Chris Krueger, director of instruction at Kings Creek Country Club and head coach for the Cape Henlopen High School golf team, is heading to Oregon.
The Class A PGA professional is playing in the 2017 PGA Professional Championship at the Sunriver Resort in Sunriver, to be held June 18-21. He was an alternate from the Philadelphia PGA Section, and he seized the opportunity to compete when an opening came up.
The tournament has a $600,00 purse, and will be televised on The Golf Channel. The winner receives exemptions for six PGA Tour events over the next year. The top 20 finishers also qualify for the 2017 PGA Championship, held Aug. 10-13 at Quail Hollow in Charlotte, N.C.
An initial field of 312 golfers will play an 18-hole round at each of the two Sunriver golf courses. The first cut comes after 36 holes to the top 90 and ties. After 54 holes, another cut is made to the low 70 and ties. Sudden-death playoffs are used to determine the winner and/or the top 20 finishers, if necessary.
The Sunriver Resort has hosted the JELD-WIN PGA Champions Tour event, an NCAA Division I Championship, and several other prestigious tournaments.
Krueger is a past winner of the Delaware Open and an accomplished local pro competitor. This is a great opportunity for him to test his talents at the national level.
Vikings golfers honored
The Henlopen Athletic Conference recently announced its All-Conference teams for golf, and the Cape Henlopen Vikings are well represented.
Matthew Zehner and Nolan Brown made second-team All-Conference, and Dane Palmer won Honorable Mention.
Carnoustie Sportswear
Last fall, I tested one of Carnoustie Sportswear’s cotton jacquard print polos in the kind of weather for which cotton is best suited. It’s a very nice shirt.
When I met Marshall Mancillas, president of Carnoustie, at the 2017 PGA Merchandise Show, he was pleased to hear of my experience with his apparel.
However, he was equally interested in making sure I knew that all-cotton designs are just a part of their offerings, and not even the biggest part.
The Carnoustie Tech performance polo line has been wonderfully received, according to Mancillas. The fabric is 88 percent polyester and 12 percent spandex, with a three-button placket. Retailing for $88, the shirts feature great-looking patterns and the feel is “commensurate with cotton,” he said.
Mancillas also brought out several samples from his new William Blake line, named after his two sons. These models are a blend of 50 percent cotton, 45 percent polyester, and 5 percent spandex. He said these polos are great for wearing both on and off the course.
We also checked out several pieces from the 2017 Carnoustie all-cotton line, made with mercerized cotton and retailing for $95. Mancillas clearly likes working with cotton, but he said the general trend toward easy-care fabrics made it hard for the cotton to compete. His new prints and patterns were beautiful, and often in a tiny repeating weave that may not have been feasible in years past.
He laughed and agreed when I said not enough people appreciate the calming therapy that ironing one’s clothes can provide. Several of my golfing buddies have ribbed me about that for years. From the way Mancillas reacted, it sounds like I have an ally.
Junior Clinic returns to Rookery North
Kyle Deas, PGA head pro at Rookery North, is once again holding his 4-week Junior Clinic, beginning Monday, June 19. The one-hour clinics start at 10 a.m. and cost $60.
For more information, call 302-684-3000.
Baywood Greens Demo Days
Baywood Greens is holding a series of club-specific Demo Days from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on each occasion. TaylorMade will be there Saturday, June 10, Srixon will come Friday, June 16, and Callaway will be at Baywood Saturday, July 1.
Three holes in one in five days
Three golfers at Rehoboth Beach Country Club scored three aces within five days of each other.
Steve Anderson made the first one May 25, at the 174-yard par-3 13th hole. Leo Eschbach matched him on the same hole two days later, and Jim Offutt made another hole in one on the 147-yard par-3 5th. Congratulations to all.
Local club competition results
The Rehoboth Beach CC 18 Hole Ladies group played a team net/gross game May 31.
Barb Morgan, Pat Beebe, Joan Crowley, and blind draw Arlene Simms won first net, followed by Beth Forbes, Carol Wetherhold, Carol Moore, and Gayle Truitt in second.
Barbara Collins, Gina Bergin, Jeanie Allan, and blind draw Ella Alexander won first gross.
Dale Lipnick was the individual low net winner, and Susanne Moore won individual low gross for the day.
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Fritz Schranck has been writing about the Cape Region's golf community since 1999. Snippets, stories and anecdotes from his columns are included in his new book, "Hole By Hole: Golf Stories from Delaware's Cape Region and Beyond," which is available at the Cape Gazette offices, Browseabout Books in Rehoboth Beach, Biblion Books in Lewes, and local golf courses. His columns and book reviews are available at HoleByHole.com.
Contact Fritz by emailing fschranck@holebyhole.com.
