Kewadin, MI--It was one for the ages.... In what will almost surely go down as one of the most memorable James E. Vos Memorial tournaments in history, the Fairway Finders scratched, clawed, and ground their way back from an almost insurmountable deficit, winning seven of eight possible points in Saturday singles to win the 2010 tournament 13-11. This one was a classic filled with every imaginable subplot: young vs. old, old rivals paired against one another yet again, the Clash of the Titans 2010 edition, VanderWal vs. VanderWal Killer--not just once, but twice, a first-time ever rookie MVP, and even some controversy. In the end the team of (pictured l. to r.) Mark Rice, Chris Grek, Kyle VanderWal, Jack Vos, Rodg Rice, Jon Vos, and Ken Terpstra will go down as the 2010 James E. Vos, Sr. Memorial Tournament winners and current holders of the coveted "Senior" Cup.
Thursday, June 10
In both 2009 and 2010 Thursday has proved to be a pivotal day--perhaps a more important day than the contestants consider it to be. With four matches (and thus, four possible points) in play Thursday morning and four in the afternoon, any team able to win 3/4's of those matches has a considerable lead, and that's exactly what the Recover shots pulled off.
Thursday morning's 2-man match play format was again played on the beautiful Sundance course at A-ga-ming Resort. Nerves were nowhere in sight on this morning as most every contestant had seen this track multiple times during the 2009 tournament.
The matches opened with Recovery Shots' Jeff Tanis and John Mulder squaring off against Rodg Rice and tournament rookie John Topliff. This was Tanis' first tournament in three years. If he or rookie Topliff were nervous it didn't show as both shot strong 42's in the morning front nine. This one was a seesaw affiar and a foreshadowing of how most matches would go the entire weekend. Topliff/Rice quickly jumped out to a 2 up lead through three holes with Topliff going par-birdie-par. Rookie nothing! But the match was far from over as each team showed steady nerves, never letting either team get more than +2. A net birdie by Rice on the par 4 5th brought his team again to +2 but steady play by Tanis/Mulder bent, but never broke. An incredible birdie by Topliff on the difficult par 3 8th brought his team for the third time on the front 9 alone to +2 for the match. Alas, it would be their biggest lead. The tide changed as the back 9 began and Mulder/Tanis got new life, each parring holes 10 and 11 to bring the match to level. The battle was drawn and blood was shed on every hole but one going forward. In the end, poor play by Topliff/Rice on holes 15 and 16 did them in with Tanis/Mulder winning them both with bogeys(!). While not dead, these crucial points put Tanis/Mulder up 1 going into 18 where they played steady with bogeys and a 2 up win.
In both 2009 and 2010 Thursday has proved to be a pivotal day--perhaps a more important day than the contestants consider it to be. With four matches (and thus, four possible points) in play Thursday morning and four in the afternoon, any team able to win 3/4's of those matches has a considerable lead, and that's exactly what the Recover shots pulled off.
Thursday morning's 2-man match play format was again played on the beautiful Sundance course at A-ga-ming Resort. Nerves were nowhere in sight on this morning as most every contestant had seen this track multiple times during the 2009 tournament.
The matches opened with Recovery Shots' Jeff Tanis and John Mulder squaring off against Rodg Rice and tournament rookie John Topliff. This was Tanis' first tournament in three years. If he or rookie Topliff were nervous it didn't show as both shot strong 42's in the morning front nine. This one was a seesaw affiar and a foreshadowing of how most matches would go the entire weekend. Topliff/Rice quickly jumped out to a 2 up lead through three holes with Topliff going par-birdie-par. Rookie nothing! But the match was far from over as each team showed steady nerves, never letting either team get more than +2. A net birdie by Rice on the par 4 5th brought his team again to +2 but steady play by Tanis/Mulder bent, but never broke. An incredible birdie by Topliff on the difficult par 3 8th brought his team for the third time on the front 9 alone to +2 for the match. Alas, it would be their biggest lead. The tide changed as the back 9 began and Mulder/Tanis got new life, each parring holes 10 and 11 to bring the match to level. The battle was drawn and blood was shed on every hole but one going forward. In the end, poor play by Topliff/Rice on holes 15 and 16 did them in with Tanis/Mulder winning them both with bogeys(!). While not dead, these crucial points put Tanis/Mulder up 1 going into 18 where they played steady with bogeys and a 2 up win.
