Fourball Matches End in Dead Heat10/22/99: For the first time in River Cup history, fourball matches ended up all square after today's rounds. The matches were played on a sloggy but well-groomed Tuckahoe Creek Course. Controversy over course selection erupted the week prior to this year's matches after the venue for the matches was changed just 10 days before the round.
The matches were originally scheduled to be played at CCV's Westhampton Course and most players were looking forward to playing the tight, 69-par Westhampton, a Donald Ross design. But a little-known women's tournament previously scheduled to be played on the Creek Course changed plans without notice and elected to play the Westhampton Course. CCV Captain Jim Nelson, responsible for course arrangements for the CCV round, asserted all the influence he was able to muster but nonetheless failed to secure the Westhampton Course for this year's River Cup fourball matches.
While most River Cuppers were angered at the course change, CCV team member George "Ear" Moorman was happy to defer to the ladies tournament. "I think that those nice lady golfers should have first crack at the course of their liking. The fact they had their tournament scheduled on the Creek Course for more than six months and then decided to change at the last minute and force us to change plans . . . well, girls will be girls. Say, that reminds me of the old joke about the difference between a crafty tribe of pygmies and the women's track team at UVa, but I won't go into that now."
This year's fourball matches marked the inaugural outings for 7 River Cup rookies. The large number of rookies in this year's matches is attributed alternately to injury, the graying of the River Cup, and time conflicts. But River Cup insiders have learned from Willow Oaks and CCV sources that the high rookie level this year is due solely to the poor play of players in prior years. "I had guys on my team that couldn't saw wood, much less swing a golf club," said Willow Oaks Captain Langdon Moss. "I know it was tough on some of the guys that didn't make the squad this year - but screw 'em. You don't produce, you don't play." CCV Captain Jim Nelson echoed Moss' approach. "This isn't about making people feel good. This is about winning," said Nelson. "I don't care if I have to ruffle some people's feathers."
Clough/Urquhart 7½ - Young/Sweeney 1½The rookie contingent fared well in this year's fourball play. The first rookie out of the box, Chris "The Kid" Clough, paired up with veteran Doug Urquhart to roll CCV's Chris Young and Mark Sweeney. Willow Oaks took 7½ points home to CCV's 1½. Clough talked about the match in a post-round press conference.
"I couldn't sleep last night worrying about how I'd play," said Clough. "But when I saw the swings on some of these old men on the driving range Friday, I felt like a fox in the chicken coop. Man, there are some really decrepit excuses for golfers out on that course today." Despite his characteristic tactlessness - Clough is widely disliked for his brash manner - Clough carried Urquhart to the easy win over Young and Sweeney.
Sweeney stalked off the 18th green immediately after the match and refused to submit to the compulsory post-round interviews. Fines and suspension are under consideration by the River Cup Executive Committee. If he is suspended, it could revive a bitter legal battle that Sweeney has waged against the River Cup Executive Committee since 1991, when he received a lifetime ban for conduct unbecoming a River Cup player. The ban was later lifted as part of a settlement in Sweeney's lawsuit against the River Cup. Part of the agreement included a stipulation that Sweeney would not be subjected to further suspensions.
Sweeney's partner Chris Young appeared in the press tent for the match post-mortem and responded testily to reporters who suggested he might be better off retiring from River Cup play. "Look," said an angry Young, "I may be old, I may be frail, I may be lousy. But my brother-in-law is Captain of this team and as long as he is, I am playing and you can take that to the bank." Reporters questioned CCV Captain Jim Nelson about Young's River Cup future, but he refused to confirm that Young's position in the River Cup was guaranteed during his tenure as Captain.
Dennis/Culley 9 - Sinclair/Ryan 0Match 2 paired Willow Oaks veterans Paul Sinclair and Dennis Ryan against CCV's Blake Dennis and Cliff Culley. Sinclair and Ryan came into the match with markedly better River Cup credentials than Dennis and Culley. Sinclair is the all-time leader in RC point production. Ryan's eagle 2 on number 13 at CCV's Tuckahoe Creek Course is one of only 2 eagles in River Cup play - the other was recorded by Sinclair in 1990. Culley's only claim to fame in previous River Cups was the long streak of bagel treatments he received at the hands of Willow Oaks players for years. His three year long streak of matches without winning a point (some say his participation in the River Cup is itself pointless) was a record until Chuck Ditsler came along and embarked on a four year run of futility in matches without a point - a record that still stands. Las Vegas oddsmakers had the Sinclair-Ryan duo as heavy favorites.
