Teams lined up for state championship golf tournament

This year’s high school state championship golf tournament field is a mix of the new and the familiar.

As described in my April 2 column, the risk of participation restrictions from the COVID-19 pandemic led to a decision by the Delaware Interscholastic Athletic Association to create new rules for how players would qualify for the 36-hole “major” of Delaware high school golf. Each players’ results were posted with the Delaware State Golf Association and ranked by handicap index.

The prior system relied first upon conference championships, other teams’ records, and used individual records to add qualifiers among those whose schools didn’t make the team competition.

This year the top 96 golfers on the handicap list qualify, but not counting golfers whose teams ended up with more than six players in the list that was finalized May 17. For example, 11 golfers for Salesianum in Wilmington were in the top 96, but only six will go on to play the championship at Maple Dale Country Club in Dover June 1-2. By my reckoning, 10 golfers from four schools were to be replaced by those who just missed the first-level group of 96.

At least four golfers from one school must make the cut after the June 1 first round. The top three scores for each team in the final round June 2 are combined with the top four scores from June 1 to determine the team championship.

A total of 11 schools qualified for the 2021 team championship with at least four golfers. That was the familiar part, because 11 schools qualified in the last few years before the 2020 pandemic suspension under the previous rules.

Nineteen other schools had at least one golfer qualify, including three Cape Henlopen Vikings: Quinn McCullough, Ethan Mercer and Tom Burn.

Based on handicap rankings, Sussex Academy should be considered the favorite for the team championship.

Golf Logix green books

The folks at GolfLogix.com sent me two Delaware Green Books for review. If what they did for Peninsula Golf and Country Club and The Salt Pond are any indication, these products should strongly appeal to avid golfers eager to learn as much as they can about the courses they play.

The pocket-sized guides display color views of an entire hole on one page, with the opposite page dedicated to the green. Arrows point downhill, with green grids in five-yard increments. The Heat Map version shows green slopes by color coding, with the black and white version as an additional aid. Contour lines show three inches of elevation change per line, making it easy to understand how sloped a given area really is.

Green Books for nearly every Cape Region golf course are available, including Rehoboth Beach CC, Kings Creek CC, The Rookery and Mulligan’s Pointe, at prices ranging from $30 to $50. To order your copy go to golflogix.com.

Tune-up clinics for juniors at The Rookery

Head golf professional Kyle Deas at The Rookery is holding targeted tune-up sessions for junior golfers throughout the summer. The $25 one-hour clinics are designed for ages 6-13 and run from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. The eight sessions are split between either the full swing or the short game.

Full swing clinics take place June 15, July 6, July 27, or Aug. 17. Short game sessions run June 29, July 13, Aug. 3, or Aug. 24.

For more information or to sign up, call the pro shop at 302-684-3000 or email kyle@rookerygolf.com.

Local club competition results

Congratulations to the lady golfers from The Rookery for their victory at the Delaware Women’s Golf Association Bash to the Beach, played May 17 at Bear Trap Dunes and May 18 at Kings Creek Country Club. Thirteen members of the Rookery contingent contributed toward the team title.

Diane Braver finished second net in the first flight, with Lisa Orem winning first place net in the second flight. Cheryl Nelson and Diane Stetina finished first place gross in the third flight.

In the fourth flight, Debbie Ronemus and Joan Turci won first place gross, with Diane Knizer and Janet Montague taking second gross. Sue Bardsley finished second net.

Diane Avlor-Polisito and Denise Tamburo finished second place gross in the fifth flight, with Kelly Barber and Peggy Sander taking second net.

The Mulligan’s Pointe ladies 18-Hole league played an Irish Foursome game May 17, using Stableford scoring for each team.

Karen Feuchtenberger, Tammy Findlay, Wendy Michaelson, and Kathy Hudak won first place. Gail Kelso, Susan Shockley, Pat Short and Linda Townsend came in second.

The Kings Creek CC ladies 18-Hole group competed in a team Stableford format May 13.

Donna Deely, Dawn Dupre, Lori Guitson and Mary Lou Kupfer won the event, with Anita Pettitt, Pattie Magee, Jean Chlastawa and Sally Chamberlain taking second. Susan Garson, Vicki Martina and Carolyn Ortwein, with Katie Heintz as the blind draw, finished third.

The Kings Creek CC ladies 9-hole group played their team Stableford tournament May 11.

Sandy Neverett, Darci Whitehead and Fran Sneider won first place, with Rose Schmidt, Kathy Board and Lisa Gercenstein in second. Barb Fishel, Margaret Connors and Kathy Nave came in third.