In what would be Kyle VanderWal's only loss, paired with Ken Terpstra the Fairway Finder team took on the dangerous Bob Warners and steely veteran, Dave Tanis. The combination of Warner's revamped swing and Tanis' insanely frustrating consistency proved too much for Terpstra and "Junior." Up 1 through 4 and feeling like an even match, the thunder struck as Warner's birdied or net birdie holes the next three holes and team Warners/Tanis never looked back, ultimately winning 4&3.
On paper match 3 must have looked like a misprint. Fairway Finders' Mark Rice and Chris Grek were seriously overmatched against the Recovery Shots' Dan "Bomb and Gouge" VanderWal--playing from the way back black tees--and Don "Dynomite" Van Zee. Ah, but that's why they play the game. Despite the deep handicap differential, Rice knew they had a chance because he knew he had a secret weapon: Grek. There is a wonderful, baffling, unknown, mystique that surrounds Grek when he plays VanderWal. His nickname, VanderWal Killer, is steeped in tournament lore going back more than a decade. Whether singles or match play, something arises in Grek when he faces VanderWal and the numbers speak for themselves. In ten years Grek sports a 7-1 record in head to head competition and this match was no different. It was a battle the entire way. Blood was drawn on no less than twelve holes. Despite their longstanding friendship among the four, there was no love lost in this match. In the end, it was the VanderWal Killer's clutch net birdie on the par 5 14th that put the Fairway Finders ahead for good and they would go on to win 2&1 thereby avoiding the difficult 18th. It would be the Fairway Finders only victory in the morning matches.
The final morning match would go down the 17th hole as well. Fairway Finders' brother's Vos (Jack and Jon) went up against Brian VanHall and Jim Warners. On this day, blood was not thicker than water. Another tough match, it was the Shots' Warners/VanHall going dormie with Warner's net par on 15. They then lost the par 5 16th, but closed the deal with pars on 17 to win 2&1.
On paper match 3 must have looked like a misprint. Fairway Finders' Mark Rice and Chris Grek were seriously overmatched against the Recovery Shots' Dan "Bomb and Gouge" VanderWal--playing from the way back black tees--and Don "Dynomite" Van Zee. Ah, but that's why they play the game. Despite the deep handicap differential, Rice knew they had a chance because he knew he had a secret weapon: Grek. There is a wonderful, baffling, unknown, mystique that surrounds Grek when he plays VanderWal. His nickname, VanderWal Killer, is steeped in tournament lore going back more than a decade. Whether singles or match play, something arises in Grek when he faces VanderWal and the numbers speak for themselves. In ten years Grek sports a 7-1 record in head to head competition and this match was no different. It was a battle the entire way. Blood was drawn on no less than twelve holes. Despite their longstanding friendship among the four, there was no love lost in this match. In the end, it was the VanderWal Killer's clutch net birdie on the par 5 14th that put the Fairway Finders ahead for good and they would go on to win 2&1 thereby avoiding the difficult 18th. It would be the Fairway Finders only victory in the morning matches.
The final morning match would go down the 17th hole as well. Fairway Finders' brother's Vos (Jack and Jon) went up against Brian VanHall and Jim Warners. On this day, blood was not thicker than water. Another tough match, it was the Shots' Warners/VanHall going dormie with Warner's net par on 15. They then lost the par 5 16th, but closed the deal with pars on 17 to win 2&1.
The afternoon stroke play matches played on the Sundance course were more of the same. Little did the Fairway Finders know the hole they would be in by nightfall. Similar to match play, holes are won by which team has the lowest net individual score, but the strokes count and matter creating potentially +2 or +3 swings on any given hole. Nonetheless, it was the Recovery Shots who would again rise to the occasion and win 3 of 4 possible points.
