At the Champion’s Club some were calling for Joe to gracefully step aside. George was saying he did not look the same as he did last season. When he carded a 9 on the third hole at Greentree some elders said Joe was past his prime, no longer fit for the Tour. There was even rumbling about whether or not he should remain in the Presidency. Of course in the lobby was a shrine, a head shot of his daughter Stephanie, cropped from THE picture in the 2022 News Blog Breaking the Glass Ceiling.  While the Girl Scouts were totally enthralled by her abilities and cried when she left, despite her considerable intellect, many of the elders stated She could not replace Joe. 

Ticket sales for the special Stocker Norwegian Cruise had been relatively slow until Phil dropped a nasty par on 6 and shot a 49 on the front at Atlantis. Only Marc Bohan and Andy Swanson placed a lower gross on the Scorecard and not by much! With his handicap, he was so far ahead of the field that Vegas odds on a Stocker victory dropped down to an even money bet as the bucks were flowing in. The cruise was sold out midway through the back. Like everyone else he had his share of less than ideal swings, but he did send some very nice drives with distance into play. 

There was a cool breeze coming off the ocean, very pleasantly moderating the heat wave. The track was long and as the wind increased intensity, club selection became problematic. The putting surfaces seemed slower on the course than on the practice green. Even the best on the tour missed putts normally well within their range.  A record twenty,  sevens, were dropped before it was over. Indeed, Marc Bohan was in danger of hitting a gross score of 90, when his big drive faded right, fairly deep into the forest,  on 17. When they found the ball the path to the fairway was clearly blocked by 25 yards of red cedar. Pierre at Le Petit Café gasped, uttering “He’s in Jail.” Andy Swanson with a lot more experience hitting out of the woods assumed the role of caddy. He expanded Marc’s consciousness suggesting going out in the other direction towards the 11th hole green. Marc did, got on in four and two putted for a bogey helping him beat Andy by one stroke for low gross on the back.  Marc ended in a net tie with a slew of other players. With the tie breaking lower handicap he finished fourth.  Both he and Andy, who finished 3rd, moved up in the standings. 

The return of William Tiberius Finger from the short sojourn on the Myrtle Beach circuit, sparked enlivened enthusiasm in the Hofbräuhaus. The patrons loved chanting The Hammer in unison. When Bill connected in play, he outdrove everybody. He was challenging Phil for the lead early and fans love to also say his best shots are Stockerest.  In his early days Phil would out drive LZ and OB and Jeff Spickler using a 7 wood. On this day William Tiberius was unable to keep up the torrid Stocker pace. One of Bill’s furthest drives flew the fairway left,  cleared the trees,  and it was commented that it ended up in a golf course home swimming pool. Albrecht successfully petitioned to get Finger the opportunity to make up the Greentree Tournament to keep him in contention for Rookie of the Year and the Final Four. 

Phil Stocker’s lead was substantial over most of the field, but Joe Champion was in striking distance and his drives were consistently long and in play. Both however could see Andy Swanson chipping away strokes. He and John Larson were in a classic battle of Power Drives thrilling the spectators. With them,  Marc Bohan was dazzling with displays of his artistic game, but Atlantis with swirling wind was a challenge for everybody and the putts were tricky. Only Marc, John and Phil broke 50 on the front. 

Joe’s presidential predecessor claimed to have first made the statement, “Golf is a game that is played on a five-inch course – the distance between your ears.” While the Investigtive Reporter understands the quote is about confidence and the avoidance of negative thinking, OCAGA Fact Checking attributes the quote to Bobby Jones. None-the-less, with each drive Joe Champion’s confidence was climbing. He was playing LZ pretty even and in a tight battle with Phil Stocker. Of course, Andy Swanson has been exuding confidence for several tournaments now and believes he can send the ball virtually anywhere with his trusty 3 wood. He payed the back 9, one stroke more than Marc and one better than Michael and finished the final three holes better than the whole field. Once again, he just ran out of holes, finishing one stroke from the winner’s circle.   Joe climbed from 7 strokes behind to within a stroke by the sixteenth hole. He picked up for three over par on seventeen, while Phil putted in for three over. Joe caught Phil on eighteen for a net 76 taking the win by virtue of lower handicap.  Norwegian Cruise Lines immediately issued a statement that the 3 over rule, new this season, cost Phil Stocker the Victory. The course played tough for everyone requiring significant effort to remain focused prompting the question of why a pure 3 over par is not a tiebreaker over a pickup. Joe,  a fairly humble President, acknowledged Phil’s effort and asked the rules committee to figure something out.    

With plenty to play, John Larson and Andy Swanson are now strong favorites to make the Final Four, even money on the VEGAS Line. Lazarchick, MacGregor, Champion, Kissinger and Bohan are poised to fight it out for the other two spots. Stocker, Fleming and Finger are just a win away from contention.  

Points Tour Player     

110 Larson, John
101 Swanson, Andy
88 Lazarchick, Michael
84 MacGregor, Keith

83 Champion, Joe
83 Kissinger, Dave
81 Bohan, Marc
64 Stocker, Phil
56 Finger, William Tiberius
48 Flemming, Wayne
30 Antczak, Rich
24 Borillo, Ed
24 O’Brien, Mike

SCATS

Marc Bohan and John Larson shared the profits from the smallest SCATS purse of the season with 5 others who each got one. 

Next        VINEYARDS NATIONAL AT RENAULT     Wednesday July 31st    First Tee time  8:54