CLUB NEWS
6.28.2010
DRAGONS FINISH SECOND AT 9TH BOB,
QUALIFIES FOR NORCAL CUP
NAPA, Calif. - At the 9th Annual Battle of the Bay, Oakland Chinese Golf Club narrowly defeated Dragons Golf Club to defend the "BOB" title, with San Francisco CGC and Marin CGC bringing up the rear. With its second place finish, the Dragons will move on along with Oakland CGC to face the top two teams from the Central Valley region in the NorCal Cup in late September.
The BOB features 12-person teams from each of the four major Federation clubs in the Bay Area. Each team has one player in a given foursome, with 3 points awarded to the player with the lowest net score in the group, 2 to the second lowest, 1 to the third lowest, and 0 to the player with the highest net score. The team with the most points at the end of the day is the winner. Oakland CGC scored 25.5 to Dragons' 22.5. San Francisco CGC had 13, while Marin CGC racked up 11 points.
It was a warm one at Chardonnay on Sunday, and no one was hotter than Wesley Chong. The Dragons' team captain fired a 5-under 67 (net 65) to take the Field Low Net Title. It was simply a great round that included five birdies and ended with an eagle on the dangerous Par-5 18th, which Wes reached with a driver and a mid-iron. Wes defeated all three players in his group, including a rising AJGA player from SFCGC, to put up 3 points for the Dragons early.
Thomas Leung returned to his good old steady self with an 88/net 70 to defeat all three players in his group as well. Another 3-point winner was Song-Min Wang, who continues his winning form from Poppy Hills with a 90/net 70.
Club President Emeritus Ken Lum also shot net 70 (83 gross), and lead those who scored two points for the Dragons. Paul Loui (77/net 75) and Lawrence Ma (81/net 73) both put up two points behind Wes. Steve Tsang (87/net 76) got a sudden case of the hooks on Sunday, but still managed to score two points for the team.
Also in the middle part of the line-up was Angie Wong, who found the golf course "too short" for her from the forward tees and as a result found many of Chardonnay's vineyards, streams and barrancas. She struggled to a 104/net 91, and did not score a point. However, Tournaments Co-Chair Alex Chong will be putting Angie on the boys' tees with Tammy Lee at the next club tournament to make sure Big Angie doesn't hit it through any more fairways.
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Three Dragons competed for other teams, notably one Ray Jeung, who failed to qualify for the Dragons' team at Poppy Hills and begged for a spot with Oakland. He fought off Paul Lee (94/net 78) in his pairing for 3 points. Paul Tan scored three points for SFCGC, accounting for nearly a quarter of that team's totals for the day. George Hsu played for a reinvigorated Marin CGC, but came in with 0 against Steve Tsang.
Carter Mau (91/net 76) came in with 1.5 points, while Tim Lohse (101/net 82) scored a point. With 11 matches in the clubhouse, Oakland CGC held a 1-point lead over the Dragons, 22.5 to 21.5. Oakland CGC, which hand-picked their side, fielded a team of mostly middle-aged and menopausal Chinese guys, with handicaps tightly packed between 8 and 17. The multiple-BOB veteran Benny Lee of Oakland (17 handicap) was too much for the 12th and final group, as Karen Fong (105/net 81) scored a point in the final group.
The Dragons and Oakland CGC are awaiting the top two to emerge from the Valley Cup, the annual competition among the Federation clubs of the South Bay and Central Valley. The NorCal Cup will take place in September with the site to be announced by the host club. In 2011, the Dragons will have the honor of hosting the 10th Battle of the Bay, at a site to be secretly and expertly determined by Fuzzy Pourahmadi.
Each of the 12 Dragons on the BOB team are credited with 25 Dragon Cup points. Thus the Dragon Cup race remains very much within reach for those who did not make the top 12 -- had the BOB team won it, each team member would have gotten 100 points. The Dragons will return to regular club tournament action at The Presidio on July 24, with The WEEKENDER draft/Club Summer BBQ at Joe Kwok's that evening -- registration will close on July 7.
