Golf often tests equanimity

For those inclined to be hot-tempered, golf is perhaps not the best choice of game to play.

For others, golf provides many moments that test their equanimity, or at least their ready acceptance of life’s vicissitudes.

I observed a good example of the right attitude during the 2019 ShopRite LPGA Classic.

LPGA player Kendall Dye returned to that tour this season after a successful stint on the 2018 Symetra Tour. A good finish at the ShopRite and later tournaments would go a long way toward maintaining her status.

Dye’s first round began on the 10th hole and went fairly well for her first nine, with two birdies and a single bogey. She then hit a fine drive to the center of the fairway on No. 1, a 351-yard par 4, with only 107 yards to the center of the green. 

I watched Dye’s steady play that morning, so I fully expected her next shot to snuggle in close to the hole on the back third of the green. However, her downswing produced a small cloud of dirt spray, with the ball landing about 25 yards short of the green. 

Dye’s chip shot finished 7 feet short of the hole, which was understandable. This green slopes front to back and encourages caution. She rolled her par putt a foot past the hole and finished with a bogey.

There was no sign of temper. Instead, she recovered nicely with a birdie on the second hole, a long par 4, and made another birdie on the short par 5 third. 

Dye finished the round at two-under, and we chatted about that odd second shot on the first.

“I was in a pile of sand. It’s just golf. I hit one of my better tee shots the whole day, and it ends up in a huge sand divot. So I tried to just punch it out of there and it came up heavy. I hit a good chip shot and then my putt was right where I wanted it but hit a spike mark. So there’s two unfortunate things that are out of my control. But when those things happen, you’ve just got to think that the golf course is going to pay you back in the future,” she said.

Dye made the cut but struggled in high winds during the final round. She finished in a tie for 71st, making $3,465.

Fieldston Men’s Sportswear

Going to the PGA Merchandise Show every year means I see hundreds of booths of the same businesses. I also look forward to checking out some first-timers, so I dropped by the new Fieldston Men’s Sportswear booth.

Christina Vanderhoff is the vice president of S. Rothschild & Co. in New York City, which has been in the clothing business since 1881. It handles outerwear brands such as French Connection and Via Spiga. In 2017, Rothschild created the Sam Edelman line of active and athleisure clothes for women. 

Fieldston Men’s Sportswear marks the company’s debut into golf apparel for men. “It’s fun stuff,” Vanderhoff said. “We’re targeting the millennial market, with knit top price points at $60 or $75.”

The polo shirts come in three basic blends: 100 percent polyester performance fabric, with now-typical wicking properties; a retro pique option, half cotton and half polyester; and a textured polo that is 85 percent polyester and 15 percent spandex. Volley and walk shorts are also polyester/spandex blends.

Among outerwear options, Fieldston offers a quarter-zip Henley, a performance tech hoodie, and packable stretch jackets.

I could see several of these items selling very nicely at the men’s specialty shops in Rehoboth.

Sam Metz at Drive Chip & Putt

Proud Cape Region grandfather Tom Metz told me his grandson Sam made it past the local qualifier and played the Boys 7-9 Aug. 12 Drive Chip & Putt Subregional at Aronimink in Newtown Square, Pa. Sam, who plays at Kings Creek CC, placed ninth. 

Local club competition results

Mulligan’s Pointe recently crowned its Senior Champions, with Randy Alridge taking first-place gross and Bob George in second. Oscar Pickenheim won first-place net, with Brian Hayes in second, Ron Lewis in third, Keith Hasting in fourth and Dave Davis in fifth. 

Dave Zorb won the Senior Senior Championship, with Ronnie Hudson winning first-place net.

The Kings Creek CC Ladies 9-Hole group played Three Blind Mice Aug. 14. Three random hole scores are tossed from the 9 holes played before totting up the strokes. 

Val Evans won first place, with Hope LaVachia in second and Sandy Neverett in third.

The Mulligan’s Pointe Ladies played a Fewest Putts game Aug. 13. Karen Feuchtenberger won first place, with Wendy Michaelson in second and Brenda Lewis in third.

The Kings Creek Ladies 18-hole group played a team 2, 1, 1 game Aug. 8. The two best scores on the par 3s count, along with the single best score on the par 4s and 5s. 

Donna Deely, Debbie Grant, and Roberta Monkman won first place, with Joanne Yurik, Melanie Pereira, and Yona Zucker in second. Nancy Froome, Carol Simon and Cory Warther finished third.

The Kings Creek Ladies 9-hole group played their 2, 1, 1 game Aug. 7. Tina Brown, Deb Chase, and Linda Miniscalco (blind draw) won first place. Rose Schmidt, Mary Beth Merolla, and Ellan Hylton took second.