Rehoboth Beach Fall Invitational a success again
The Cape Region is not known as a hotbed of collegiate athletics, and with good reason.
No one would confuse this area with Philadelphia, with the fifth-highest college student population among major cities of the United States.
Nonetheless, among those who follow college sports, the Rehoboth Beach Fall Invitational continues to be a prime collegiate sports opportunity in the Cape Region, even if it’s considered a hidden gem by the locals.
This year’s tournament, held once again at Kings Creek Country Club, took place Sept. 24. The Quakers of the University of Pennsylvania both hosted and won it.
P.J. Fielding of Penn took medalist honors in the one-day, 36-hole event. As a team, Penn easily defeated Monmouth by 21 strokes, 578-599.
Saint Francis (Pa.) missed second place by a single stroke, and Mount St. Mary’s finished in fourth at 603.
The other participating teams and scores included the following: McDaniel College (614), LaSalle University (617), Lafayette College (629), Goldey Beacom College (629), University of Maryland-Eastern Shore (651), St. Francis College (N.Y.) (664), and Wesley College (698).
This year’s event also marked a different milestone for Scott Allen, who first brought this well-run collegiate tournament to the Cape Region with a bit of an assist from his parents, longtime residents at Kings Creek.
At that time, Allen was the golf coach for his alma mater, George Washington University. Several years later, he moved to Penn, where for the past four years he was head golf coach for the men’s team. Allen was also instrumental in developing the Quakers women’s golf team.
In August, Allen accepted a return engagement to GW, taking a new position as the associate director of athletic alumni programs.
In the GW press release announcing the move, Allen said, “This is a special homecoming for me - returning not only to my alma mater, but to a university that gave me my start as a professional, and where I spent the majority of my adult life. Returning to GW in this capacity, where I'll have the opportunity to work with and reconnect with the thousands of GW student-athletes past and present, is very exciting."
Congratulations to Scott on his new job, where I expect he will have a few opportunities to do a little GW fundraising out on the links.
Local club competition results
The Kings Creek Country Club Ladies 18-hole golf group played a Red & White format event Oct. 4.
I assume from the color scheme that this arrangement put one team member on each of the two sets of tees that these colors usually represent, with the ladies in front and the men in back. However, I’m perfectly willing to be corrected.
Faye Slatcher and Frank Merolla won first place, while Jeannine Doane and Gary Barth finished in second.
The Kings Creek Ladies 9-holers played a different format Oct. 8, called 2, 1, 1.
As they describe it, team totals were based on two scores on the par 3s, 1 score on the par 4s, and 1 score on the par 5s.
Pat DeVoll, Evelyn Diggs and Susie Shevock won first-place honors. Shevock also won the closest to the pin contest, landing her approach shot on the 11th hole 12feet-7-inches from the hole.
Still time to tee it forward
The PGA and the USGA continue supporting their joint Tee It Forward program, suggesting amateur golfers should move up to the next set of tees from what they’ve usually used.
According to 2012 surveys of Tee It Forward participants, more than half played faster, while more than 80 percent hit more lofted club shots to the greens, and 85 percent had more fun.
As the off-season approaches, it might be a good idea to tee it forward, if you haven’t already. You might be surprised at how different your home course will look and feel during your round - and you might like the lower scores, too.