The match of the afternoon was Junior VanderWal's coming out party. Paired with John Topliff and against his "old man," who was paired with Jim Warners, the younger VW clearly had something to prove, as did his father. Hard fought the entire way it was Junior's stellar 80 vs. Dan's unbelievable 90 that won the day, and +2 victory over Dan and Jim Warners. Even with the win, the Fairway Finders were in a huge hole. In what looked like a repeat of last year's victory, the Recovery Shots had a commanding lead.
The match of the afternoon was Junior VanderWal's coming out party. Paired with John Topliff and against his "old man," who was paired with Jim Warners, the younger VW clearly had something to prove, as did his father. Hard fought the entire way it was Junior's stellar 80 vs. Dan's unbelievable 90 that won the day, and +2 victory over Dan and Jim Warners. Even with the win, the Fairway Finders were in a huge hole. In what looked like a repeat of last year's victory, the Recovery Shots had a commanding lead.
Recovery Shots 6
Fairway Finders 2
Friday, June 11
Played at the glorious, Belvedere Golf Club, the Fairway Finders started Friday morning's match play in an all too familiar position. Down four points, there was still plenty of time left, but Friday is moving day in this tournament and the Finders had to do just that--move. Perhaps trying to get something going they sent out the formidable team of Kyle VanderWal and Jon Vos against the Recovery Shots Bob Warners and tournament photographer, John Mulder. They delivered, winning the first hole and never looking back, winning 4 & 3 on the strength of Jon Vos' impressive 75--the low round of the tournament. Next, with equal hope came the Finders Chris Grek and John Topliff vs. the Shots Danny "Bomb&Gouge" VanderWal and Dave Tanis. Could the VanderWal Killer strike again? Sort of. This hard fought match never strayed from more than all squre or 1-up and ended with both teams carding a 1/2 point. VanderWal avenged the previous day's 90, shooting 78.
Fairway Finders 2
Friday, June 11
Played at the glorious, Belvedere Golf Club, the Fairway Finders started Friday morning's match play in an all too familiar position. Down four points, there was still plenty of time left, but Friday is moving day in this tournament and the Finders had to do just that--move. Perhaps trying to get something going they sent out the formidable team of Kyle VanderWal and Jon Vos against the Recovery Shots Bob Warners and tournament photographer, John Mulder. They delivered, winning the first hole and never looking back, winning 4 & 3 on the strength of Jon Vos' impressive 75--the low round of the tournament. Next, with equal hope came the Finders Chris Grek and John Topliff vs. the Shots Danny "Bomb&Gouge" VanderWal and Dave Tanis. Could the VanderWal Killer strike again? Sort of. This hard fought match never strayed from more than all squre or 1-up and ended with both teams carding a 1/2 point. VanderWal avenged the previous day's 90, shooting 78.
But the match of the morning, and one that will go do down in tournament lore as one of those you don't forget, was between the Fairway Finders, Jack Vos and Mark Rice vs. the Recovery Shots Jim Warners and Don Van Zee. Friends off the course, all four of these gentlemen love to compete and clearly had something to prove. Tension was thick before anyone teed off as some pointed conversations occurred regarding selected tee boxes and pace of play. It grew thicker on #1 green as a birdie putt was conceded by Rice, but not accepted by Van Zee, causing Van Zee to miss the putt. Further rules challenges spilled over on hole #5 and the tone of the match was set. Rice/Vos jumped out to an early 2-up lead thanks to Vos' steely play and some miscues by Van Zee/Warners. It would stay that way through hole #7. Van Zee/Warners would get one back as they made the turn and another on the par 5 10th to draw the match to even.
Game on. The battle was engaged.
Game on. The battle was engaged.
