Finals April 26,2015

Ryan McCarthy knocked in a birdie putt on the 18th green at Columbia Country Club, giving himself and partner Pat McCormick a 3-0 win and lifting Baltimore Country Club to a 9 1/2 – 8 1/2 championship victory in the 86th edition of the Maryland State Golf Association’s Team Matches. It marked Baltimore’s sixth win in a series that dates to 1925.

It turned out to be tension-packed situation at both sites, as Columbia won 5 1/2 (of 9) points at BCC and collected a 3-0 sweep from pro Bob Dolan and member Mike Mitchell at Columbia. Baltimore had won the front nine of the other two matches, but both were on the back nine with Columbia clutching an 8 1/2 – 5 1/2 lead and four points available. Tim Dilli-Jon Steckler finished a 3-0 win for two of them and then came McCarthy’s heroics for the concluding two.

It was the fifth time the two clubs had played for the title and Baltimore’s second win (in the last three years) after Columbia had won three in a row in the late 1990’s.Three players — Columbia’s Richard Holland and Marty West and Baltimore’s Bob Kaestner — have played in all five but on this particular afternoon they were overshadowed by BCC’s Kevin Tehan and Andrew Rice.

Tehan, in his third year on the team, dipped 3 under par on each nine with a stunning collection of seven birdies, and Rice added two birds in a 3-0 victory over West (three birdies, but two of them only got him halves with Tehan) and Holland

Billy Peel, 26, playing in his first year of MSGA Team Match competition, got key Columbia points at BC, as he and Mike McCarthy defeated Brett Williams-Tim Prey, 3-0. Peel won No. 8 with a par for a 1-up front-nine win, then put the team ahead to stay with a 25-foot birdie putt at No. 15. In the other BCC match, Scott Lamond-Mike Svec stopped Kaestner-Mike O’Neil, 2 1/2 – 1/2, winning the front and — after splitting the back nine– the match.

Baltimore CC 9 1/2, Columbia CC 8 1/2

At Columbia: Pat Coyner-Mike Mulieri lost to Bob Dolan-Mike Mitchell, 0-3; Tim Dilli-Jon Steckler d. Chris Lamond-Ted Donatelli, 3-0; Ryan McCarthy-Pat McCormick d. Doug Hurson-Mike Bellaman, 3-0.

At Baltimore: Brett Williams-Tim Prey lost to Billy Peel-Mike McCarthy. 0-3; Bob Kaestner-Mike O”Neil lost to Scott Lamond , 1/2 – 2 1/2; Kevin Tehan-Andrew Rice d. Marty West-Richard Holland, 3-0.

Semifinals April 25, 2015

Columbia CC 10, Beaver Creek CC, 8

At Columbia: Bob Dolan-Mike Mitchell d. Dirk Schultz-Billy Reed, 2-1; Chris Lamond-Ted Donatelli d. Ken Lampard-Randy Barnes, 3-0; Doug Hurson-Mike Bellaman d. Zach Weber-Charlie Drummond, 2 1/2 – 1/2. At Beaver Creek: Billy Peel-Mike McCarthy d. Scott Raley-Finley Benjamin, 2 1/2 – 1/2; Scott Lamond-Ben O’Neil lost to Bernie Deane-Joe Zdrojewski, 0-3; Marty West-Timmy Conley lost to Chuck Thatcher-Josh Blickenstaff, 0-3.

Baltimore CC 14 1/2, Ocean City Y&CC, 3 1/2

At Baltimore: Pat Coyner-Mike Mulieri d. Buddy Sass-Kyle Gebhart, 3-0; Bob Kaestner-Brandon Luckett d. Naylor Harrison-J.D. Harry, 2 1/2 – 1/2; Kevin Tehan-Andrew Rice d. Nolan Davis-Connor Gebhart, 3-0. At Ocean City: Pat Higgins-Tim Prey lost to Tad Kaufman-Chris Carbaugh, 1-2; Tim Dilli-Jon Steckler d. Danny Parker-Joseph Seft, 2-1; Ryan McCarthy-Pat McCormick, d. Scott Kemrys-Brian Taylor, 3-0.

