June 5
Bainbridge Island, Wash.
Martin Pool reports:
Thirty-eight hickory players, including six fabulous ladies, took part in the fourth annual Pacific Northwest Hickory Championship held at the historic Wing Point Golf and Country Club on beautiful Bainbridge Island, Wash.
Day one greeted the players with brilliant sunshine and gentle, marine breezes on this island course, which is but a cannon’s volley from Seattle. Stately fir trees and lush vegetation covered the grounds where golf was first played in 1903.
Despite perfect playing conditions, the course played difficult with its multitude of bunkers guarding the greens like Scylla and Charybdis. The unwary and the wayward golfer fell victim to the deep maws of those traps again and again. A skilled golfer, or perhaps a lucky one, upon reaching the greens, may have thought he or she had found safe haven. That too proved to be too hopeful as they soon discovered the fast, sloping greens, which confounded many. The ever dangerous 10th and the devilish 13th, with their OBs and hazards sunk the hopes of many fine players.
Not all was lost for the battered and dashed players as they made their way into port. Their spirits were lifted by the music of the roaring twenties emanating from the clubhouse. The salmon dinner was fabulous and the band divine, and the spirits (this time of a different sort) were lifted once again.
Lest visitors from out of town thought the weather in Seattle was always this perfect, day two greeted them with some of that wet stuff from the heavens. The locals thought it was but a spit; the visitors thought it a deluge. In reality it was somewhere in between. The intrepid sailors (I mean, the golfers) battled Scylla and Charybdis once again.
Defending his title in the Open Division was Jeff Olsen from Shoreline, Wash. Runner-up was Steve Henneuse from Santa Cruz, Calif. In the Senior Division, Tom Tracy from Star, Idaho won by a shot over John Henry Williams from Shoreline, Wash. In the Statesmen Division, Tom Driscoll of Redmond, Wash. hung on by a single shot over Lyle Rowland of Neskowin, Ore. In the Ladies Division, Sue Tracy, also from Star, prevailed over member Alina Dean of Wing Point G&CC.
In the Net Divisions, Open net winner was Jimmy Bucher, runner-up John Lavendoski. Senior net winner was Steve Franich and runner-up was Dale Hallock in a tie-breaker. Statesmen net winner was Ray Tokareff and runner-up was Jerry Olson. Ladies net winner was Roberta Robbins and runner-up was Pam Rowland.
For additional photos and individual scores, go to Northwest Hickory Players Facebook page.