All square through hole #12, the Shots drew blood again on Van Zee's working man's par on #13. They would give it back on the deceptively short par 3, 14th. Playing only 157 yards to a deep green, this little hole docile enough but plays uphill and into a slight breeze, hidden by the trees surrounding the green. Here Rice/Vos would benefit from hitting second. Both Warners and Van Zee pulled short irons and came up short of the green giving Rice/Vos a clear clue to club up. Both went back to their bags to get "more club." Both tee shots found the green resulting in pars. When neither Warners nor Van Zee managed to get up and down, the match was all square once again.
The holes were running out.
Rice's 8-foot birdie putt on the the short par 5 15th followed by Vos' net par on the uphill par 4 16th and suddenly the Fairway Finders, almost miraculously, found themselves dormie: 2-up with 2 to play. A par on the 165-yard uphill par 3 17th would almost assure them of a 2&1 victory. So despondent on 17 tee was Warners that he was heard to mutter, "Well, I guess our goose is cooked."
The choke hold was on....
Rice's 8-foot birdie putt on the the short par 5 15th followed by Vos' net par on the uphill par 4 16th and suddenly the Fairway Finders, almost miraculously, found themselves dormie: 2-up with 2 to play. A par on the 165-yard uphill par 3 17th would almost assure them of a 2&1 victory. So despondent on 17 tee was Warners that he was heard to mutter, "Well, I guess our goose is cooked."
The choke hold was on....
Rice went first, depositing his 6-iron to a front pin on the green but 30 feet right and deep. Vos too, put his tee shot on and deep. Warners followed, missing the green short left. Van Zee hit a clutch iron to 20 feet. A two putt from either Rice or Vos and this match was over, but it wasn't....
To this day no one is sure what caused it.
To this day no one is sure what caused it.
Was it Warner's hopelessness on 17 tee? Was it Van Zee's frustration at watching his mammoth drive's eclipsed hole after hole by his brother-in-law playing from the forward tee boxes? No one knows, but something clicked, first in Van Zee and then in Warners. Rice knew it. Before Van Zee even squared to putt, he knew, and he watched as Van Zee calmly stroke the putt that never left its intended line until it fell in the bottom of the jar. Incredible. Recovery Shots 1-down with one to play...and all the mo with the difficult #2 handicap long par 4 18th to go.
On the 18th tee, anger, frustration, and andrenaline all mounted in Van Zee as addressed his tee shot, reared back and followed through in his best Gary Player walk through impression as only he can do, absolutely pummeling his drive. Warners followed in like fashion causing Rice and Vos to nervously hit mediocre drives. This time, it was Warners turn to step up. Both Rice and Warners (both getting strokes on this hole) came up short on their approach. Nerves got to Rice again and he badly fumbled his chip shot, leaving him a twisting 12-footer for par. What was Warners thinking at this moment? Not known for his short game prowess, an up and down would likely tie the match. Could he do it?
Do it he did. His chip, while not great, was serviceable, leaving him a slippery 5-footer. Rice missed, Warners made and what followed will forever be remembered (thanks to John Mulder's quick shutter-finger) as "The Leap." Wow! What a match.
The traditional Friday afternoon 2-man stroke play scramble event continued last year's handicaping system. Prior to 2009 scramble pairings have pitted low handicap players on both teams against each other. Mid-handicaper and higher handicapers the same. No equitable strokes given, the teams square off head-to-head, even up. Handicaping a scramble format is a delicate affair which is why it's never been attempted before 2009. The downside of not handicaping is the same players always play the same players in a scramble format in order to keep both sides even. A new scramble format was attempted in 2009 involving weighted handicaps, and the teams were selected by lot. "Lower handicap" teams started "in the hole" to the higher handicap team and were forced to work their way out of the deficit, even the match, and pull ahead by the time the 18-hole match ended. Of the four matches, one team started out -6, another -5, a third -4 and a fourth level. In the end the new format seemed to work, or at least, be a "neutral." One team lost by one stroke, another by 2 strokes, and a third by 4. This format always seems to produce one blowout and this year was no exception with one team winning by a whopping 9 strokes.
