Congressional CC
Hunt Valley GC
Skip Tendall, from Congressional Country Club, still recovering from a broken wrist of a couple of weeks ago, tapped in a short par putt on the 18th green to win the hole, draw level for the side, and lift CCC to a 6 1/2 – 5 1/2 victory over Hunt Valley Country Club in the 20th Senior Team Matches sponsored and conducted by the Maryland State Golf Association.
Each team dominated at home, as Congressional swept both pairings for six points, and Hunt Valley got all of its 5 1/2. In Bethesda, George Mavrikes-Bob Feinstein defeated John Barnes-John Pipitone and Ben Brundred-Gary Malapy stopped Larry Sheets-Steve Grem.
At Hunt Valley, members from each club declared, “We didn’t make the putts we needed to make,” although Gavin Stringer made a clutch putt on the 17th hole to preserve a 1-up Hunt Valley lead. However, he gave it right back at the last hole when his putt from just outside Tendall’s — four feet — slid off. As is the case with basketball free throws and football extra points, misses at the end are magnified out of proportion and no one remembers the good things done earlier.
Until that point, Stringer and partner Mark Coburn had nursed a 1-up lead down the back nine after turning 2 up and losing the par-3 10th. Coburn also had a chance to restore the 2-up lead, but missed a short putt at the 15th.
While one match went to the last hole, last putt, Hunt Valley’s Tom Grem and Jim Biggar had an easier time with Clay Fitzgerald and Gary Hann, winning the front, 3 up, and the back 2 up. All the winning Hunt Valley holes but one were won with birdies, the exception being a 15-footer for par at the ninth by Grem. Biggar led the assault with five birdies, including a pair of 20-foot putts. And Hann countered with, “It was a struggle. We just didn’t get those putts we needed.”
This marked Congressional’s fourth title, it’s first since 2014. Its last appearance in the final was in 2016, when it lost to Hunt Valley, 8-4. The Washington area entry had four members of that team, while Hunt Valley had seven, including three repeat pairings. This was the fourth final in five years for Hunt Valley, following titles in 2015-16-18.
To reach the final, Congressional, after a first-round bye, defeated Bethesda, Beaver Creek, and Breton Bay, and Hunt Valley, after a first-round bye, defeated Greystone, Winters Run, and Baltimore.
For all match results click here.
Reported by John Stewart
