Ocean City Amateur Golf Association

On the Promenade between the Irish Pub and Hofbräuhaus, the Girl Scouts were performing an anti-rain dance. They were thrilled with the anticipation of Sue Cummings and Ruthann Finger playing in the tournament. Sue decided it was too wet, but Ruthann came and she put on a show.  She played the opening back well,  keeping pace with husband Bill,  eliciting rousing cheers. The Haus had currywurst, sausages, pretzels and Black Forest Gateau on special with Bitburger Premium Pils on tap .  By the time the group moved to the front nine there were more women in the Haus than men.  Ruthann shaved off four strokes from her first 9 hole score ending in a tie with LZ for a third place finish. She was beaming with Energy and Joy. The Scouts were enthralled.  Because it was her first tournament, her finish did not affect the points Bill or Marc Bohan earned, but she beat them both handedly. Ruthann put to rest any lingering thoughts about women not being able to compete with the men on the Tour.

It was one of those days when everything was working for John Larson. He entered elite territory with a 4 over par gross 75 at Centerton. His confidence grew with every swing and the game became easy. Only Marc Bohan has scored so low. Marc hit a three over par 75 at Avalon setting the modern OCAGA record. More recently Marc had back to back gross 78 scores,  at White Oaks and then the Vineyards. The only other current player to break 80 in an OCAGA Tournament is Michael Lazarchick with a 78 at Emerald Links and 77 at Golden Pheasant, both before he moved to the senior tees. While Marc at Avalon and LZ at the Pheasant did not win their tournaments,  John won by 5 strokes and set a new personal record for most regular season points at 177.  Immediately after the tournament Marc Bohan proclaimed John the heavy favorite in the finals.

A few hours earlier, players drove through light rain en route to the Centerton Tournament.  Even though the forecast was questionable, the veterans knew that when a course is open,  the decision to play would be on site on the day of the tournament. At the Polish American Tavern, Donaldeusz was complaining about the chaos he blamed on the League Secretary.  He argued that everyone who did not respond to the email reminder should have received a  text and on the day of the tournament. At minimum,  he felt all new players and old players should have received a day of event  morning contact.  He felt the  late health issue cancellation by OB should have been anticipated.  Of course Stanislaw and Kashmir were confused by the split screen TV showing the lineup with three groups of three,  going off the back,  and the one foursome starting on the front. Barmaid Agnieszka was now in a virtual tie if not ahead of Donaldeusz in the run for the Promenade Business Association Presidency. She was explaining how well both The Doctor and Ruthann were playing, infuriating “The Donald” who proclaimed he knew more about golf and could play better than any girl, anywhere, anytime. Agnie shushed him and he stormed out.

At Le Petite Café Pierre had only the foursome up on the TV. While John was in the finals, Marc, Keith, and Dave were fighting for the fourth seed. Dave Birdied the first hole but quickly fell off the blazing pace of John. Marc was with him only through three, one over par.  John would turn the corner with 5 pars and a ninth hole birdie placing a sweet 37 on the scorecard. With 5 bogies and a 41, Marc was not happy.  With a 45 and 47 Keith and Dave were in contention. Marc opened 10 & 11, four over par while the three others were 2 over combined. Marc and Dave, both really needing to win to make the Final Four. It was becoming clear there just would not be enough available points. With his new driver and relatively short, forgiving fairways, John was crushing the ball, dropping putts, expanding his lead. Keith MacGregor, if not quite as impressive as John, was still playing awesome. Both Marc and Dave felt the chance of the Final Four slipping away.

After skipping and not making up, the Westwood Tournament, Andy Swanson was still nearly impossible to catch. Two people in contention would need to beat Larson, Lazarchick and Cummings. One would need to win the tournament. Taking  the par three for points coupled with  Andy finishing last made it mathematically possible.   Phil Stocker, winner of the 2022 Centerton Tournament with a gross 86, was driving with Andy. Dan Swanson was their third. Putts would not drop. Only  Andy  managed to break 100. Within seconds Swanson’s health food products, soared on the stock market. AI determined that he at least beat those two and late in the match, no contenders were in position to actually win the tournament.  

The Irish Pub was serving Stew with freshly baked Soda Bread. Both Guinness and O’Hara’s Pale Ale were on tap. The female patrons seem to favor Half and Half. Clodagh, the new barmaid, explained that It is not called Black and Tan because of the negative connotations. The Royal Irish Constabulary Reserve Force, nicknamed the “Black and Tans“, was sent into Ireland in the early 1920s to quell the Irish War of Independence.  Lots of women were also in the Pub, including Fiadh’s growing prayer group.  OB, a late cancellation,  once again was not healthy enough to play. However, Jim Cummings was sizzling hot in his last nine holes and posted the low gross 36 for nine holes, igniting the crowd. Jim Barnes was also stimulating, delivering an impressive OCAGA First Tournament. In their recent Pinelands League battle, Jim, a significant Vegas underdog came from behind and tied LZ  by winning  the last hole of competition. 

