Washington scored in all six matches — including a pair of 3-0 sweeps — to power past Baltimore, 12 1/2 – 5 1/2, in their 58th annual team match at Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, September 6. The event is sponsored and conducted by the Maryland State Golf Association and Washington now leads in the series, 39-19.
The shutouts were authored by Keith Unikel-Colin St. Maxens and Brandon Cigna-Alex Hoffman.

Unikel, from Congressional, and St. Maxens, from Columbia CC, combined for nine birdies, no bogeys in finishing 7 under par (they birdied the same hole twice) in beating Tucker Sampson, from Caves Valley GC, and Will Shriver, from the Green Spring Hunt Club. Play was over the championship Blue Course, played at 7.278 yards to a par of 36-36–72 (No. 11 was played as a par-5 at 507 yards). They finished 2 up for each nine.
Cigna, from the CC at Woodmore, and Hoffman, from Beaver Creek CC, also had seven birdies in stopping the Baltimore CC entry of Ryan McCarthy-Patrick McCormick. The winners made quick work of the front nine and match points, going 5 up after six holes and turning 5 up. McCarthy-McCormick won the 15th to go all square, but Cigna remedied that situation quickly with birdies at 16-17 for another 2 up decision.

Two matches were halved. Lakewood CC’s Nick Sorkin-Michael Meyer were even across the board — front nine, back nine, match) with former Loyola University Maryland teammates Matt Bassler, Rolling Road GC, and Michael Mulieri, Baltimore CC. Sorkin helped his side with an eagle-3 at the 11th when he hit his second shot to within three feet of the hole.

Columbia’s Marty West, 66, who has been playing in this event since the early 1970’s, and Ben Brundred, Congressional CC, split the Senior pairing with Mike Occi, Hobbit’s Glen GC, and john Howson, Pine Ridge GC. Occi and Howson sandwiched birdies at Nos. 7 and 9 around one from West, and turned 2-up. That was still the margin through 13 when West took matters into his own hands, running off a four-hole string of birdies (Nos. 14-17, one a 20-footer, the other three from about 8-10 feet). The result was one 2-up margin apiece and a halved match.

Joe Scheffres, Woodmont CC-Ryan Tendall, Congressional, used a front-nine 2-up edge as a springboard to a 2 1/2 – 1/2 triumph over Kyle Gebhart, Ocean City GC, and David Nocar, Chartwell CC, as the two sides split the back nine. Ray Sheedy, from Greystone GC, and Billy Wingerd, Mountain Branch GC, won the front, 2 up from Josh Eure, Crofton CC, and Pete DeTemple, Breton Bay G&CC, but the latter pair won the back, 1 up, giving the Baltimore side the match point and a 2-1 verdict.

MSGA vice-presidents Tom Whelan (Manor CC) and Stan Klinefelter (Elkridge Club) served as captains of Washington and Baltimore, respectively.
-Reported by John Stewart from Congressional CC