After a quick libation at the clubhouse to calm his nerves, Culley proceeded to hit fairway after fairway en route to an eventual 9-0 blanking of the Sinclair-Ryan duo. Culley hit 12 of 14 fairways on the day while partner Blake Dennis had a perfect day off the tee, hitting 13 of 14 roughs and one ladies' tee.
Dennis' poor aim off the tees was exceeded only by his partner's poor sportmanship around the greens. After a well-struck 5-iron off the tee of the par-3 3rd hole into an asparagus patch 40 yards left and 20 yards short of the green, Sinclair played a delicate lob shot that put him directly on partner Dennis Ryan's putting line. As Sinclair lined up to putt with Ryan watching closely to determine the break, Culley conceded the putt. Sinclair refused to accept the concession, at which point Culley summoned a rules official to the hole. A heated argument ensued with an eventual ruling that Sinclair had to pick up. Ryan proceeded to miss his 10 foot birdie attempt. Sinclair and Ryan didn't win a hole after the incident (they didn't win a hole before the incident either) and despite losing only 3 holes during the round, were shutout 9-0 in a surprisingly easy win for the Dennis-Culley duo.
"The match turned at the 3rd hole when Culley called in the rules chump - errr, official," said an obviously angry Dennis Ryan after the match. "If I'd had the benefit of seeing Sinclair putt that line, I'd have made my birdie. We'd have gained honors, momentum, and who knows how the match dynamics would have changed. That damn Culley thinks the rules mean something. What's up with that?"
Culley's partner defended the decision to call in a rules official. "Look, you pair up a couple of two-bit Notre Dame lawyers like Ryan and Sinclair and you think you're going to get an honest match?" commented Blake Dennis. "The only way to keep those two guys honest is to put a camera on 'em in the rough, a rules official on the green, and your hand on your wallet."
Whitley/Pruitt 6 - Warren/Hull 3
Match 3 featured an unprecedented 3 River Cup rookies. Willow Oaks rookie Jeff Hull and partner Scott Warren paired up against rookies George Whitley and Tom Pruitt of CCV. Odds favored the Warren-Hull team given veteran Scott Warren's previous River Cup experience. Warren has played in every River Cup since the initial matches in 1989 despite numerous attempts by WOCC Captain to replace him. CCV's rookie duo of Whitley and Pruitt played to a 6-3 win, but the match reached the 18th green still up for grabs.
All four players reached the par-5 18th green in regulation except Hull, whose third shot was left of the green. After pacing off the yardage from his second shot to the hole, Hull threw up a low liner left of the green. "I paced off my 3rd shot at 81 yards," said Hull later. "I decided to scull in a wedge from there since that's a shot I'm pretty confident I can hit under pressure." Hull followed up his scull-wedge with a scull-chip and two-putted for bogie.
That left partner Scott Warren, Whitley, and Pruitt in a putting contest to see who could get down in two to win the hole and the match. With a large crowd at the 18th watching intently, Whitley nervously ran his first putt some 5 feet past the hole. His comeback putt glanced at the hole for a moment, decided it was too deep, and rejected the opportunity to fall. Warren conceded his third putt, saving Whitley from the very real possibility of a four-putt in front of a rowdy and generally hostile crowd. "Thank God I didn't have to putt again," said a clearly relieved Whitley after the round. "If I had four-putted there, there's no telling what that crowd would have done!"