With Larson, Cummings and Lazarchick finishing one, two,three, only Bill Finger, Keith MacGregor and Joe Champion, coming in very close in points, had a chance to make the finals. Keith did take fourth in the tournament one stroke better than Marc Bohan with a net 71, even par for the course. Bill and Joe tied with net 72. Joe however hit the Closest to the Pin on #12 the shortest par three. The three extra points put him in the Final Four.

FINAL POINTS

• 177 Larson, John
• 154 Lazarchick, Michael
• 135 Swanson, Andy
• 134 Champion, Joe
• xxxxxxxxxx
• 133 MacGregor, Keith
• 131 Finger, Bill
• 129 Bohan, Marc
• 119 Kissinger, Dave
• 73 Stocker, Phil
• 33 Cummings, Jim
• 24 Swanson.Dan
• 21 Finger, Ruthann
• 12 Barnes Jim

RESULTS

SCORECARD

SCATS

Marc Bohan becomes SCATMAN OF THE YEAR winning the most SCAT $, ending with the highest overall winnings. Joe Champion continued adding to his lifetime OCAGA RECORD total of Closest to the Pin.

CHAMPIONSHIP GREATE BAY COUNTRY CLUB THURSDAY OCTOBER 27TH 11:12 am

It was a delightful day. The cooler morning air with a slight breeze was quite refreshing. The fairways looked beautiful and the putting green was fast.  At  the Polish American Tavern Stanislaw and Donaldeusz watched the Doctor hit his opening drive with distance and a slight draw straight down the left side of the fairway, safe from the large menacing tree that appeared to be blocking access to the par five green. It was a new venue for the OCAGA Tour, so they were unaware that the tree was far beyond LZs driving distance.  A wood and short iron later, he was putting six feet uphill for Birdie. They groaned when the ball stopped one half inch from dropping in the center of the cup. Donaldeusz told Stanislaw that Czach always aimed past the hole because they never drop if you do not reach the cup. He was the current very conservative President of the Promenade Management Association and a long time critic of LZ, especially when Lazarchick supported President Joe Champion allowing women to compete. He was infuriated when Stephanie Champion was able to out drive Art Czachorowski playing from the same tee box. Donaldeusz inherited considerable money from his father who owned a lot of property before the Promenade was renovated. There was an unconfirmed rumor that his father “bought” his son a Vietnam deferment for bone spurs from a doctor tenant. Donaldeusz called LZ and other veterans Suckers and Losers, with the exception of Art, the Five Time OCAGA Champion who was quite politically conservative. Meanwhile, the Girl Scouts were selling home made “happy” cookies, fundraising for a winter trip to Arizona. They took every little opportunity to Chant, Richie Richie He’s Too Cute. Even when he missed a shot and grimaced, they vocalized with gentler melodic consoling tones. Richie Antczak was in his last local outing before returning out West and Andy Swanson was a guest on the Tour Across the Pond.

The Hoffbrauhaus was again rocking with joy. When Bill Finger finally clobbered a drive into play, in unison,  they loudly proclaimed,  William Tiberius, The Hammer!  By making up the Green Tree Tournament  he missed while on the Mrytle Beach Tour, Bill elevated himself into the battle for the Final Four. The patrons were ecstatic when John Larson played the first four holes Par, Par, Par, Birdie. The rivalry with Lazarchick was clearly now a sub plot every tournament. After winning Rookie of the Year, finishing with the highest Regular Season Point Total, while he fell to OB in the Championship he did beat LZ. He has a big lead this season, has a lower handicap and has prevailed more often in recent play. Indeed, on this day he was giving a stroke at Westwood and only getting four strokes from Marc Bohan.

At Le Petit Café, Pierre was disgruntled watching Marc open with four straight bogeys before a par was sunk. He had put Poutine on the menu, a delightful treat that consists of thickly cut house made potato fries drizzled in gravy and smothered in semi-creamy cheese curds. There was a very large crowd enjoying Unibroue craft beers fermented through a method established by Trappist monks for over two centuries. They fully expected Marc to make one of his late season charges into the final four. At the turn his low gross 43 was tied with John, and LZ.

