Chicago Stroke Play Competition Digest
Sportsmans and Sportswomans
By NewClub Editorial Team
Non-Chicagoans often lament the weather. ‘I can’t handle the cold,’ they say. In golf, it’s more like, ‘Oh, you only get 6 months of golf weather.’ Well, on September 9, 2023, we might as well have been in San Diego because it could not have been more perfect outside.
What used to be known as “Sportsmans”, the recently renovated Heritage Oaks Country Club played to our club’s standards for one of our few individual competitions.
Despite a verticut just days before the competition, the greens rolled true.
A slow start, a strong finish
If there were a favorite in the field, it would have to be two-time Chicago Club Champion Bryan McCarty. Our reigning champ has been playing some of the best of his life (save for the Stinger, but we won’t worry about that one).
But the golf gods didn’t make it easy.
Bryan was seven holes in and sitting at five over, outside of the top 8. If you were leaderboard watching, all you could do was hope for an epic turnaround.
Of course, the Champ delivered. McCarty would go two-under the rest of the way and finish the 17th and 18th hole with birdies.
That birdie-birdie finish was enough to move past Vice Captain Stephen Parkerson by two shots to win medalist for the gross division.
We’ll see Bryan at the Dunes Club to defend his title once again.
New kids on the block
This year, we have six members in the Match Play Finals who will compete at the Dunes Club for the first time:
Jason Smith, Andrew Luttrell, Devan Farren, Ed Lee, Vice Captain Stephen Parkerson, with Vice Captain Bill Colbert making his debut in the gross division.
Quotable, as always
Speaking of Vice Captain Bill Colbert, boy, did he have a day.
Colbert shot a net 68 (-2), gross 78 (+8), to take the title.
What was the key to good play? “Staying in the moment, not focusing on score, and avoiding big mistakes. I didn’t compound any errors really,” said the Vice Captain. Also, apparently not working on his game. “Not practicing is helping too. Don’t ask me why, but it is.”
Like the great Jack Nicklaus, Colbert also isn’t afraid of his competitors or distractions.
“My other playing partners seemed distracted with COVID, college football, and their girlfriend’s birthday dinner later that night,” recalled Colbert. “On the 11th hole, I told Joe Kordesich (qualified for the net division) that I was going to make my 30-footer for birdie and I did just that.”
Even when the day turned light and they had an impromptu back-off challenge, Bill still kept his mettle. When asked about the challenge, Bill said it was simple.
“We play a skins game based on jokes told. If you can get someone to back off their shot because of your joke, you win a skin. (David) Shafer had to withdraw from the competition, but won about 6 skins in 4 holes after he did,” Bill explained.
Regarding winning the net medal Bill said, “I only went out of bounds on the godforsaken 17th hole, but we always have a great time when we play.”
As always Bill, well said.
Blockie mentality
In golf (and pretty much everywhere else), confidence is everything. Vice Captain and Founding Chicago Member Brian Ekstrom had a plethora.
“I was coming off a career-low 77 at Arroyo Trabuco (Michael Block’s home course). I had a little bit of Blockie’s irrational confidence. It’s always fun to get the competitive juices flowing,” said Ekstrom. “I had hopes of knocking Kyle (Smith) down to the net division, but gracefully decided to make triple at 17 and keep him in the game.”
In reviewing the day at Heritage Oaks, Brian summed it up nicely. “Crossing paths with fellow competitors throughout the day, scoreboard watching, and seeing the crowd gather behind 18 as groups finish. With an invite to the Dunes Club on the line, it’s hard to beat.”