BY DAVE McCALLUM
MMG Champions
On a day of clutch playoff hole golf that could rival a Sunday PGA tournament duel, the pair of Joe McNeal and Ken Farrall outlasted Todd French and Jimmy Clingan in a five-hole playoff thriller to capture the inaugural Southern Delaware Golf Club Member-Member/Guest tournament Sunday afternoon.
McNeal and Farrall who got a shot on the long 446-yard, par-4 18th hole, with the handicap system being used for the tournament, carded a net par four, while French and Clingan could do no better than bogey fives after each missing long par chances to send the title match to a sixth and decisive playoff.
“I am over the moon,” said McNeal in describing the feeling of winning the first Member-Member/Guest tournament. “I absolutely love this course and to win with my friend Ken is just amazing.”
While the final hole seemed slightly anti-climactic, it was the fireworks on the previous two playoff holes that will be remember most on the damp, overcast Milford skies. After each team halved the first playoff hole (No. 1), the excitement began on the par-5, 530-yard eighth hole.
With both Clingan and French on the putting surface with third shots and each with a birdie chance, Farrall’s third shot was just short of the green with 25 feet of fringe and green between him and the cup.
After eyeing up the situation, Farrall went with his putter and what a choice it was, as the ball made a beeline on the uphill slope and disappeared gently into the cup for a birdie. Clingan and French then both missed their birdie opportunities to send the title match to the par-3, ninth hole.
“It was sitting up and I was going to chip it,” Farrall said, “but, I said, ‘you know what, I can roll this’ and as it was rolling, I said, ‘it’s got a chance’ and it disappeared [into the cup].”
The eighth hole drama was just the appetizer to festivities on the ninth green, with McNeal the only one to find the putting surface some 15 feet behind the hole and Clingan missing to the left of the green and French who was short of the green, which put the pressure was on the latter pair to respond. And what a response it was, Clingan who pitched to within 20 feet to the right of the flag, drained a sidehill putt for par to squarely sent the pressure back to McNeal who had left his birdie attempt six feet short of the cup.
“I was trying not to think too much and just get up there and look at the putt and then make it,” McNeal said. “It’s easy to overthink stuff, so just get in there, don’t let it get in your head and make the putt.”
The clutch par putt sent the title match to the fifth and deciding hole where McNeal and Farrall were able to close out the match.
“We also want to make sure we say this, ‘Jimmy (Clingan) and Todd (French) are great golfers,” McNeal said. “They hit some great shots today (Sunday). We played the par-3 tournament Friday with them, so we know how good they are.”
Southern Delaware Golf Club golf director and pro Stewart Fisher was ecstatic with the first Member-Member/Guest tournament weekend.
“The guys were fantastic,” he said. “It was a great finish to the tournament and the weather worked out for us. It was looking like a rough weekend of weather, but it held out for us to get everything completed.”
“The course is in great shape, so thank you to Bill (Kupfer, head of agronomy) and his crew, so I couldn’t be much happier.”
As for what he’ll remember most about the weekend, Fisher pointed to being around the participants.
“Just engaging with the guys (members) and guests that played who I hadn’t met,” he said. “I was very happy and thankful that they came out and played, as well as working with my assistant pro Caden (Stanley).”
The next club event is the inaugural club championship which will be held Oct. 11 through Oct. 13, followed by a Ryder Cup-style event on Oct. 25 through Oct. 27. Sign ups can be done at the SGDC pro shop during normal business hours.
The battle for third place also went to extra holes where Ed Gronske and Doug Johnston outlasted the Rogan brothers, Ched and Bob, which had to be decided in a chip-off on the extra hole.
The closest to the pin awards on Sunday went to Michael Barnard on No. 4, Michael Hughes on No. 9, McNeal on No. 10, French on No. 13 (1 foot) and Farrall on No. 16.
In Saturday’s two-man scramble, the pair of Clingan and French led the way with an opening round six-under 64, with Rich Recicar and TJ Austin a shot back after an opening day 65. McNeal and Farrall were four shots back with a two-under 68. There were two teams in with opening round 69s—Barnard and Matt Thompson, along with Gronske and Johnston.
The brothers Rogans shot an even-par 70, as did Hughes and Tim Marvel.
In Friday’s par-three tournament, the Rogan siblings won the nine-hole event with a net score of 18.9. The pair shot a gross score of 28 on SDGC’s front nine. The tournament featured the course’s two par-3s (No. 4 and No. 9) on the front nine, with the remaining seven holes having various par- 3 distances to test the teams.
The team of McNeal and Farrall took second place with a score of 20.6, with their gross score being a 31. Barnard and Thompson finished third with a 20.8, with a gross of 28. The final scores were determined by each team’s handicaps.
In the closest to the pin contests, Clingan and Thompson each took honors on two holes. Clingan on No. 2 and No. 8, while Thompson was closest on No. 4 (one of the true par-3s) and No. 7, French took honors on No. 1, Marvel won No. 3, Farrall topped the contestants on No. 5 and Ched Rogan won No. 9.
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