At St Brigid Chapel, Sister Mary Pat was still comforting praying Fiadh. When they announced in the Irish Pub that OB was still suffering from a pinched nerve she started a Petition to allow all OCAGA Champions the opportunity to defend their Champion Title  automatically the next season. While that would take agreement from everyone connected with the tour, the entrance of players with ability to immediately compete is a different story, Using a GHIN index is written in The Rules. Jim Cummings elicited significant cheers within the Pub with very nice drives and approach shots. Unfortunately, too many three putts on fast tricky greens and the third lowest handicap kept him out of contention. OB is expected to return to the Tour at Centerton.

The Italian Bistro was packed. After Dave Kissinger dominated Wedgewood early in  the season and still remains in contention for the Final Four, patrons were hopeful for a rebound from his last outing. Of course, Bob Wescott shocked the Tour with his First Tournament Victory, never before accomplished on the OCAGA Tour. The Godfather put Peroni Nastro Azzurro “permanently” on tap passing on the discount he received for his decision. Both players stimulated jumping with splashing Peroni, Dave for his distance and Bob for his accuracy. No question, the pair elicited optimism not seen since Eddie Borillo was in his prime playing along side of Big Charlie Ranucci and Little Tony Sickler. Both struggled with putts however, each playing the last four holes 9 over par.  

The Babbity Bowser brought the Wee Heavy, Old Chub Scottish Ale back on Tap with the coming of Autumn, celebrating the fine play of Keith MacGregor, who incidentally was in the thick of competition once again, placing a sweet, gross 45 on the scorecard. They were lobbying for Rookie of the Year with napkin messages inside and signs outside their door.   There was additional excitement throughout the Bowser with the entrance to the Tour of Dan Swanson. While golf is fairly new for him, he is fully addicted playing 18, 27 or 36 holes, day after day. He beat LZ in a practice round a week before the tournament. Alasdair told Angus that Dan has Game! They too both struggled with putting and posted 50 on the back. 

Joe Champion continued to stay in competition for the Final Four finishing fifth. His distance off the tees and accuracy on the par threes keep his handicap down and he held the tiebreaker against MacGregor, sixth and Dan Swanson, seventh. Antczak, Kissinger, Wescott and Cummings with the most finishing putts, were eighth, ninth, tenth and eleventh respectively.  

With the highest handicap Bill Finger held the lead entering the back nine. LZ, Larson and of course Bohan, were within  striking distance. The English Pub was drawn in with thoughts of a comeback when Bob Wescott dropped two pars and two bogeys. With a similar, not so long but in play game, Lazarchick did the same, grabbing the attention of barmaid Agnieszka in the Tavern. She shushed, in her opinion, always pessimistic, nasty speaking, self absorbed Donaldeusz who continually pontificated that he knew the most about golf and the OCAGA Tour and virtually everything else. He proclaimed that the OCAGA Blog was fake news and Lazarchick did not really win any Tournaments, much less Championships.

The OCAGA News Blog issued a press release: Responding to scurrilous public remarks, OCAGA News, the fastest growing entity reporting exclusively on the OCAGA Tour, recipient of multiple accolades for scholastic news reporting and truth in journalism, home of the Pulitzer Prize winning Investigative Reporter, unequivocally declares to be an unimpeachable witness and purveyor of Promenade Information with no intention to engage in malfeasance, and is clearly far closer to an online bibliotheca than a fake news conduit.

Donaldeusz did not think Agnieszka from the working class, the first Polish woman ever to be nominated should be allowed to run for the Presidency. He stated that she was not qualified and suggested she had no understanding of the golf, tournaments or Promenade Business. She felt her opponent was clearly distorting the reality of what everyone was seeing and told everyone to open their eyes because the Doctor’s chipping is sharp and his putts are dropping more often than not. Indeed, Lazarchick caught Bill on 11 and went ahead on 12, while both Marc and John played the first four holes on the back five over par. 

So often these tournament come down to the last two holes and it is not uncommon to see a last hole victory “steal.” Marc could only drop two for par on the last nine, including 17, just not enough finishing 4th. Bill Finger was 5 over on the last two holding on to 3rd place.  Other than the opener and the almost last place finish when John won his first ever OCAGA tournament at Greentree, LZ and John have been battling with the win going to whoever had the lowest handicap. Getting one stroke The Doctor was up by one at the turn at Westwood. He added two more taking 11 and 13. John was able to shave one away on 15. The tension shot up! They both parred the 17th hole. Going into 18 it was LZ up by two as excitement was about to burst. He slammed the door shut sinking his eight par, beating second place John by four stroke. Donaldeusz left the tavern as  Angieszka lead a rousing cheer with a Yeungling Bath from quickly raised mugs filling the air. She was standing under the newly hung pictures of Lazarchick’s Cafe, the model for the Polish American Tavern built on the Promenade.