Quaterfinals April, 19 2015

Baltimore Country Club collected 8 1/2 points at home and defeated Crofton CC, 13 1/2 – 4 1/2, while Columbia CC, Beaver Creek CC, and Ocean City Y&CC each won by the score of 11 1/2 – 6 1/2 defeating respectively, University of Maryland GC; Congressional CC, and Mountain Branch GC in the fourth round of the 92nd Maryland State Team Matches on April 19.

The results set up the two area finals, scheduled for April 25, with Columbia the home team against Beaver Creek in the Washington bracket, and Baltimore at home against Ocean City in the Baltimore Bracket.

BCC, relatively unchallenged in rolling past Hayfields CC, Suburban Club, Piney Branch GC, and Crofton, got 3-0 sweeps at home from Brandon Luckett-Mike Higgins and Kevin Tehan-Andrew Rice, while pro Pat Coyner and member Mike Mulieri led the way at Crofton with a 2 1/2 – 1/2 win over pro Nick Miller and member John Curley.

Baltimore, a third-round loser to Crofton last year, has been a strong contender over the years, with championships as recently as 2008 and 2013. Ocean City, this far in the competition in at least eight years, played all six matches at home, as Mountain Branch had a scheduling conflict which prevented the team from playing on Sunday. Tad Kaufman-Chris Carbaugh and J.P. Parry and Joseph Felt gave the home team 3-0 wins and it had 10 through the first four pairings. Brett Keller-Jim Winner had the best Mountain Branch result with a 3-0 win over Kenton Moyer-Matt Repass.

Chris Lamond-Mike McCarthy had the only 3-0 decision in the Columbia-Maryland match, and the winner presented a balanced attack with 6 1/2 points at home and 5 away. Beaver Creek ended with a similarly balanced effort with 6 at home and 5 1/2 at Congressional. The victors got one 3-0 sweep at each site, as pro Dirk Schultz and member Billy Read stopped John Lyberger-Sam Weaver at Congressional and team captain Bernie Deane and Joe Zdrojewski topped the scorers at home.

Columbia, the overall leader with 11 championships (none since 2002), was last this far in 2009, when it lost in the DC final to Bethesda CC. Since then, it had been to the third round twice and the second round three times. Beaver Creek had a special run going until last year when it lost to eventual DC finalist Waverly Woods. Previously, through a run dating back to 2008, the Western Maryland entry had won and lost in the championship round and made it to the fourth round the other four years.

Round 3 April 18, 2015

Beaver Creek Country Club, a second-round loser to Waverly Woods Golf Club last year, atoned for that misstep April 18 when it squeezed past the Howard County entry, 9 1/2 – 8 1/2, to reach the fourth round of the 92nd Team Matches of the Maryland State Golf Association.

The match featured fine play by each home side, as Beaver Creek got 7 1/2 points in Hagerstown and Waverly Woods collected 7 in Woodstock. For Beaver Creek, Chuck Thatcher-Josh Blickenstaff got 2 1/2 points in the final group at home and the three pairings at Waverly earned 1, 1/2 and 1/2, respectively.

Last year’s loss to Waverly snapped a six-year string of successes that saw Beaver Creek win one title, lose one in a final, reach the fourth round twice and the third round on two other occasions. This was the fifth year of competition for Waverly Woods and after not making it past the first two rounds in its first three, it went to the Washington area final last year before losing to the University of Maryland GC.

In the other Washington third-round matches, the University of Maryland GC defeated Breton Bay CC, 13 1/2 – 4 1/2; Congressional stopped Lakewood’s impressive run, 10-8, and Columbia CC outlasted Manor CC, 10-8.

When Lakewood dropped the Chevy Chase Club, 12-6, last week, it marked its first win in more than eight years. Since 2008, when it did not enter a team, it had lost in the first round six straight times. Columbia, the all-time leader with 11 championships, last won in 2002, and last lost in a State final in 2008. The team appears on the rebound however, as it reached the third round last year before bowing to Waverly Woods and will now play Maryland, the defending Washington area champion, in the fourth round, April 19.

