Michael C. Lazarchick, the Doctor, aka LZ, the nickname bestowed by his buddy Phil Stocker, had played a masterful season. Mike Unger had started the season with a 1^st and 2^nd in the first three tournaments and the point lead. The Doctor shot a blazing 37 on the front at the Vineyards only to watch Glenn Hamm almost duplicate the effort on the back. Both Hamm and Unger edged him out of a win. At Emerald Links however, only Charlie Ranucci kept him from the winners circle and then at Golden Pheasant Tommy Hunt took him by a stroke earned on the 17^th hole. But, close was good enough to take over the point lead in the regular season and he would not relinquish the lead after the Pleasant. Scotty Shaw got close when he humbled Green Tree with the best low gross (78) all year on the OCAGA Tour.

Now on his fifth trip to Championship Play, LZ held the record with 4 second place finishes. He was so very good at coming in second both in the finals and during the regular season. The Doctor was viewed by many as the best veteran on the tour who had not won a Championship. He was a minor figure at the Polish American Tavern with a few fans, while the legendary 5 time Champion, Art Czachorowski, was Saintly and Scotty Shaw had all the young male and female fans. LZ would give Mike Unger 10 Strokes. Scotty Shaw who had giving up a stroke beating LZ in his last attempt was now getting a stroke. Glen Hamm who put him away in the attempt prior giving a stroke, was now also getting a stroke. Winning the Regular Season Point title was nice. On Championship Sunday however, they started all even, playing 18 holes, counting handicaps!

Greate Bay (Course Hole by Hole) was a chilly 56 degrees with gusting wind. LZ preferred warm and calm. He wore long underwear thinking he could always peal down if it warmed. Actually, he would play wearing a jacket well into the back nine. Hamm suggested a side bet and they agreed on $5 for a Greenie and $1 for Nasties (in the cup from off the green), Sandys (out of the sand and in the hole in 2) or Birdies.

Scotty Shaw was the first to tee off. No one was looking. Hamm and Unger sent the ball down the right side just off the fair way. LZ with his two wood, hit the ball down the middle. The foursome searched for Scotty’s drive, left and right, up and down, no where to be found. Scotty re-teed. He sent a beauty down the left side and followed with a shot 3 feet from the cup. LZ was on in 2 and found par. Hamm and Unger made bogey with Shaw. Shaw grumbled it would have been Birdie if that first ball had not disappeared! Okay, thought LZ, I am even with Shaw and Hamm, good start.

The 2nd hole, number one handicap, was further shielded by a fierce wind directly in the face of the competitors. Mike Unger was deadly. Drove the ball beautifully, approached the green well and dropped the bogey. Lazarchick and Shaw took a six and Hamm settled for seven. LZ and Shaw agreed if he continues like this, Unger will be tough to beat.

On 3, Unger hit the ball left of the par three. LZ hit the green, but Shaw edged him for the greenie. Hamm was just short of the green. Shaw and Lazarchick missed the birdies and took par. Hamm and Unger made bogey.

Lazarchick did not get his driver around on 4 and feared he may have made the road. Shaw blasted a beauty down the middle. Hamm topped the ball and Mike Unger sliced one right over the trees, over the street, into someone’s front yard. LZ was safe and sent a decent shot out of the trees. Shaw won the hole with a Bogey. Hamm and LZ took a double. Unger got his first snowman.

The wind was again strong in their face on the 5^th. It took LZ 3 shots to get close to the green. He chipped well and made bogey. Hamm took a 6, Scotty and Mike struggled to seven.

On 6, Lazarchick hit a strong drive too close to the trees on the left dropping the ball straight down very short.  Glenn Hamm exploded a drive with a sweet draw down the center of the fair way. Shaw hit the ball down the left side of the fairway into a trap. Lazarchick limped home to double. Shaw and Unger took 6. Glenn was just short in two, chipped up nicely and dropped the Birdie on the par 5.

Hamm lead of with a mighty blast on 7. Unger drove the ball left. Shaw was not quite as left, but long enough to make yet another bunker. He had lost strokes early from the sand, but now was becoming deadly. He would take a wood, long out of this trap in play. Lazarchick was down the middle but way short of Hamm’s blast. Shaw and Unger and Lazarchick were all on the green in four looking at long downhill putts. Hamm was pin high in the rough in 3. Both Unger and Shaw flew by the hole with their putts. Lazarchick watching their lines dropped 5 with a sweet curving 20 footer. Hamm was short out of the rough and settled for 5. It was a big save for LZ , draining a little dazzle out of Hamm’s growing energy.

