HOME SCHEDULE CURRENT STANDINGS STATISTICS & PAST RESULTS TOUR RULES

2015 TGS Cup Championship

October 3-4, 2015

Chambers Bay Golf Course (University Place, WA) and The Home Course (DuPont, WA)

Format:  net stroke play

Place Name Handicap Sat gross Sat net Sun gross Sun net Total net Points
1 Jim Rader 26 96 70 81 55 125 60.00
2 Jeff Albright 16 88 72 80 64 136 48.00
3 Kevin Nufer 32 105 73 103 71 144 39.36
-- Charlie Broadfoot 8 81 73 81 73 146 --
4 Kevin Govro 10 88 78 79 69 147 33.06
5 Jake Panowicz 12 89 77 83 71 148 28.43
T6 Andy Rader 13 90 77 85 72 149 23.77
T6 Jason Wold 8 82 74 83 75 149 23.77
8 Brett Hamel 5 79 74 81 76 150 20.27
- Tal Wold 22 93 71 102 80 151 --
9 Rich Wold 14 98 84 82 68 152 18.24
T10 Sean Ealy 20 102 82 93 73 155 15.60
T10 Andy Clark 12 96 84 83 71 155 15.60
T12 Scott Hall 18 108 90 86 68 158 12.01
T12 Tommy Berry 12 90 78 92 80 158 12.01
T12 Matt Bonniksen 14 92 78 94 80 158 12.01
-- Steve Beal 23 103 80 102 79 159 --
15 Steve Teubner 25 106 81 107 82 163 9.69
16 Dann Sonne 31 118 87 110 79 166 8.72
17 Tim Tyvand 29 127 98 106 77 175 7.85
18 Whitney Jorde 24 126 102 105 81 183 7.07
19 Lance Meyerink 33 137 104 121 88 192 6.36
- Marc Streleski 8 WD WD 86 78 WD --
  Field average 18.04 99.73 81.23 92.39 74.35 155.41  

 

Let's agree to stop discussing whether or not his handicap was valid (it wasn't) or his win legitimate (probably not) and appreciate the fact that Jim Rader played one damn fine round of golf on Sunday to sweep low net score for both days and the weekend. On a gorgeous October morning, Jim made double bogeys on the first and sixth holes at The Home Course, then never looked back while trouncing the rest of the field on route to an (ahem) eleven shot, two-day victory. He made 10 fours, 7 fives and one six on his remarkably boring scorecard. After three years of searching, Jeff Albright finally found a putter that worked and grabbed second place with a score of 80 on Sunday; a day when the average score dropped by almost eight shots and 16 of the 23 players improved upon their Saturday score.

Half of the field spent Friday night questioning the appeal of line dancing at a downtown Tacoma honky tonk bar while enjoying refreshing (and very masculine) margaritas. The tension was palpable as all were nervous of what Chambers Bay would bring the following morning. The course was awesome, the walk difficult and the bunkers were challenging but everyone would agree that Chambers Bay was worth every penny, every lost ball and every ache and pain felt the next morning. It was probably the finest course that the Tailgate State Tour had ever visited.

Not knowing how difficult The Home Course would be meant that even those who had blown up on Saturday held out hope that they could still hoist the trophy come Sunday afternoon. A brisk morning turned into a stunning day at a golf course that - though very well maintained - didn't pose the threat of big numbers like the day prior. Andy Clark and Jake Panowicz (aka "The Emerald Queens") had too much ground to make up on Kevin Nufer, though, and the doctor held it together to claim the 2015 Tailgate State Cup and all of the glory and accolades that accompany it. His relief while french-kissing the trophy was evident after two pressure-packed nights of sleeping on a first place lead with so much on the line.

Congratulations to our 2015 champion golfer of the year: Dr. Kevin Beauregard Nufer (that might not be his real middle name).

The off-season will be a time of reflection and soul searching for the rest of us who hope that 2016 will be the year when our balls fall at the right time to claim prizes, fame and a glorious tin and wood trophy. Rules and regulations will be debated, examined and proposed (bet your ass, they will). 2016 will be the tenth year of this tour and we hope to have great events, venues and prizes to commemorate such a important anniversary. Stay tuned.

Lessons learned at the 2015 Tailgate State Tour Championship:

  1. "Can you count?" is the appropriate response to a question only when the person asking is less than five years old.
  2. Apparently Tommy Berry has a lot of pull in the northwest golf community and can get us great rates at premiere courses. We should all buy him a beer the next time we see him to express our gratitude.
  3. Heed the golf course starter when he recommends you play using "local rules" rather than those from the USGA. Having to return to the tee to replay a shot is no fun.
  4. When the weather is good there might not be a golf course with better views than Chambers Bay.
  5. We would all like to know which bars Andy Clark spends time at where it perfectly acceptable to ask for a "to go cup" because you can't finish your drink but would like to leave.
  6. Newly sanded greens aren't as bad to play on as you think they will be.
  7. Rich Wold loves the tour so much that he chose to play with a broken index finger on his right hand rather than miss the championship. It's really unfortunate the no one came up with idea of calling him "Fingerbang" until the drive home.
  8. Jason Wold's continued requests for a "senior tour" now resemble his morning trips to the bathroom: regular, noisy and vehement.
  9. Gimme putts are never allowed. Ask Andy Rader if it's possible to miss a two-inch putt. (Spoiler alert: it is!)
  10. Once you declare your intention to drop and play a new ball, your previous ball is done and no longer available even if the group playing behind you finds it in a sprinkler head. So don't hit two more in the water. (Again, ask Andy Rader for details.)
  11. Kevin Govro's sneaky 79 on Sunday might mean that his "swing yips" are gone and he's due for a big year in 2016. Something to keep an eye on for those of you who play Tailgate State Tour Fantasy Golf.
  12. Having a USGA handicap but failing to update and maintain it is like adopting a dog but deciding it's too much work to give him food and water. Don't do it.