Cape Region golfers represented in Delaware Open
The Delaware State Golf Association’s Delaware Open golf tournament took place Aug. 1-2 at Kings Creek Country Club.
Justin Martinson of Hartefeld National Golf Club won the event with a fine 11-under-par 202 for the three-round tournament. He shot a 4-under-par 67 to beat second-round leader Chris Wisler, who struggled to a 73 in the last 18.
Cape Region golfers, and those related to them, did well among the 35 golfers who made the cut after the first round on Aug. 1.
Zac Oakley of The Rookery, son of Pete Oakley, the director of golf at the Milton course, finished in a tie for fifth place with a one under total. His dad, the British Senior Open winner in 2004, finished in even par and tied for eighth.
Chris Krueger, the teaching pro at Kings Creek, finished in 14th place at 5 over par. Chase Brockstedt finished as low amateur among those from the Cape Region in a tie for 19th place at 9 over par.
Troy Flateau, a pro at The Peninsula Golf Club, finished his Open tournament in a tie for 22nd at 11 over par. His Peninsula pro partner, Michael Rushin, tied for 26th.
Kings Creek head golf pro Kevin Wiest was the perfect host, in a sense. He had an awful 80 in his first round, roared back with a 68 in the second round, and went back up to a 77 in the last round, good for 25th place overall at 12 over par.
Nick DelCampo, who volunteered for spotter duty during the tournament, said that Wiest’s first nine holes were disastrous. Wiest’s troubles included a plugged lie under the lip of a greenside bunker on a par 3 hole, leading to a triple bogey on the hole.
Cape Region golfers who played the first round but were unable to make the cut included several familiar locals: Tim Freeh (Rookery), Ed Brown (Rehoboth), Bryan Taylor (Bayside Resort), Clayton Bunting Jr. (Sussex Pines), Miguel Lopez (Rookery), and Anthony Hollerback (Baywood Greens).
Local club tournament results
The Kings Creek Ladies 18-hole group held its Pink Ball Tournament July 28. The foursome in first place was Luanne Zabytko, Linda Pini, Karen Harrington, and Terry Derville.
Nadine Carrick, Jeannine Doane, Mary Mezger, and Rita Musi took second place, while Prapha Karapurkar, Margaret Swiatek, Chris Sullivan, and Vicki Tull won third place for the day.
Toni Mears was closest to the pin on the 16th hole.
Shawnee Country Club's season-long Shawnee Cup match play tournament concluded July 30, with John Eustis defeating Jim Broadhurst 2&1 for the championship.
In the semifinals, Eustis defeated Jeff Kohel, 1-up, while Broadhurst defeated Abe Ellison.
Oakley at the Senior British Open
Pete Oakley qualified to play in this year’s Senior British Open, played July 21-24 at Walton Heath Golf Club in Surrey, England. Left-hander Russ Cochran won the event with a 12-under-par finish.
Oakley shot six over par for the first two rounds and missed the cut. Nonetheless, he earned 1,400 Euros for his efforts, which should have helped offset the expense.
Please mark the spot
A recent USGA golf ruling emphasizes the need to assure other players that no cheating is taking place before their very eyes.
A player rotates his golf ball on the green, intending to use the ball’s trademark graphics to help set the line for his putt. In doing so, however, he didn’t lift the ball, mark its location with a ball marker, or, in fact, change its position.
Nonetheless, resetting the golf ball this way earns a one-stroke penalty for touching the ball other than as permitted under the rules. If he had marked the ball’s position prior to spinning it, there would have been no penalty.
In one respect, this ruling does golfers a small favor. By reminding them of the need to mark the position prior to touching the ball, the decision also assures the competition that no one is quietly trying to move the ball a bit closer to the hole.
