Cape squeaks by Delmar, then splits tri-match

The Cape Henlopen High School Vikings golf team added a pair of victories to its 2011 record while dropping a very close match to Dover High School’s Senators.

The Vikings traveled to Green Hill Yacht & Country Club near Salisbury, Md., May 2, to play Delmar High’s squad and won by a single stroke, 189-190.

Devin Medd and James Fenstermaker tied for the best score among the Vikings with a pair of 46s. That was four strokes behind the Delmar medalist. Nick Purnell was one stroke behind his teammates at 47, while Matthew Dernoga’s 50 proved to be just good enough for the team’s winning margin.

The Vikings then hosted Dover and St. Thomas More at Rehoboth Beach Country Club May 3.  Cape beat St. Thomas More 176-186, but had a taste of its own medicine against Dover, losing 175-176.

Alex Kimbro of Dover won medalist honors with his 39. Ghigliotty scored best for Cape with his 41.

Medd was a stroke back from Ghigliotty with his 42.  Purnell improved by a stroke over the previous round with a 46, and James Kersey completed the Vikings’ scoring with his 47.

The 7-3 Vikings have five more dual matches scheduled for the season, ending with a Tuesday, May 17 upstate match against Saint Mark’s High School.

This year’s conference championship tournament is set for Tuesday, May 24, at Wild Quail near Camden.

Club Tournament 2011 results
We’re happy to publicize the Cape Region’s local club tournament results in this column. Just send an email with the particulars, but please bear in mind the Tuesday deadline for the Friday edition.

For example, Kings Creek Country Club held its Ladies’ Opening Day Tournament May 1. The Game of the Day, as they call it, was a four-person scramble.

Carol Simon, Beth Magnus, Gail Petren, and Donna Hilderly won first place, while second place went to the team of Hope Adams, Jennifer Falcone, Melanie Pereira, and Susie Shevock.

Diane Clark was closest to the pin on the eighth hole, and Nadine Carrick was closest to the pin on the 16th hole.

The club also announced its 2011 Ladies Golf Association officers. Prabha Karapurkar is president, Faye Slatcher is vice president, MaryBeth Merolla is treasurer, and Nancy Barlow is secretary. Susie Shevock and Sherry Pie are tournament co-chairs.

A minor equipment problem
During this week’s league night round at Shawnee Country Club, I had a 100-yard approach shot to the par-4 third hole.

I reached that spot in only three shots, he said ironically, thanks to a pulled drive and then a five-wood second shot that neatly sliced off a pine tree branch, but also dropped the ball at the foot of that tree. My only option was to bunt the ball to an open area, where I might have had a chance for a miracle one-putt bogey.

That’s when the fun started.

My Ping G10 wedge is normally up to the task of an uphill 100-yard shot, but not this time. The graphite club shaft snapped off at the club head hosel.

The heavy steel club head whirled uphill about 25 yards. The ball flew into a greenside bunker.

I put my newly two-piece pitching wedge in my golf bag, and finished the hole with a routine two-putt for a seven.

This is the first time one of my graphite-shafted clubs has broken, but it’s not my first experience with sudden equipment failure.

Several years ago, while playing with my brother Dave, I drove off Shawnee’s seventh tee with my formerly trusty two-wood.

The club head separated from the shaft at impact and flew about 40 yards into the adjacent woods, never to be seen again. The sudden loss of weight on the now headless shaft nearly made me screw myself into the tee box.

Shawnee’s longtime head golf professional, Devon Peterson, will have a new repair order from me.

You might consider taking a closer look at your own clubs to check for signs of unusual wear and tear.