June 24 1999, Ann Arbor, MI
When last I left you we had just arrived in Kansas City.
Did I mention that Ron Russell got really sick?
He had a pinched nerve in his neck and could barely move, then while he was
barely moving he caught the flu! He still wasn't feeling well when we
left... I hope he's feeling better now.
Anyway... Kansas City Wide Open:
Pro's played Swope and Rosedale Parks.
Rosedale Park, Day #1:
Al +2 for day (+2, Even)
Todd +1 for day(+3,-2)
Rosedale was a tough course. Lots of OB and nasty hills to roll down.
Many hills had a special rule... "If you roll down the hill and don't want
to take your chances you may take a 2 stroke penalty and move the disc back
to the point where it went over the hill"... or some such nonsense.
Steve Rico was also +2 after the first day.
Swope Park, Day #2:
Al and Todd shoot better. Steve shoots great.
The three of us started out the day just barely on the good side of the
cashing line. At the end of 4 rounds I was tied for 15th, Al was tied for
8th, and Steve had moved all the way up to 4th to qualify for the showcase
final nine. Swope was a difficult course for length but in good shape and
recently redesigned.
During the final nine Ken Climo moved from second to tied for first with
Stokely despite an ace by Scott. In the playoff for first Scott missed a 20
foot putt on the 3rd playoff hole and Kenny won.
1999 KC Wide Open top Pro Men finishes:
Dave "Aquaboy" Feldberg managed to bruise his calf during the first round, but
still cashed in Advanced Amateur. Dave has been acquiring many new
nicknames along the way... his second most popular name is "Grace" since he
manages to stumble about and hurt himself on a daily basis.
After the tournament we went back to Hal "baby" Kurz’s house and celebrated.
We said our goodbyes to Harold, Steve, and Roger as they headed back to
California. We'll be seeing them again just before Pro Worlds.
We drove back to Dave McCormack’s house in St. Louis. Al went ball golfing
with Kenny and some others. I spent the day trying to digitize and email
photos to the web page. For some reason I couldn't get the pictures sent.
I'll hand them over to Brian when I see him at the Inflight Open.
Next day Dave loaded us up with the merchandise that he was supplying as a sponsor
for the Cincinnati SuperTour. We took off and stopped to camp at a state park in
Kentucky. We barbecued some pork and
had a good night. Next morning we got up and played a small 9-hole course
that was right there at the state park.
We headed up to Cinci for the Remington Roadhouse Open. Al shot -7, I shot -6,
we felt that those would be fair scores and went to camp at Big Bone Lick
campground. That's the real name... I wouldn't make something like that up.
Next morning we left for Mount Airy. Big tough course, one that we played at
Pro Worlds in '98. We shot the course and waited for the random draw
doubles. My partner and I ended up winning the doubles with a -7 at Mt.
Airy... it was an impressive score. Too bad we only got about $15 each for
winning. Al hooked us up with a place to park at Theresa Keith’s house. We
waited at the course for Sue Stevens to show up. Once she got there we went
over to the house and set up camp.
Roadhouse Open, Day #1:
Todd -14 for two rounds... 3rd card in a 32 open player field.
Al -13 for two rounds... 3rd card.
Al and I played together for round #3 at Mt. Airy. I had some brutal kicks
off trees and shot +3 with 6 birdies. Al shot -1 and moved up.
4th round Al and I both shot even. Al ended up in 6th and I was tied for
9th. Sue was second to Juliana Bower in Open Women.
The big news was .... actually there were two bits of big news:
#1: Dr. Rick Voakes became the first 50 year-old man to win a Supertour in the
Open division. Dr. Rick shot -6 in the 4th round... the course record was -7
by Scott Stokely. Ken Climo shot a -6 during pro worlds in the same course
layout.
#2: Al and Sue Stevens are now an item! Sue had to be home by 4am on Sunday to go to
work. Al left with her to help her drive and get home safely. Dave and I
stayed another night with the winnebago so that we could go play Cabin Creek
the next day.
After Cabin Creek we headed back to Michigan. We got to Dave’s house in
Kalamazoo and found that his cousin was staying at the house and had somehow
attracted police attention. We decided that it wouldn't be a good idea to
stick around Dave’s house and camped in my parents back yard instead.
Next morning Dave got his car and left to take care of Dave business. I'll
meet him at the Inflight Open in Lansing.
Meanwhile, my dad had picked up a roof-mounted air conditioner for the
Winnie. We spent the day installing the AC over the hole I left when I crashed into
the bank. It installed easily and works great. My dad rules. Al was
supposed to call me that day so that I could go pick him up, but I never
heard from him.
Next day I decided to head to Ann Arbor to play Wednesday night league at
Hudson Mills. I showed up about noon and played some practice holes. Some
buddies showed up and we talked about my adventures and shot a round of golf.
It turned out that the league was not being held that night due to the
summer solstice tournament. About 140 league players showed up for the
tournament. All my golf buddies from the area were in attendance. I shot a
-13 for the 24 hole format. Mike Raley shot a -14 so I came in 2nd. I drove
Mike home in the Winnie.
I got back to my house and found that my roommate Eric had left for Colorado for
a wedding and I had the house all to myself. I got comfortable and Allison
(Eric’s girlfriend) showed up about 1am. She had decided not to go to
Colorado with Eric.
Now it's Thursday morning. I'm getting ready to drive my car over to Lansing
and see the Inflight Open courses. I still haven't heard anything from Al.
I hope that he doesn't decide to quit the tour and move in with Sue or
anything crazy like that. Our plans are sort of up in the air right now. I
have no intention of quitting the tour, but I think it will be difficult
without Al along.
I'll let you know what happens soon.
-Todd