Warren was next up for the crowd. Despite his reputation as a good putter - a reputation most commentators assert is undeserved - Warren three-jacked from 20 feet to the consternation of the predominantly Willow Oaks crowd at the green. That left only CCV's Tom Pruitt with a chance to par the hole and assure a win for his team. Pruitt hit a good first putt some six chances from the hole and glanced at Warren and Hull for the certain concession. But Warren and Hull were apparently struck by a sudden bout of laryngitis, leaving Pruitt with the unfortunate opportunity to take over from Will "Brother" Scott as CCV's "goat of goats" for missing a short-putt with a match on the line. Leaving nothing to chance, Pruitt plumb-bobbed the six-incher, took several practice backhanded taps, and non-chalantly tapped in for the win. "Thank God that's behind me," said Pruitt. "I've heard about the psychological problems that Will Scott has been through since he missed a similar putt years ago and didn't want the chance to repeat that gaffe."
Cramme/Leitch 7½ - Moss/McCandlish 1½
In Match 4, John Leitch looked dapper in his plantation hat as he basked in the afterglow of a rare (for him) River Cup victory. "Cramme and I teamed really well today. Bill played exceptionally, but when he needed me, I was there." Cramme's take on the match was somewhat different. "John played only one hole today (Leitch parred the ninth hole to halve the front), but other than that, he wasn't even a very good cheerleader. We were fortunate that we were not really tested today."
After winning the first two holes, the CCV duo watched helplessly as Tom McCandish and Langdon Moss came roaring back to take the lead with a par on number 5. "At that point," said McCandlish, "We thought that we could run away from them. But our putting strokes took a vacation soon after that and we haven't heard from them since they left." Moss managed a birdie on number 8 to give the WOCC team a 1-up lead. On the next hole, however, Leitch awoke from his indifferent play to card a nice par to halve the front.
The back side was nip and tuck with Cramme holding off the Willow Oaks team single-handedly as he pleaded with his playing partner for some help. Although none was forthcoming, it turned out to be unneeded as Cramme parred number 18 for the back nine and eighteen wins.
Moss said, "I can't believe that Leitch was lucky enough to have Bill as his partner. The way John was playing, he couldn't have beaten his daughters. He has always had more than his share of good luck and I guess there is nothing that anyone can do about that."
Byrd/Locke 9 - Moorman/Westmoreland 0
Match 5 saw veteran Brad Smallwood brilliantly paired with rookie Russell Stone by Captain Langdon Moss. Rookie Stone is a solid 5 handicapper. Unfortunately for his CCV victims, he claims a 15. "I've never seen Russell hit the ball so solidly," said Smallwood after the match. "He played like the 5 he really is."
Smallwood and Stone teamed to bagelize CCV's Ear Moorman and long-time sidekick Doug Westmoreland. "I realize that George and Doug have won more that their share of River Cup matches," said Smallwood. "But we knew that they had been playing like dogs recently and once Richard smelled blood, he went for the jugular."
On hole number 2, a tough 4 par that requires a medium to long iron second shot over water, Moorman and Westmoreland were spotted making what appeared to be a synchronized ball drop. Both had found water on their second shot. In fact, Moorman seemed to enjoy the experience so much that he found water again on his third shot. From that point, the match was all but over.
A dejected Moorman, ever-present cigar in hand, brushed ashes and tears off his fru-fru pink sweater (from the Bobby Jones Collection) and ecru golfing slacks (Armani) and sighed, "Klotz seems to be the only guy at Willow Oaks that I can still beat. Maybe I can get my brother-in-law John Leitch to join Willow Oaks so I'll have someone else that I can handle. Otherwise, I may never win another point." Upon hearing this, Smallwood commented, "It's sad to see a once-proud team fall so far so fast, although I never could understand what they ever had to be proud of. I really am saddened. Of course, I hope like hell that I have a chance to get saddened by them again next year."
Dwyer/Ditsler 4½ - Scott/Rogers 4½
Match 6 featured another River Cup rookie, Willow Oaks' Jim Dwyer, who had the ill-fortune of a pairing with the much-maligned Chuck Ditsler. Ditsler played four years in the River Cup before winning a point - much less a match. Dwyer has been suffering from a bad back for several months now and pre-match conjecture assumed it would only get worse with the added weight of Ditsler to carry around the course. The D-Team took on Jack Rogers and Will "Brother" Scott of CCV. Rogers briefly held the record for a low round in the River Cup with a 75 in 1997 and is nicknamed the "Unassuming Assassin" for his quiet, but ruthless, play. His partner Will Scott has slowly recovered from the after-effects of the most storied missed putt in River Cup history.
