Last Sunday, August 9th, the three flights of the annual Little River Men’s Club Championship matches began. And on the tee are Will Johnson and Jason. Will and Jason were competing in the scratch, no handicap division of the championship. Will bettered Jason 5 holes up with 4 to play. Chuck Allegrini won his match with Julian Lopez, also 5 up with 4 to go. Jake Pardini came out ahead of Phil Dunn 4 up with 3 to play. After playing 20 holes, tied after 18, Bryan Paulson defeated J. W. Walker. Bryan and Jake will play each other next. On the other side of the scratch bracket, Dewey Turner won 6 up with 4 holes to play against Sonny Hanover.
Matt Howard, playing extra holes, beat Gene Sallinen and will next play Dewey. Hank McCusker beat Dave Sroaf 4 up with 3 to go. In the second flight, Marshal Carr, a 9 handicap, defeated Chuck Saiz, with a 14 handicap, 2 up with 1 to go. Marshal will next play Rich Van Baren, an 8 handicap. Jim Corsar, an 8, and Scott Dietz, a 15, competed, with Jim winning the match. Jim Ellis moved ahead, defeating Wytt Nichols 2 up with one to go. In the 3rd flight, David Gillett, 19, bested Rob Rhead, also a 19, 1 up. On the same side of the bracket, Lindy Peters, a 16, and Neil Blaney, a 24, were not able to play last Sunday but will play their match this week. Jim will play the winner of the Lindy-Neil match. On the other side of the 3rd flight bracket, Dave Hautala, a 24, won, 1 up, against David Coddington, a 17 handicap. Grant Miller, 19, will advance against Dave Hautala, having defeated Bill Betts, a 21, 5 up, 3 holes to go. Going forward, winning players will play their next matches in the week of August 10th through August 16th, arranging with each other when to play.
Last Friday, three players in the Stableford group collectively scored twelve birdies, with Hank McCusker accounting for seven, Chuck Allegrini sinking three, and David Sroaf two. With all those birdies, Hank racked up forty-eight Stableford points to win first place individual and first place partners with a combined 79 points after drawing Jim Ellis. Scott Dietz and Chuck Allegrini won second place partners with 78 points. Both players had a well-earned 39 points.
Last Sunday, a young man, recently graduating from Walnut Creek High School, shot an astounding 28 on the front nine of the Little River Course. The young man’s name is Russ Mitchell, who is now going to California State University Monterey Bay and majoring in hospitality. Three birdies and two eagles, on the five pars, contributed to Russ’s low score. He had played the Little River Course seven years ago.