RESULTS

SCORECARD

POINTS John Larson maintains his regular season lead. Lazarchick took a giant step towards the playoffs vaulting into second place with a win and the absence of Andy Swanson at Westwood. Andy will have the opportunity to make up the tournament, but he may not need the points. Bill Finger playing from the White tees added 19 points making up Green Tree and with a strong finish at Westwood, edged into the top four. Joe Champion, Keith MacGregor and Marc Bohan, all very much in contention, are looking for a strong showing at Centerton. Kissinger needs to Win.

• 152 Lawson
• 133 Lazarchick
• 124 Swanson, A
• 117 Finger
• 116 Champion
• 114 MacGregor
• 112 Bohan
• 106 Kissinger
• 64 Stocker
• 57 Antczak
• 48 Fleming
• 36 Wescott
• 34 Borillo
• 24 O’Brien
• 19 Schuck
• 14 Swanson, D
• 10 Cummings

SCATS

Lawson, Lazarchick, Champion and Kissinger made a SCATS profit.

NEXT

CENTERTON SEPTEMBER 25TH WEDNESDAY 9:30

The English Pub,aka Public House, was Rocking. They did attract a small crowd with the news that Bob Wescott was playing in the OCAGA Tournament. He is the first tour player with any significant “British” heritage since Roger Reed was on the Tour. He was driving with 3 time Tour Champion Michael Lazachick, currently leading both Pinelands Monday and Tuesday evening leagues with partner John Larson. LZ often gets a God Bless You when opponents find out he is in his 78th year. Bob is not all that younger and they talked about no longer have the distance of even a decade ago. The pub crowd was quickly in a texting frenzy, coaxing everyone to turn on the OCAGA Tournament. In the Italian Bistro the Godfather was telling Bob’s story to Bruno. Because of his mother he is also considered part of their contingent. Bruno was captivated listening and hearing about the stabbing in the back that paralyzed and ended Bob’s very promising baseball career. The significant work, tenacity and determination displayed to be able to even walk brought an inspirational tear to Bruno’s eye. Playing the par 5 holes at par, erased LZ’s Birdie induced par three lead and at the turn Bob had him by a stroke head to head and he was getting a stroke. With Eddie Borillo and Dave Kishinger having difficult days, the Bistro was focused on Wescott.

Andy Swanson was tied with Lazarchick. Keith MacGregor and Marc Bohan placed the low gross 42 on the Scorecard, one stroke better than Bob. Yeah, Bob Wescott was playing right along with the low handicappers, keeping the ball in play and executing a very nice short game. Swanson’s Health Food stocks again soared during the tournament. The girl scouts were swooning with every power fade. They were eating Green Lipped Mussels sent from the Māori people of New Zealand in honor of Andy. The mussels purportedly are packed with nutrients and the anti-inflammatory properties have proven to be quite effective reducing Asthma, far too rampant in the scout population. Besides reflecting the growing presence of toxins in the environment, breathing difficulty also inhibits long term chanting of Richie Richie He’s too Cute. They were sent via the Polish American Tavern where Zuzanna prepared them in Old Polish Gray Sauce. Rich did have a slow start causing Kazimierz to go out back and let out a frustration scream. When he returned Stanislaw told him that The Doctor just suggested he was playing too tentatively. Richie loosened up and brought himself back towards contention. He played the back nine in 42, bested only by Larson’s sizzling 40!

At Le Petit Café, Pierre was pensive. Marc would get the low gross score, but he was strokes behind his personal performance the last time the Tour was at the Vineyards. The Hofbräuhaus was ignited early but it was not John Larson, who struggled with the early putts. It was for The Hammer, William Tiberious Finger, who was pounding drives in play eliciting oohs and aahs. When his short game kicked in, only John and Richie could beat his gross 43 on the back nine. Bill took closest to the pin on the fifth hole. LZ took closest to the pin on the third hole, so close he had a tap in Birdie. Playing the par fives at 5 over was just bad luck, but a second Birdie on the 8th hole kept him in the game. Joe Champion drove the par 4 eight hole over the daunting center of the fairway valley. His Birdie however, did not come until he sent a dart to 7’1″ for closest to the pin on thirteen and dropped the putt. His sandy on seventeen thrilled the Champion Club and with a decent back 9 finished in 8th place, losing the handicap tie breaker to Richie Antczak. Keith MacGregor electrified the Babbity Bowster Scottish Pub with an opening Sandy, a Birdie on 8, and a tie with Marc Bohan for low gross 42 on the front. With too many missed putts on the back, he finished sixth. LZ and Larson were again in a battle. Lazarchick was 3 up after nine but lost those strokes when he inexplicably sliced the ball into the water on 13 ending up with a six. It was the same club that wood deliver the ball inches from taking away Marc’s CTP on sixteen. John sunk a Sandy on ten, a Birdie on seventeen and finished with a low gross 40 on the back. By virtue of handicap Michael was fifth and John fourth, a position flip flop of Atlantis.