By Friday's end and leading up to Saturday singles, the Fairway Finders had made no progress, splitting both Friday's morning and afternoon matches, and remaining in a deep hole.
Recover Shots 10
Fairway Finders 6
Saturday, June 12
The situation was desperate for the Fairway Finders. At no time in the tournaments 23 years had any team come back from a 4-point deficit headed into Saturday singles. Holding the tie breaker, the Recovery Shots needed to win only two of Saturday's eight matches to retain the Cup. The Fairway Finders needed 6 1/2 points out of a possible 8--almost impossible.
To make matters worse, one of team Fairway Finders had to leave Friday night for a family emergency leaving one of the other Finders having to play singles matches against two other Recovery Shots. That person was Kyle VanderWal, but the odds were against him. Every other time this has happened, the matches have split. A split match the first round of the day would have most assuredly doomed the Finders' chances. Kyle played a nearly flawless round, shooting 80 and closing out BOTH Brian VanHall and Jim Warners 5&4. Maybe, just maybe the Fairway Finders had a chance.
Recovery Shots 10
Fairway Finders 8
Matches 3 & 4 featured the Fairway Finders Rodg Rice square off against John Mulder, and Jack Vos against Bob Warners. Blood flowed in Rice/Mulder match. How each could stand the emotional swings no one knows. While Mulder led most of the way, holes were won or lost on no less than 14 holes. Mulder was up by as many as 4 through 8 holes but Rice battled back actually drawing the match to all square on the par 5 16th. Mulder would prevail winning 17 & 18 for a 2-up win. The Vos/Warners match was just as evenly contested with blood drawn on no less than 13 holes. Vos would shoot his best round of the week, an 86, which would prove to be too much for Warners, winning 2&1.
Recovery Shots 11
Fairway Finders 9
With four matches left the Fairway Finders situation was more desperate than ever, needed three wins and a tie--points from every match--in order to win. They would win them all.
In what might have been the most anticipated match of Saturday singles, Fairway Finders Jon Vos drew his old rival, Recovery Shots Dave Tanis in what was anticipated to be Clash of the Titans V2. These two have faced each before in one of the most memorable JEV Memorial tournament matches. In 2001, played in a bitter cold, pouring rain even ducks wouldn't be caught in, these two matched each other shot for shot in a singles match for the ages at The Chief. After 18 holes with each facing a soggy, uncertain 6-footer for pars to halve the match, they looked each other square in the eye and knew conceding each other's putt was the right thing to do. Would this time be any different? Alas, it would. Perhaps fatigued from gruelling tournament play, the normally solid Tanis faded early in this one, shooting 45 on the front nine on his way to a 90, losing 4&3 to Vos.
Match 6 was another doozy. Fellow Grand Havenites Ken Terpstra (Fairway Finders) and Donovan "Dynomite" Van Zee (Recovery Shots) clawed, scratched, punched each other, neither giving an inch and all square almost the entire round with only the occassional player gaining a hole advantage. Down the stretch it was Terpstra's stellar play on the back nine's hardest holes that won the day. Terpstra net-birdied the #5 and #3 handicap holes--both key victories--the first bringing the match to all square; the second giving Terpstra a +1 advantage with three holes to play. He would win, closing out Van Zee on 17, 2&1.
Could it be? Could the improbable come back actually be in reach?
Recovery Shots 11
Fairway Finders 11
For all the mystique around Chris Grek's (Fairway Finders) seeming ability to tame the mighty Dan VanderWal (Recovery Shots), what's lost is how often these two have played against each other, and how improbable the fact that they get paired against each other. Matches are determined the night before with names being drawn from a hat. Grek's chances of drawing VanderWal in Saturday singles were slim, but draw him he did. Coincidence? Think again. And again, improbably, impossibly, the Vander Wal Killer struck gold. Four up through 10, Grek quickly won holes 11 and 12 and the match was over with a stunning 6&5 win over Bomb & Gouge. To be fair, this was not VanderWal's best day. Clearly hurting with physical ailments, Dan shot another uncharacteristically poor round of 89. Nonetheless, the mystique goes on....