On 8, Hamm cut the center of the fairway long with a draw. Shaw commented that Glenn was now on his game. LZ nodded in agreement. Hamm’s Beer took a quick spike on the stock market! Glenn would hit the green and two putt for an easy par. Unger was respectable with a bogey. Shaw played another sand trap and saved a six. Lazarchick missed another short putt and took 6.

On the way to nine Scotty told LZ that the match had tightened up significantly. Glenn drove the ball right of the par 3, 9th. Unger came up short into the pond. Lazarchick hit a high one down the right side of the green and a slight fade and heavy wind took it into the rough. Scotty hit into the rough just off the left side of the green closest to the pin, but not on. Glenn’s chip hit the green but rolled well past the hole giving LZ a read of the contour and distance. He chipped in a sweet Nasty Birdie. It was huge!!! Scotty dropped three strokes when his chip flew by the hole and he could only save 5. Glenn lost 2 with a bogey. Mike dropped 3 with a devastating 6. After nine, LZ was at 44. Glenn was at 45. Scotty had 50 and Mike Unger was still in a small lead counting handicap with a 52.

On 10, LZ used 2 wood. It was time to be in play, if not so long. He reflected on Glenn Hamm’s words about success. Play your game and wait for the others to blow up. Both Hamm and Shaw flew over LZ’s drive by a good 25 yards. LZ sent a beauty onto the green pin high left. Hamm chunked his shot short. Scotty was in another bunker, but this time sent a beauty into the left rough just off the green, pin high. Hamm played the hole straight, but short, short and finally in for 6. Mike played the course down the right side finally into a bunker and also took a six. Scotty chipped a beauty and dropped par. LZ missed another makeable putt and settled for 5. Scotty did not look like he was going to blow up. Hamm looked as if his energy had been drained.

Scotty’s drive on 11 was absolutely beautiful and very long. LZ used driver and was sorry as it sliced right, into the trees. Hamm was even farther right into the heavy brush and would need to drop. Art Czachorowski showed up with a cold and a sore shoulder. He asked who was winning and now it was LZ. Art would follow the foursome for several holes. The old guard at the tavern let everyone else know these challengers were lucky Art was not in the finals! Mike struggled all the way to a snowman , as did Hamm. Scotty was almost perfect, lipping out a Birdie and taking the easy par. LZ would give him another 2 strokes, dropping 6.

Scotty’s drive on the tough par 4 was perfect, a nice draw, long and within the 150 pole. LZ used 2 wood and landed safe just short of the 150 pole but resting in a divot, partially filled with sand. Both Hamm and Unger faded right into the tree line. With wind in his face LZ decided to play his 22 degree hybrid. He was 163 yards from the green with water on the left and a long bunker on the right. He would need a strong perfect shot to make the green. He was not willing to go up to his fairway wood and risk a chunk or giant fade. A near perfect swing straight, landed the ball just on the front edge. Scotty was focused making a charge, now just 2 strokes down, in position to stick the green. Not enough club and a slight slice, left him in the front bunker. His sand shot went up the hill, a costly error. He took a 5 while LZ two putted for a par. Both Hamm and Unger took 6 and were clearly out of the race. Art smiled at LZ with a “this could be your year grimace.”

The card said the pin was in the front playing 133 yards. At the hole they would see it was in the back a lot closer to 150. LZ came up short in front of the left bunker. Shaw went into the bunker. Hamm would take the greenie just getting on 13. Unger would struggle all the way to 6 strokes. Hamm 3 putted. Scotty got out and also made a 4 with a beautiful putt. LZ was now clearly focused. He took his sand wedge over the bunker to six feet and dropped a perfect center cup par. There was a slight fist pump as he gained back another stroke. Only the faithful at the Tavern noticed.