In the Baltimore area, Mountain Branch defeated Maryland Golf & CC, 10-8; Ocean City Y&CC got by Talbot CC, 13-5; Crofton CC defeated CC Maryland, 13-5. and Baltimore CC downed Piney Branch GC, 12-6.

In fourth-round pairings set for April 19 (home team listed first), it will be Columbia-Maryland; Congressional-Beaver Creek; Mountain Branch-Ocean City, and Crofton-Baltimore CC.

Columbia CC got a stiff fight from Manor in Rockville, but the home team could not quite make up for Columbia’s 9-0 sweep at home, with Chris Lamond-Tim Connley applying the final sweep. At Manor, Columbia got 1/2 point in two matches — from Richard Holland-Billy Peel, IV, and Marty West-Colin St. Maxens .

Round 2 April 12, 2015

Mountain Branch GC stopped Rolling Road GC’s string of victories at seven, as it gave the Catonsville club a dose of its own medicine in route to a 12 1/2 – 5 1/2 win in the second round of the annual Maryland State Golf Association Team Matches. Long noted for success at home, Rolling Road was the victim of a 9-0 sweep at Mountain Branch while getting only 5 1/2 points at home.

Although the first two rounds often see a weeding-out process by the perennial contenders, several of them were severely tested, none more so than 10-time champion Congressional CC, which had to go overtime to outlast The Golf Club at South River after the two teams had tied 9-9 in regulation.

Woodholme CC, normally sent away in the first round, not only defeated Greystone in its first match, but took favored CC of Maryland to the wire before being edged, 9 1/2- 8 1/2. This was the same margin by which Maryland Golf squeezed past the Naval Academy GC.

At the other end of the spectrum, eleven-time champion Columbia CC opened with a 17 1/2 – 1/2 win against Norbeck CC, then moved along with a 15 1/2 – 2 1/2 decision over Woodmont. Baltimore CC also won its second-round pairing by the same score, beating the Suburban Club.

BCC’s victory sets up an intriguing third-round matchup with Piney Branch GC, an easy 14-4 victor over Towson Golf. The last eight years have produced a series of ups and downs for Piney Branch, as it has had first-round losses to top seeds Baltimore (twice) and Rolling Road, the event’s eventual winners. Last year, the Carroll County club made it to the Baltimore region semifinals before losing to Rolling Road.

This time, Piney Branch racked up two 3-0 wins on its way to an 8-1 edge at home thanks to Mike Stokes-Ben Lukehart and Drew Outten-Charlie Palmer. At Eagle’s Nest. The first two teams split, 1 1/2 – 1 1/2, before Andy Carroll-Craig Walker went 3-0.

In the Washington half of the draw, Columbia was joined by, among others, the University of Maryland GC, a losing finalist a year ago, Beaver Creek CC and Breton Bay CC, former champions within the last decade, and relative newcomer Waverly Woods GC, which lost to Maryland in the DC final a year ago.

Two rounds this weekend (April 18-19) will reduce the original 66-team field to just four for the region finals on April 25, with the championship pairing on April 26.

Round 1 April 11, 2015

Danny Michalek knocked in a 15-foot birdie putt on the fifth extra hole and Turf Valley CC advanced past Cattail Creek CC to highlight the opening round of the annual Team Matches of the Maryland State Golf Association. The two teams had tied 9-9 in the regulation round, with each side getting 5 1/2 points at home, 3 1/2 away.

Defending champion Rolling Road GC advanced with a 12 1/2 – 5 1/2 decision over Green Spring, while finalist University of Maryland edged National GC at Tantallon, 10-8.

Eleven-time champion Columbia CC defeated Norbeck, 17 1/2 – 1/2 in the day’s most one-sided match, while other perennial contenders moving along included Waverly Woods GC, Crofton CC, Mountain Branch GC, and Baltimore CC.

The second round will be played April 12, with play to continue over the following two weekends.

-Reported by John Stewart
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