Rader Round-up

Player	Gross score	Handicap	Net score	Team score	Total	Points
Tim Tyvand	102	32	70	48	118	20
Jim Rader	94	23	71	48	119	15
Andy Rader	91	19	72	48	120	14
Steve Beal	99	26	73	48	121	12.5
Brendan McMullen	96	29	67	54	121	12.5
Bob Albright	84	14	70	54	124	10.5
Mike Trautman	84	15	69	55	124	10.5
Sean Shaffer	102	30	72	54	126	9
Rich Wold	89	18	71	59	130	7.5
Jeff Albright	87	11	76	54	130	7.5
Tommy Berry	93	15	78	55	133	6
Thatch Moyle	100	20	80	55	135	5
Tal Wold	106	28	78	59	137	3.5
Jason Wold	87	9	78	59	137	3.5
Lance Meyerink	105	20	85	59	144	2
Charlie Broadfoot	101	9	92	55	147	1

North Plains, OR -- After a 28 day layoff, the Tailgate State Tour resumed play at Pumpkin Ridge golf course. Tournament host Jim Rader's financial wherewithal meant that this group of rogue golfers with questionable morals would have the opportunity to play on one of Oregon's most prestigious golf venues.

Temperatures were near 90 degrees Fahrenheit when the first group of the day teed off. In that initial foursome, Bob Albright was hotter than a pistol with natural birdies on the eleventh and thirteenth holes (play started on the back nine holes). An unfortunate double-bogey on the eighteenth hole was his only blemish and he led the group consisting of himself, his son Jeff and the two "Hoaglands-in-law", Brendan McMullen and Sean Shaffer, to a score of ten strokes under par after the first nine holes.

Fresh off a week's stay in the Golden State capital of Sacramento, Charlie Broadfoot started his team's day with a natural birdie on the tenth hole. Tommy Berry and Mike Trautman both birdied the par three sixteenth hole to help their group (along with AAA Championship co-winner Thatch Moyle) to a first nine score of 27 strokes.

Three Wolds and a Meyerink were next off the tee and got their round jump-started with a natural birdie on the thirteenth hole by realtor-to-the-stars, Rich Wold. All four played steady yet unspectacular golf and finished their first half at a mere six strokes under par.

The final pairing was an interesting medley of high handicap players: Andy Rader (19 handicap), Jim Rader (23), Steve Beal (26) and Tim Tyvand (32). Everyone on the tour had been curiously waiting for Tyvand to break through with a low score at some point this year and it appeared as if this would be his day. He sat at even par (net score) through five holes but took eleven strokes on the par five fifteenth hole. Luckily for his team, Jim Rader came through with a par (net eagle) that allowed his group to finish at 25 strokes -- tied for the lead with the Albright/Albright/McMullen/Shaffer pairing.

Curiously, two of the foursomes chose to walk on this 95+ degree day and those in carts began to wonder when the heat, humidity and hard lemonade might begin to affect the pedestrians.

Bob Albright's double-bogey on the eighteenth hole led to another on the first and again on the third hole and his runaway victory was no longer a foregone conclusion. Though seven strokes under par for nine holes is typically a great score, in a four person best-ball event with high handicappers it would be considered a disappointing round.

Broadfoot duplicated his feat on the tenth hole with another birdie on the first. Trautman matched him with a birdie on number two and it appeared as if Berry had once again brought a ringer into his group to compete for the title. However, they would make only four more birdies on the remaining seven holes and finished with a score of 55 strokes.

Already out of contention after their first nine holes, the Wolds and Meyerink gamely played on with four birdies and an eagle to finish at thirteen strokes under par -- a rather disappointing number for such an athletic team.

Though they didn't know it at the time, Rader's group was tied for the lead after thirteen holes thanks to Jim's net hole-in-one on the third hole. His partners would each contribute eagles of their own in the final six holes: Tyvand (hole 7), Beal (hole 8), Andy Rader (holes 4 and 9). Andy's emphatic chip-in birdie on the final hole put an exclamation point on a fine round of golf and clinched the low team score of the day at 23 strokes under par.

In a touching display of sportsmanship, Tyvand refused to total the scorecards as he suspected that he was the winner in this unusual hybrid event that combined both team and individual scores. Once all of the math was completed, it was determined that he had indeed won the 2008 Rader Round-up and his foursome's fine score meant that the other players in his group would follow him immediately in the standings. McMullen had the low round of the day (net 67) but his team's finish left him with a six stroke margin that was too much to make up.

The Tailgate State Tour resumes on August 9 with the Al Fuego Invitational, one of the trademark events of the two-year old organization. Bryan Norris and host Jeff Albright will attempt to defend their titles on one of the most forgiving golf courses in the entire state, ensuring that scores will be low but spirits -- as always -- will be high.