Needless to say, as the tournament progressed the excitement reached a fever pitch. All the Tour Professionals seemed to be showing off, in see-saw battles, dealing well with tricky greens, making saving shots sometimes out of high rough. Andy Swanson and Bill Finger were hitting with distance on the back nine, keeping pace with Marc Bohan. Joe Champion and John Larson were chasing an early lead by Keith MacGregor. Michael Lazarchick took the lead until his triple bogey on thirteen opened the door wide. Andy and Bob were now tied for the lead, with Bill just two behind. Joe, Richie and John were charging, but would run out of holes. Bill got within 1 on fourteen, but fell off and then came back to finish one off the pace. Andy took the lead by 2 on sixteen and held until a last hole triple bogey. Bob had nothing higher than his three double bogeys. He dropped five pars including the highest handicap hole and the last hole. Bob Wescott sent the English Pub and Italian Bistro into delirium becoming the first person ever to Win in His First OCAGA Tournament.

SCATS

In a bountiful day with 24 SCATS. LZ was the big winner with Joe and Bill in a tie for second place money.

POINTS

John Larson seems destined to repeat as the Regular Season Point Leader despite a continually lowering handicap. Andy Swanson pulled closer after the last tournament but had accepted an invitation to play Across the Pond and will miss Westwood. He will have the opportunity for a makeup round when he returns. Lazarchick is still vulnerable in third place and Keith MacGregor is in a dog fight with Joe Champion for fourth, with Marc Bohan way too close for comfort and William Tiberius Finger a Make Up away from contention.

• 129 Larson, John
• 124 Swanson, Andy
• 108 Lazarchick,Michael
• 99 MacGregor, Keith
• 96 Champion, Joe
• 94 Kissinger, Dave
• 93 Bohan, Marc
• 77 Finger, William Tiberius
• 64 Stocker, Phil
• 48 Fleming, Wayne
• 44 Antczak, Rich
• 34 Borillo, Ed
• 24 O’Brien, Mike 
• 19 Wescott, Bob

NEXT WESTWOOD WEDNESDAY JULY 21ST 1ST TEE TIME 9:18

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

It was warm and the recent heat wave had burned fairways and created hard surfaces. Balls were rolling and bouncing to greater distances and for some it was problematic. At  the Polish American Tavern Stanislaw and Grzegorz watched The Doctor hitting beautiful drives through the fairways into trouble,  adding strokes all through the round. After a practice round of 85 two days earlier, the Tavern had high expectations that he would repeat the victory he logged one season ago. The Investigative Reporter interviewed him immediately after the tournament.  LZ stopped him and said I just hit the ball further and did not adjust for the hard pan and unfortunately there were a couple of shots I under clubbed. That’s golf. Some days you get the bounces and some days you don’t. Grzegorz told Stanislaw that Czach never would manage a course so poorly. At the Bistro after the stunning victory last tournament, expectations were equally high, as was the disappointment. Dave Kissinger  found a way to miss virtually every club. At St Brigid Chapel, Sister Mary Pat comforted the praying Fiadh. The Irish Pub was shocked when OB had to withdraw in pain after 3 holes.  William Tiberius spent some time on the Myrtle Beach Tour. Before he left he had one of his best days with an 87, winning the Pinelands Member Guest Tournament. When the Hammer is on he is formidable.

A new Larson’s Cash Saver opened on the Promenade featuring Larson’s Hot Stone Massage Therapy.  The Larson Empire has expanded significantly during the past two years, now rivaling Swanson’s Health Foods, home of the Green Lipped Mussel. Both stocks skyrocketed during the Greentree Tournament. It is about health and senior strength. Both John and Andy are showing their stuff, driving with power fades and shaping fairway woods with distance. Andy opened with 3 pars and a birdie in the first five holes. John’s start was slower, but by the 9th hole his gross scores was lower. He had erased the strokes he was giving.

