between the Library and Science Hall #2.  That’s holes 10, 11, 12 and 15 if you’re a disc golfer.  The fencing is in place for a new construction project that will be going on near the center of campus between now and August 2013, as the university builds a new student union.  An Aces representative was on hand Wednesday to walk the site with CSUSM’s Campus Recreation Director, Hugo Lecompte and staff from Planning, Design and Construction to see how the course would be affected.

Bottom line: we don’t expect to lose any holes during the construction project.  A few holes will be impacted though.  The tees for holes 10 and 11 will be shifted slightly as they would have been up against the fence.  Hole 12′s basket and tee will be moved which will result in a shorter hole for the time being.  Hole 15′s basket will also move under the large Sycamore trees.  One thing that was stressed was that discs that go over the fence into the construction site cannot be retrieved, for safety purposes.  We’re trying to work out a process for retrieving discs, although it’s possible we may gain some new players from the construction crew.   The willingness of the campus planning and design department to keep the course relatively intact is a positive sign – disc golf is welcome at CSUSM.