Needing at least a tie in the last match, Fairway Finders Mark Rice faced Jeff Tanis in an ongoing rivalry. Perhaps stunned by Rice's par-birdie-birdie-par start, Tanis lost the first four holes to go 4-down and would never fully recover. Always the competitor, Tanis made it very close, however, clawing his way to just 2-down through 15 and with Rice stumbling, but the early lead was too much. Rice would close it out with a par on 17.
No one would have guessed, but unbelievably they had done it. With a combination of luck and good play, the Fairway Finders had staged the never-before comeback, winning seven of eight matches on the last day to win the James E. Vos Memorial Trophy. It was one for the ages.
Fairway Finders 13
Recovery Shots 11
Congratulations to the 2010 James E. Vos Memorial Tournament Champions: Ken Terpstra, Jon Vos, Chris Grek, Jack Vos, John Topliff, Kyle VanderWal, Rodg Rice, and Mark Rice.
On the 18th tee, anger, frustration, and andrenaline all mounted in Van Zee as addressed his tee shot, reared back and followed through in his best Gary Player walk through impression as only he can do, absolutely pummeling his drive. Warners followed in like fashion causing Rice and Vos to nervously hit mediocre drives. This time, it was Warners turn to step up. Both Rice and Warners (both getting strokes on this hole) came up short on their approach. Nerves got to Rice again and he badly fumbled his chip shot, leaving him a twisting 12-footer for par. What was Warners thinking at this moment? Not known for his short game prowess, an up and down would likely tie the match. Could he do it?
Do it he did. His chip, while not great, was serviceable, leaving him a slippery 5-footer. Rice missed, Warners made and what followed will forever be remembered (thanks to John Mulder's quick shutter-finger) as "The Leap." Wow! What a match.
The traditional Friday afternoon 2-man stroke play scramble event continued last year's handicaping system. Prior to 2009 scramble pairings have pitted low handicap players on both teams against each other. Mid-handicaper and higher handicapers the same. No equitable strokes given, the teams square off head-to-head, even up. Handicaping a scramble format is a delicate affair which is why it's never been attempted before 2009. The downside of not handicaping is the same players always play the same players in a scramble format in order to keep both sides even. A new scramble format was attempted in 2009 involving weighted handicaps, and the teams were selected by lot. "Lower handicap" teams started "in the hole" to the higher handicap team and were forced to work their way out of the deficit, even the match, and pull ahead by the time the 18-hole match ended. Of the four matches, one team started out -6, another -5, a third -4 and a fourth level. In the end the new format seemed to work, or at least, be a "neutral." One team lost by one stroke, another by 2 strokes, and a third by 4. This format always seems to produce one blowout and this year was no exception with one team winning by a whopping 9 strokes.
By Friday's end and leading up to Saturday singles, the Fairway Finders had made no progress, splitting both Friday's morning and afternoon matches, and remaining in a deep hole.
Recover Shots 10
Fairway Finders 6
Saturday, June 12
The situation was desperate for the Fairway Finders. At no time in the tournaments 23 years had any team come back from a 4-point deficit headed into Saturday singles. Holding the tie breaker, the Recovery Shots needed to win only two of Saturday's eight matches to retain the Cup. The Fairway Finders needed 6 1/2 points out of a possible 8--almost impossible.
To make matters worse, one of team Fairway Finders had to leave Friday night for a family emergency leaving one of the other Finders having to play singles matches against two other Recovery Shots. That person was Kyle VanderWal, but the odds were against him. Every other time this has happened, the matches have split. A split match the first round of the day would have most assuredly doomed the Finders' chances. Kyle played a nearly flawless round, shooting 80 and closing out BOTH Brian VanHall and Jim Warners 5&4. Maybe, just maybe the Fairway Finders had a chance.