At Le Petit Café the crowd was anxious. Marc’s form was beautiful but two double bogies followed his four par start. After another par, two more bogies finished the front with a frustrating 43. He could hear the cheers  Swanson and Larson were eliciting from the gallery and Joe Champion and Wayne Flemming with higher handicaps were playing hard to catch. Wayne opened the back with three pars in the first four holes and Joe birdied #12. Keith MacGregor, Eddie Borillo and Phil Stocker were also keeping way too close. Marc was playing bogie golf when he knew he needed birdies. John and Andy were pulling away from everyone. Both Champion and Flemming delivered impressive skill, finishing 3rd and 4th. Ed could only tie Marc suffering through a snowman on 18, one more than Marc’s double. With the lower handicap Bohan was 5th. Keith and Phil also put eights on the last hole, two strokes off the pace, edging out LZ who finished 9th. 

At the Hofbräuhaus Adelheid was complaining about John giving up too many strokes. Anneliese the actuary,  who knows numbers, interjected telling her to look at the Scorecard at the end. She explained that the majority of the players will be around par. Those more than a few strokes over had a really bad game. The winners are those that can play better than their handicap in the tournament and when they do their handicap will drop. Adelheid thought John was just the sweetest ever and Swanson was just a big brute. With handicap, John and Andy were tied at the turn. The girl scouts were watching the newly installed giant screen in front of Swanson’s Health Foods. A few were busy trying to locate Richie Antzcak who was rumored to be Out West. Gradually a crowd formed around them. This was special, a titanic battle, precision shot after precision shot by two of the best on the tour. When John opened the back with par,par, birdie, Adelheid led the celebration of a quick two stroke lead. They knew John had lost in the finals last season to OB,  as one of the favorites and despite his overall fine play, was a proverbial virgin without an OCAGA tournament win.  They knew Andy Swanson was a former Champion. When he dropped Birdie on #13 and again the pair entered a tie, hearts sank. The next two holes were even. The tension escalated. Fans could feel the pressure dripping off the players. John took a breath and focused. While Lazarchick and MacGregor dropped putts for par on 16, John with adrenaline flowing, whizzed past the hole. But Andy had pulled his drive slightly left and it kept bouncing into the trees. He dropped a stroke. John was magnificent on #17 with three beautiful shots to the green and a long one putt. Andy struggled and missed his putt, dropping two more back. On the final hole when Larson missed his drive, Swanson cut the center of the fairway with considerable distance.  It was a Slugfest, punch and counter punch, the unfolding of a tournament that would be discussed for ages.  Adelheid looked at  Anneliese and asked, “It’s Over Right?”  She did not like the analysis that on this day, quite a few finished with an Eight and Andy already has one Birdie. Naysayer thoughts emerged as Andy nearly drove the green in two. When John flew the green, hit the cart path, and then bounced again on the concrete patio, losing the ball, fear swept through the “Haus!” John’s next swing took him over the green again. He did reach Eight. Andy was on the green looking at a very makeable birdie. It seemed forever watching LZ and Keith miss their longer puts giving Andy more information. They tapped in a seven and eight. Adelheid was near tears and looked away. She could not help but think that John would be denied again. She peeked as Andy sent a beauty towards the center of the cup.  It was so very smooth. It looked perfect . She could not stop the flow of tears. The ball stopped on the lip. Not a sound, not a breath,  all waiting for the drop, until Anneliese finally screamed “HE WON!” A shower of Kostritzer filled the air as everybody jumped up together with raised mugs.  Both players finished with net 64, two magical performances. John had the tiebreaker.   

SCATS
Andy Swanson took the Big Bucks with 7 SCATS. All but one had at least one and several had two. Marc had three. With the highest number of the season, payoffs were lower.

POINTS AFTER FOUR

Vegas has Larson and Swanson as heavy favorites to make the Final Four. While still early in the season they have been just to impressive thus far. Lazarchick dropped down while MacGregor moved up in the standings. Kissinger dropped with both Bohan and Champion expected to keep moving up the ladder.