LZ used driver on 14, one of few holes with favorable back wind, pulling the ball too close to a small tree. Unger and Shaw found the fairway, Shaw with a monstrous drive. Hamm was off to the right. LZ with an awkward stance could not get the chip past the heavy rough and took a third shot that caught the club advancing the ball only to 135 out, still just off the fairway, and not as far as Scotty’s drive. He took a deep breath. He needed to avoid disaster. He had lost too many championships with late blow-ups. The swing with 7 iron was smooth. He played a slight fade to hit the hill on right side of the green, knowing the tendency of roll right to the pin. It was beautiful, just 6 feet long, leaving a downhill putt, providing a chance for Bogey. Shaw hit a beauty which fell short of the green. He couldn’t believe it. He thought he hit a perfect shot. He chipped long and two putted for 5. LZ could not drop the saving putt and gave back a stroke. Shaw knew he missed an opportunity. LZ was pleased. It could have been a lot worse!

With a par on 14, Mike Unger lead off on 15 and drove a long one into the bunker in the right center of the par 5 fairway. Scotty Shaw blasted his drive over that same bunker. Hamm missed the drive short left, clearly no longer focused. LZ tried driver again and this time sent a perfect shot just past the bunker into the middle of the fairway. His subsequent fairway wood attempt was behind the ball, opened the face, delivering a slice heading out of bounds. Better to be lucky than good sometimes, the ball hit a ridge on the far side of the cart path and bounced back in play. Scotty told him he was very lucky and commented again about his own overabundance of unlucky shots. Both he and Scotty would finish with bogeys. LZ was 3 up with 3 to play.

Into the wind to a pin 109 yards away, LZ used an 8 iron to fall on the left side of the green pin high. He would get the greenie. Scotty drove straight for the pin but it died and he just got on the front edge. Unger was left of the green and Hamm topped the ball into the waste sand. Shaw’s putt just moved right at the end and he tapped in par. LZ watched his putt go long and turn right well past the hole. He dropped a stroke taking a 4. 2 up with 2 to play. They were on the edge of their seats at the Polish American Tavern. It was an all Polish finish, one, two! The young studs boasted that “Doctor 2^nd Place” would blow another one. But the loyal older crowd quietly toasted to a new year of destiny.

Shaw blasted his drive long, but it faded into the tree line. LZ retired the driver. He sent his trusted two wood straight down the middle. He slightly topped his fairway wood losing distance but staying down the middle. Scotty planned to hit out on the fairway and slice the ball towards the hole. Too far right, he sent the ball through a group of tree missing them all, “Wow was I lucky!” He and LZ were almost equal distances from the green. LZ made the green in 3. Scotty hit the green, but the ball bounced off the back into the rough. Scotty’s chip flew by the hole and left a long putt. LZ took a deep breath and lagged close to the hole and would deliver a center cup 4 footer. Scotty lipped out 5 and tapped in six. 3 up with 1 to go. The hole was the best for Mike Unger. A monster drive followed by a second shot into the bunker gave an opportunity for skillful play. Up and down, Mike took a Sandy. As they exited the green he lamented it was too little too late.

There would be no disaster on this day. LZ comfortably sent his 2 wood drive down the right side of the fairway with a few overhanding branches blocking a straight shot to the pin. Scotty sliced over the trees into the next fairway. LZ used a three iron to fade around the trees, into the center of the fairway. Not the time for caution, Scotty ignored the trees and sent a beauty through them all to within 100 yards of the green. He hit the green in three about 15 feet from the cup. LZ was cautious, chipping onto the green, leaving a long uphill putt. Not enough power, the subsequent putt stopped well short and turned off left. Scotty said he wanted to apply at least some pressure. His putt was a beauty but hit the cup with just a tad too much speed and lipped out. Too much sand for Scotty and too many lip outs. It was over. He casually missed the return and putted in 6. LZ gently two putted for a 3 stroke win. Dr. Michael C. Lazarchick had beaten the best the league had to offer. Finally, he was League Champion!

The Hanko Memorial drew the smallest field in OCAGA History. Marc Bohan, Glen Chabotar and David Hunt easily defeated Phil Stocker and Tommy Hunt. David Hunt had an awesome day driving the ball long. Glen delivered two of the par threes. The winners made two bogeys and a birdie on 18 for a 71. Stocker and Hunt dropped three Birdies, but shorter drives opened the door to bogies and a final 78.