The Broadfoot Open

April 18, 2009

Tri-Mountain Golf Course (Ridgefield, WA)

Format:  four-man scramble

Ridgefield, WA -- It only took one tournament to do so, but the race for the Tailgate State Cup in 2009 has already been turned upside down. 

Few in the field gave the team simply titled "Brett" much chance at wining prior to the tournament.  Captain Tyvand had the misfortune of choosing last in the draft order when the team selection process took place at "Coach's Corner" and was left with the entertaining duo of Meyerink and McKenna as his only option in the first round.  While neither are known to cause any problems on the golf course, it is fair to say that their lowest golf scores only come in the pressure-free rounds that the duo often plays at North Portland golf courses such as Broadmoor and Heron Lakes (without witnesses).  Tyvand's poor draw in the draft order left him with the first choice among available single players to round out his squad, however, and his selection of Hamel to complete his team would prove to be a wise one.

A clear, sunny morning provided a stark contrast to the mix of snow, wind and hail that greeted the players in the 2008 iteration of the Broadfoot Open.  Additionally, few in the field seemed to carry the Saturday morning hangover that often handicaps players before they even get to the first tee.  The nervous tension at the onset of the 2009 season was palpable as "Off With Tweezers" took to the tee as the initial competitors of the season.  The foursome that Albright had meticulously constructed would all hit impressive tee shots and notice was served that the Broadfoot Open would be a hotly contested battle.

"Brett" and "Off With Tweezers" were tied for the lead at the turn with front nine scores of five strokes under par.  Led by captain Tal Wold, "Agent Orange" was one shot behind the leaders and the team of Wold and three relative unknowns were in the hunt as was "Heavy Favorites", also a stroke back after nine holes.  A bogey on the first hole hurt "Bender" but they managed to salvage a front nine score of 34.  Bogeys on the first two holes by "Get Your Swerve On" effectively ended the day for tournament host Charlie Broadfoot and his band of North Portland denizens.

"Brett" charged into the final nine holes with birdies on the first two to get to seven strokes under par.  A birdie on the par-3 eleventh hole by "Agent Orange" kept them in the hunt, two shots behind the leaders.  "Heavy Favorites" made birdies on ten and thirteen to reach six shots under par and were also in contention. 

Despite partaking in Tri-Mountain's tasty polish sausages at the turn, "Off With Tweezers" lost their momentum and made an unfortunate bogey on the par-four twelfth hole that left them with a tough deficit to make up.  They birdied the next three holes to give their team hope, but it would not be enough and would result in two teams ultimately beating "Off With Tweezers".

"Bender" and "Get Your Swerve On" were in fact the only other teams in the field to record bogeys on the day and brought up the rear in the final two groups of the day.

Eagles by both "Brett" and "Agent Orange" at the par-five thirteenth hole made the 2009 Broadfoot Open a two team race.  The combination of Hamel's steady play and well-timed shots by Tyvand, Meyerink and McKenna kept them in the lead and would have resulted in a runaway victory if not for three consecutive birdies to end the round of "Agent Orange".

As the competitors gathered on the scenic patio overlooking the eighteenth green, most were dumbstruck at the idea of Tyvand's squad completing their round at eleven strokes under par.  In fact, most considered it to be a ruse and dismissed the idea that a team with two 20+ handicap players would be capable of such a feat.  As time went by and their knowing smiles never changed, the rest of the field could merely tip their caps towards the ragtag group of players that seemingly never had a chance.  Tim Tyvand, Lance Meyerink, Larry McKenna and Brett Hamel had shocked the world; they had won the 2009 Broadfoot Open.

The tour moves on to the AAA Championship in May with the amazement of what has already occurred in the first tournament of 2009.  If a lesson has been learned it is this:  never count anyone out of the Tailgate State Cup.  With the right blend of camaraderie, positive attitudes and alcohol, impossible is nothing (or whatever it was that Kevin Garnett screamed in the NBA finals last year).