92 Larson, John
80 Swanson, Andy
71 Lazarchick, Michael
70 MacGregor, Keith

69 Kissinger, Dave

63 Finger, Bill
62 Bohan, Marc
58 Champion, Joe
48 Flemming, Wayne
41 Stocker, Phil
24 Borillo, Ed
24 Mike O’Brien

NEXT    Atlantis     Wednesday    July   10th     First tee time   11:40

The Polish American Tavern was thrilled when Richie Antczak showed up with Andy Swanson. Swanson’s Health Foods sponsored the Wedgwood Tournament which was set up by Andy’s contacts.  When 13 players showed up, a fivesome was allowed in the last group, rarely granted by any golf course. Andy announced a 20% discount currently available on-line. Richie praised president Joe Champion for ushering in a second OCAGA Golden Age, unlike his predecessor who pledged, but did not,  Make OCAGA Great Again. He elucidated, “The pick up at three over par has sped time of play while not affecting SCATS or handicap indexes.  Allowing players to pick the tee where they feel most comfortable increases enjoyment. The 18 inch gimme rule is fair and raking footprints in traps was long overdue.” The Polish girl scouts, with dreamy eye, chanted, “He’s too cute and smart to boot!” Kazimierz and Stanislaw were watching highlights from the tournament focusing on the battle between Richie and The Doctor for 1st place.  LZ had dropped a 20 foot birdie on the 2nd hole to set the stage. He placed the low gross score 43 on the Scorecard at the turn. Richie was two off the pace, but in the money with CTP on 4.  Richie continued his commentary saying that apparently the Champions Golf Club is lobbying for Joe to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. Joe holds the record for most Closest to the Pin during the last three seasons, adding another on Wedgwood’s 8th.  Under Champion the competition has been incredible and there is growth again.  He explained that the first Golden Age was under the Stocker Administration when Phil saved the tour which was crumbling from disaffection and exodus. 

On the day of the tournament the Hofbräuhaus was packed. John Larson was in first place on the tour.  Christian Moerlein was on tap, the first beer brewed in America to pass the Reinheitsgebot German Beer Purity Law. It was on special honoring Ernie Schuck. Friedrich bet heavily on John to win and Ernie to make the top five at their “neighborhood” Wedgwood. He cheered the loudest when John made par on the first hole and Ernie finished the front only one stroke out of the lead.   

Next door the Italian Bistro was equally loud when Dave Kissinger lofted a beauty out of the sand and sunk the putt for a Sandy Par! Dave made a comment about how nice the sand was to hit out of. The tour players found the ubiquitous opportunities. John dropped a Sandy on ten and Wayne Fleming got one on sixteen. With Wayne’s appearance on the tour, Flemington is experiencing record breaking tourism. While legendary Ed Borillo was not able to make the tournament, the Godfather was quite pleased when he saw Bob Danio’s big red truck. At the turn Bob and Dave were tied with Ernie, one stroke behind the leader, Andy Swanson.

Swanson’s Health Foods was spiking high on the stock market. Andy and Ernie Schuck were driving together, in a classic battle, thoroughly enjoying the company and competition.   On ten and eleven they captured the lead. Andy took it solo on 11, and was up by two after 13.  Ernie focused, delivering a pristine drive. He dropped a beautiful putt and cut the lead by two on 14. On 16 he sent a dart for closest to the pin. The Birdie gave him the lead and he would finish one stroke ahead of Andy with a fourth place finish. Richie had a difficult back nine start giving up 5 strokes to Andy. He was eight behind on 13. On 14 he began a charge, electrifying the Tavern.  Three pars and two bogies later he ran out of holes. He finished one behind Andy for 6th place.

Lawson and Lazarchick were again in a tight battle. Both chipped away at the strokes they were giving the rest of the field. Marc inexplicably was spraying the ball, climbing to 14 over par at the turn. Pierre was convinced that playing in a group of five was too disconcerting, not suitable for Marc’s routine, focused and deliberate. Vegas offered big odds on Marc finishing last which no one took and even money that he would make a comeback and win. They also were taking bets on LZ, John and Kissinger in a trifecta with continually decreasing odds. Dave finally caught Andy on 14 sending the Bistro into bedlam.  John and Ernie were one behind after 16. The fan excitement and the player pressure was breath taking. LZ was on fire getting to the green on the last three holes in position to close the deal, but missed all three putts.  He took third by virtue of lower handicap, tied with Ernie. On seventeen John struggled to a double bogey while Dave sunk a sweet par putt. That was the difference. John’s par on eighteen was good enough to step past LZ  but left him 1 short of Dave. The Godfather bought a round  Birra Moretti Premium and delivered a toast, sipping his sparkling Moscato D’Asti.

SCATS Lazarchick, Schuck and Swanson shared the top spot. Antczak and Kissinger took second place money. Bohan, Champion, Finger and Stocker showed.

POINTS AFTER THREE

Lazarchick, Kissinger, Swanson and MacGregor are fighting for second place with Bohan and Finger looking up at the promise land. John Larson has expanded his lead but has not yet won a tournament. While talking about how cute he is with a very gentle soul, Hedwig, with the German rooted name for Combat, was telling Freya, she has doubts about his killer instinct down the stretch. They still felt the pain of his loss to OB last season in the finals after running away with the points lead in the regular season.