Dwyer got rid of any rookie nerves he may have had with a birdie on the par-5 first hole to stake his team to a quick lead. Ditsler halved the next hole with a par-4 and rode his partner's already sore back the rest of the round. The match ended in a 4½ - 4½ draw when all four players bogied the last hole. Despite the final hole bogey, Dwyer came in at 38 after an outbound 39 for 77, low round of the day. Scott complimented Dwyer on his play after the match. "Jim is a fine, fine player - not the type you'd expect to see in the River Cup. It was a shame he was forced to suffer through a round with Ditsler. Watching that chipping stroke of Ditsler's is enough to bring anybody's game down."
Byrd/Locke 9 - Nelson/Reynolds 0
Match 7 saw long-time River Cupper Chuck Byrd paired with relative newcomer Richard Locke. The pair dominated their match against CCV Captain Jim Nelson and Jonathan Reynolds, the first foreign competitor in a River Cup played on American soil. Reynolds is an English physician who traveled to Richmond just to participate in this globally popular event. "I'm sorry that I didn't play better. A bit of nervousness, I'm afraid. It's very difficult to perform as I would like knowing that all of my chums back home are gathered in the local pubs watching live coverage of the matches on the telly. The River Cup is huge in the UK, much more popular than cricket, soccer or even rugby. All of the River Cup players are regarded as rather large sports heroes in the UK, particularly the Willow Oaks guys."
Reynolds did provide some excitement on the 18th hole in an otherwise uneventful match. Far left of the eighteenth green on his approach, he pitched to within twenty-five feet of the pin then drained the putt, bringing the throng of spectators to their feet. Unfortunately, the match had been lost much earlier than the final hole.
"I'm looking forward to Sunday," exclaimed the Englishman. "I shall bloody well try to redeem myself." Reynolds plays Joby Klotz in what will be a featured and critical match. The outcome could decide who will go down in history as the last River Cup champions of the millenium.
Dunlap/Correll 7½ - Klotz/Hyslop1½
Match 8 marked the much-anticipated return to the River Cup of William "The Squirrel" Correll. After being forced into retirement by Captain Jim Nelson years ago, Correll made his triumphant return to River Cup competition by gaining revenge over long time nemesis, Joby Klotz. In the inaugural River Cup match in 1989, Correll lost a heartbreaker to Klotz and likened the experience to "being kicked to death by a squirrel." This year, Captain Nelson needed a spark to fire up his lethargic team, which had lost badly in Scotland, and pleaded with Correll to rejoin the CCV side. Correll, always humble, put aside his always apparent disdain for Nelson and agreed to "do what I can for my club."
The match began with WOCC taking the early lead. Klotz's methodical play and the running analysis by playing partner John Hyslop seemed to disturb the normally unflappable Correll. His partner, J. F. Dunlap (of the Duke University Dunlaps) was oblivious to the apparent gamesmanship, but as Correll noted "J. F. is oblivious to most things around him." The unusual pairing of a Duke grad and a UNC grad started to pay off midway through the front nine. Resplendent in their matching blue golf shirts, Correll and Dunlap began to pull away from the bewildered team of Klotz and Hyslop. The front nine went to CCV.
On the back side, play was decidedly in the favor of Correll and Dunlap; so much so, that Correll, fearing the crush of fans and media waiting at the eighteenth hole for the victory to be completed, dashed off in a maintenance worker's golf cart to avoid the scene. "I didn't want to see any autograph seeking kids hurt by the stampede of well wishers, media and golf groupies." In fact, as Correll made his break for the parking lot, what appeared to be a golf groupie was spotted in a commandeered golf cart giving chase. It later turned out to be the course marshall attempting to catch Correll with the news his playing privileges have been suspended at CCV for his slow play during the round.
Dunlap gave it his best effort sans partner, but a 3-up lead dwindled quickly to even. When asked about the mini-collapse, a chagrined Dunlap said, "What can I say? Those are mighty big shoes to fill. Mighty big pants to fill, too. And I'm not even going to mention his underwear."