Recovery Shots 10
Fairway Finders 8
Matches 3 & 4 featured the Fairway Finders Rodg Rice square off against John Mulder, and Jack Vos against Bob Warners. Blood flowed in Rice/Mulder match. How each could stand the emotional swings no one knows. While Mulder led most of the way, holes were won or lost on no less than 14 holes. Mulder was up by as many as 4 through 8 holes but Rice battled back actually drawing the match to all square on the par 5 16th. Mulder would prevail winning 17 & 18 for a 2-up win. The Vos/Warners match was just as evenly contested with blood drawn on no less than 13 holes. Vos would shoot his best round of the week, an 86, which would prove to be too much for Warners, winning 2&1.
Recovery Shots 11
Fairway Finders 9
With four matches left the Fairway Finders situation was more desperate than ever, needed three wins and a tie--points from every match--in order to win. They would win them all.
In what might have been the most anticipated match of Saturday singles, Fairway Finders Jon Vos drew his old rival, Recovery Shots Dave Tanis in what was anticipated to be Clash of the Titans V2. These two have faced each before in one of the most memorable JEV Memorial tournament matches. In 2001, played in a bitter cold, pouring rain even ducks wouldn't be caught in, these two matched each other shot for shot in a singles match for the ages at The Chief. After 18 holes with each facing a soggy, uncertain 6-footer for pars to halve the match, they looked each other square in the eye and knew conceding each other's putt was the right thing to do. Would this time be any different? Alas, it would. Perhaps fatigued from gruelling tournament play, the normally solid Tanis faded early in this one, shooting 45 on the front nine on his way to a 90, losing 4&3 to Vos.
Match 6 was another doozy. Fellow Grand Havenites Ken Terpstra (Fairway Finders) and Donovan "Dynomite" Van Zee (Recovery Shots) clawed, scratched, punched each other, neither giving an inch and all square almost the entire round with only the occassional player gaining a hole advantage. Down the stretch it was Terpstra's stellar play on the back nine's hardest holes that won the day. Terpstra net-birdied the #5 and #3 handicap holes--both key victories--the first bringing the match to all square; the second giving Terpstra a +1 advantage with three holes to play. He would win, closing out Van Zee on 17, 2&1.
Could it be? Could the improbable come back actually be in reach?
Recovery Shots 11
Fairway Finders 11
For all the mystique around Chris Grek's (Fairway Finders) seeming ability to tame the mighty Dan VanderWal (Recovery Shots), what's lost is how often these two have played against each other, and how improbable the fact that they get paired against each other. Matches are determined the night before with names being drawn from a hat. Grek's chances of drawing VanderWal in Saturday singles were slim, but draw him he did. Coincidence? Think again. And again, improbably, impossibly, the Vander Wal Killer struck gold. Four up through 10, Grek quickly won holes 11 and 12 and the match was over with a stunning 6&5 win over Bomb & Gouge. To be fair, this was not VanderWal's best day. Clearly hurting with physical ailments, Dan shot another uncharacteristically poor round of 89. Nonetheless, the mystique goes on....
Needing at least a tie in the last match, Fairway Finders Mark Rice faced Jeff Tanis in an ongoing rivalry. Perhaps stunned by Rice's par-birdie-birdie-par start, Tanis lost the first four holes to go 4-down and would never fully recover. Always the competitor, Tanis made it very close, however, clawing his way to just 2-down through 15 and with Rice stumbling, but the early lead was too much. Rice would close it out with a par on 17.
No one would have guessed, but unbelievably they had done it. With a combination of luck and good play, the Fairway Finders had staged the never-before comeback, winning seven of eight matches on the last day to win the James E. Vos Memorial Trophy. It was one for the ages.
Fairway Finders 13
Recovery Shots 11
Congratulations to the 2010 James E. Vos Memorial Tournament Champions: Ken Terpstra, Jon Vos, Chris Grek, Jack Vos, John Topliff, Kyle VanderWal, Rodg Rice, and Mark Rice.
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