Al Fuego Invitational

August 13, 2011

Quail Valley Golf Course (Banks, OR)

Format:  two-man best ball with modified Stableford scoring

Banks, OR -- If Quail Valley were a restaurant serving birdies and eagles, the fifth edition of the Al Fuego Golf & Good Time Bonanza became an all-you-can-eat affair with few going home hungry.  (And if that analogy made sense, you obviously haven't been drinking today.)

A ridiculous 12 of the 22 players (55% of the field) shot their handicap or better, led by career best rounds for Brett Hamel (69) and Dave Charbonneau (86).  Eleven of the twelve teams had at least one eagle, there was a double-eagle by Darren Carlson and -- to put everything into perspective -- last year's winning total of 21 points would only have finished in a tie for seventh place in this year's iteration.

Obviously, the conditions were conducive to scoring and Steve Beal took advantage early with a net eagle on the first hole.  He followed that up with a birdie at the second and his team was red hot and rolling.  However, he and partner Jim Rader could only manage 12 points over the final 14 holes and birdies by both on the 18th hole left them pondering what could have been. 

After a bogey on the first hole, Dann Sonne and Dylan Baptiste fought back to get within shouting distance of the lead following Sonne's birdie on 13.  A series of pars followed and Sonne and Baptiste couldn't contend.  In honor of his debut on tour, Baptiste was awarded a hat and the invitation to become a regular tour member.  At this time, his status for future events is unknown.

Andy Rader and Steve Teubner both bogeyed the first hole in an ignominious start but Rader eagled the seventh and tenth holes to give his team hope.  Birdies by Teubner on 15 and 18 were too little, too late and despite shooting a combined three strokes over par, they wouldn't sniff a prize.

"Pajama" Larry McKenna made eagle on the second hole, then birdie on the third, fifth and sixth holes to give his partner Lance Meyerink the chance to shake off his jet leg.  Meyerink -- a tour founder and recently departed Oregonian -- had a hard time adjusting to the Northwest's climate and recorded a series of large numbers on his card before scoring birdies on the 16th and 17th holes to stumble into the clubhouse.  Unfortunately, he continued that stumbling at the after party, knocking over the pot of leftover shrimp boil that required a HAZMAT team to clean up the following day.

Tommy Berry and Mark Uyeda were one of only two teams to make more than one bogey on the day and it took an eagle by Uyeda on the 18th to keep their team out of last place.  Both shot decent scores -- net 73 and 76, respectively -- but couldn't dial it up a notch at either the golf course nor the after party.  (To his credit, Uyeda did set the record for "most pounds of shrimp eaten" at 2.7.)

Two time "Al Fuego" champions, Bryan Norris and Jeff Albright, were determined to hoist the trophy again.  Unconstrained by his lederhosen-inspired outfit, Norris made eagle on the fifth hole and a six hole stretch that saw them make a total of eight combined birdies had them thinking they were in the hunt.  Two tee shots into the lake on the 17th hole spelled doom though, and they knew their shot at the glory hole was over.

After nine holes, the teams of Kevin Nufer/Darren Carlson, Jason Wold/Tim Tyvand and Brett Hamel/Ian Lamont were all tied for the lead with 18 points.  However, the beverage cart was being hit early and often and everyone knew that the title was up for grabs pending alcohol consumption.

Tour points leader Rich Wold made an eagle at the 10th hole and his partner Scott Matulich made birdies on 12 and 13 to get their team back into the chase.  They made an astounding 20 points over the final nine holes, capped off by Matulich's eagle on the 18th.  Two bogeys on the front side ultimately caused their demise but no harm was done to Rich's lead in the standings.

It took them five holes to finally get on the board but Charlie Broadfoot eagled the eighth, Dave Charbonneau eagled 10 and they were on their way. If you hadn't been there to see it, you wouldn't have believed Charbonneau's dominance off the tee beginning at the eighth hole.  He pounded drive after drive on the back nine consistently long and down the middle of the fairway.  His partner was left stunned though not silent as he was heard yelling NASCAR-inspired cheers following his teammate's shots.  "Git R Done!"  "Increase it!"  "Way to hit your ball a long way and score points!"   Only two points out of the lead after 14 holes, neither could get below par for the next three and needed Broadfoot's birdie on 18 to squeeze into fourth place. 

"Comeback player of the year" candidate Kevin Nufer was in need of a partner at the last minute and Darren Carlson showed up to play the golf (not necessarily common in his case).  This odd couple used Carlson's aforementioned double-eagle on the third hole to immediately get into contention.  Nufer's eagle on the 15th hole helped erase the sting of a bogey on the 11th and they finished their round as leaders in the clubhouse.  At that point, it was up to the rest of the field to decide their fate as Nufer nursed a large can of Foster's beer and Carlson fled the golf course, attempting to put his knuckles to work somewhere else.

Jason Wold and Tim Tyvand were assumed to be a viable team due to Jason's increasing handicap and Tyvand's vast 2011 improvement on the golf course.  The Sprague Olympian duo used Tyvand's eagles on 5 and 8 and Jason's on 14 to put themselves in the lead with four holes remaining.  It took birdies by Jason at the final two holes to match Nufer and Carlson's score of 31 points but they fell one short of the title, blaming Jason's penchant for <BAD METAPHOR ALERT> burning more lips than a hooker on 82nd Avenue.

Ultimately the day belonged to Brett Hamel and Ian Lamont.  Hamel eagled the third, fifth and fourteenth holes.  Lamont provided four other birdies along the way on holes where Hamel (GASP!) didn't go below par and they became the 2011 champions.  Hamel's double-bogey on the 18th hole prevented him from shooting a ridiculous 5-under par (THAT'S HIS GROSS SCORE BY THE WAY.  THE F#@&ING GUY ALMOST SHOT A 67 NOT COUNTING HIS HANDICAP.  I WILL STOP USING ALL-CAPS NOW.)  Lamont was no slouch either and had it not been for a unfortunate string of holes on the back nine (one triple bogey, three double bogeys) would have easily broken 80.  Both seemed moderately excited about the customized leatherette putter covers they won but had the satisfaction of knowing that they were the best team on a day that most people played their balls off. 

The tournament host provided beer, Carolina shrimp and side dishes for those who attended the after tournament shindig and regretted doing so the next day when his backyard reeked of vinegar, Old Bay seasoning and discarded shellfish. 

Thanks to everyone who played and good luck in the final two tournaments of the year.