Left to right, back row: Joe Little, Larry Dick, Bob Millikan, Steve Pirner, Steve Straley, Chuck Veltri, Jerry Treece, Dean Bass and John Krasnan; front row: Al Chesky, Eric Lee, Bruce Carlyle, Lee Havener, Brian Maine, Butch Schoen and Howie Tiger
Howie Tiger
Any one of the four teams battling in the final round at the White Tanks Team Golf Competition could have won with the cup. This year PebbleCreek was just edged out by Sun City Grand by a mere two points. This was a tough loss for PebbleCreek, winners in three out of the last five years.
PebbleCreek had a 1½ point lead going into the fourth and final round. As is tradition the final round matches the two highest point teams. With one point available for each of the 16 individual matches, PebbleCreek won 11 points, its best performance ever in the history of this event. Unfortunately for PebbleCreek, Sun City Grand did the impossible. They won 14 matches and tied the other two for a total of 15 points, enough to overtake PebbleCreek and win the cup.
The White Tanks Team Golf Competition matches four West Valley age 55 plus golf communities in a friendly but competitive golf tourney played over the summer. The first round was played on May 15 on the Palms/Lakes Course at PebbleCreek using a two-man best-ball format. Round two was played on June 19 at the Vistas Course at Westbrook Village using a two-man alternate shot format. Round three was played on the Copper Canyon course at Sun City Festival using a two-man scramble format. The finals took place on August 14 on the Granite Falls South Course at Sun City Grand. A total of eight points is at stake for each of the first three rounds and 16 points in the finals. A professional also plays on each team and the results of their match are used as a tie-breaker for the daily prize awarded, but not the overall competition.
Points by Round
Round 1: PC (6) v. WV (2), SCG (4.5) v. SCF (3.5)
Round 2: PC (3) v. SCG (5), WV (6) v. SCF (2)
Round 3: PC (5.5) v. SCF (2.5), WV (5) v. SCG (3)
Round 4: PC (11) v. WV (5), SCG (15) v. SCF (1)
Total Points: SCG (27.5), PC (25.5), WV (18) and SCF (9)
Some players participate in all four rounds, but due to summer vacations the team leader draws from 20 plus players to fill the 16 spots. The job of team leader is a difficult one as they must recruit players, balance schedules, match teammates, communicate with players and other communities and arrange travel. Lee Havener did a fabulous job this year and last year. Thom Bohnke handled the first three years in great fashion as well.
PebbleCreek Team
Dean Bass, Thom Bohnke, Bruce Carlyle, Al Chesky, Gregg Clymer, Larry Dick, Bill Gainer, Lyman Gallup, Dave Green, Lee Havener, Bud Held, John Krasnan, Eric Lee, Joe Little, Brian Maine, Bill McKinney, Bob Millikan, Steve Pirner, Mike Romano, Butch Schoen, Steve Straley, Joe Svoboda, Howie Tiger, Jerry Treece, Chuck Veltri and Pros Dave Vader and Jason Whitehill
Congrats to all the players for a job well done!