Reuben Rivera and Dave Green
Howie Tiger
Reuben Rivera and Dave Green, PebbleCreek Men’s Golf Association (PCMGA) members, competed in the Jones flight at the Arizona Golf Association (AGA) Club Team Championship. The format was a two-man scramble. There was a six-drive minimum for each player. The championship final round was played at Seville Golf & Country Club in Gilbert on Dec. 6. This was their second consecutive trip to the finals.
The AGA Club Team Championship qualifying process began on Sept. 2 during a local event held at our Eagle’s Nest golf course. Forty-five teams competed for low gross and low net scores. Two teams in the all-age flight and two teams in the super senior flight advanced to a regional qualifier (several locations). The all-age teams that advanced included Steve Annable and John McCrickard and Reuben and Dave. The super senior teams that advanced included Bill Volm and Bob Burghdorf and Bob Millikan and Jerry Treece.
At the regionals, all four PebbleCreek teams gave it their all and represented our community well. However, only Reuben and Dave qualified to advance to the finals.
At the regionals, Reuben and Dave competed against nine teams at Dove Mountain in Tucson on Nov. 3. On this 6,400 yard layout, they shot a phenomenal score of 29 gross on the back nine. The highlight was Reuben’s hole-out shot from 105 yards on the par-4 17th hole for an eagle. Their playing partners did not initially see it go in. At the green, they said, “Hey there’s a ball in the hole.” Reuben said, “Yes, that’s my ball!” The lowlight of their round occurred when they both splashed their tee shots on the par-3 third hole and made a double-bogey. Their final gross score was 66, but their net score of 64.5 meant they won low net to advance to the finals.
At the finals, Reuben and Dave again competed in the Jones flight against nine teams. The Seville course played 6,500 yards from the gold tees. The greens were in great condition and fast, running from 11 to 12 on the Stimpmeter. They had a great stretch of holes at 11 through 16, scoring 6 under par. The highlight was Dave’s second shot on a par-5 as he hit a driver “off the deck” to within three feet for an eagle. This terrific stretch ended at the signature 17th hole, a par-3 island green similar to the one at TPC Sawgrass (The Players Championship). Hitting to a front pin precariously located close to the water, it was déjà vu from the regionals as they both splashed their tee shots and made double bogey. They hung on to shoot 69 gross and finished middle of the pack in their flight.
Reuben and Dave want to thank the PCMGA for their support in this statewide tournament. Both described the experience of playing in the finals as fantastic.
Congratulations to Reuben and Dave on their performance and for representing PebbleCreek well!