67 Larson, John
59 Lazarchick, Michael
58 Kissinger, Dave
57 Swanson, Andy
56 MacGregor, Keith
45 Bohan, Marc
44 Finger, Bill Tobias
34 Champion, Joe
30 Antzcak, Rich
29 Flemming,Wayne
28 Stocker, Phil
19 Schuck, Ernie
14 O’Brien, Mike
13 Danio, Bob
9 Borillo, Ed

NEXT – The tour will be challenged by the two county courses on June 26th at 10 am Green Tree and July 10th at 11:40 Atlantis.

Le Petit Café was packed. All the outdoor seating on the promenade had been reserved by the beginning of the season.  Pierre imported Kronenbourg 1664, a pale lager from France and placed on special, Poutine (French fries with cheese curds), a world-famous French-Canadian comfort food. Marc had a relatively bad opening day. But this was Buena Vista. Last year’s victory was blemished when Mike Deckard delivered a net make up score that was actually lower. This was a huge tournament for the Patrons and Marc knew it. Just outside the Café on the Promenade with a great view of the giant screen tv, the local girl scouts were camped out. Both Andy Swanson and Rich Antczak were in Marc’s foursome along with Rookie sensation Keith MacGregor. To see such a big representation of Andy’s face on the screen elicited a chorus of heartfelt swoons. For a promise of minimized loud chanting, Pierre handed out well received “Richie, Richie, He’s Too Cute” embroidered tea shirts.  Their gallery was substantial!

The Babbity Bowster  Scottish Pub was enjoying their best day, undoubtable because of Keith’s opening day victory. Tennent’s Lager was again on special. The volume of business made it profitable and the deal pleased the customers. Reminiscing about knocking off phenom John Larson in a close one, clearly elicited a crowd dopamine rush.  

The Hofbräuhaus was equally hopping. Both Larson and William Tiberius Finger had shown dominance over Michael Lazarchick.  John was actually giving him a stroke. As a big underdog Bill eliminated LZ, a huge favorite,  on the final hole of the semi-finals last season, opening the door to the Pinelands League Championship. Both finished higher than he did in the  season  opener.

At the Polish American Tavern they were still celebrating the 100 year anniversary of Lazarchick’s Cafe in the Minersville District. They toasted and  praised the  excellent food, moderate prices and very customer oriented staff.  Old Kasimer told everybody the Cafe helped the Tavern open on the Promenade. Bazyli was doing a podcast about the 2024 Richie Antczak Ocean City Golf Open billed as “A gathering of good friends, for good company, good meals, and fun golf.” Indeed, this year everyone got to play from the tees where  they were most comfortable.  Day one Richie, Andy, The Doctor and Mike J played Bear Trap Dunes. Andy was dominant on undulating fairways and tricky greens. He took CTP twice and both the front and back low putts. LZ made a late charge with a no putt nasty 6 on 16 and taking the last CTP on 17. The course was magnificent.

Day 2 at the Ocean City Country Club,  Andy again posted the lowest gross score. He and LZ were chosen as captains  of a 9 hole Scramble. Lazarchick dropped a forty foot down hill Birdie on 2 which proved to be the difference in a one stroke victory.  Mike J paid Richie. Chris paid Bob. And Andy paid his debt with an evening flow of Yuengling to LZ.  Bazyli redirected into a Yuengling commercial announcing it was the oldest brewery in the United States, located  3 miles from the Birthplace of LZ’s father.  During the afternoon competition, Phil was introducing OB to Rum Runners at the clubhouse. Phil’s told OB his golf day was complete after parring the number 1 handicap hole and taking the last CTP. OB with a buzz, listened. He felt the joy in Phil’s recollection when the discussion got to Lighthouse Sound. 

Norwegian Cruise Lines was promoting, “CRUISE WITH STOCKER. SIX HOLES IN ONE. TWO ON THE SAME DAY!” He was by far their biggest draw. They sold out in less than an hour. His 6 was double the rest of the field combined. For years he has blasted biodegradable fish food golf balls off the back of the ship to oohs and aahs. Richie told the players #7 would be  $17.24, for those not buying insurance. Phil did get to tell his story to the ranger while playing. 

The Godfather was gifted kegs of Birra Moretti La Rossa from the Friuli region in Italy, a double malt, which went perfect with the Spinach Artichoke Flatbread and Focaccia appetizers. The Italian Bistro was showing pre-tournament highlights of Bob Danio in the North South Scramble. Bob sent drive after drive consistently in play, deep into the fairway, physically and psychologically dominating. Richie Antzcak and Phil Stocker put up a valiant effort, but Bob with partner Chris wrestled away the title by two strokes. 

Bayzli had reached the segment about OCAGA Champion Mike O’Brien teamed up with Mike J for a scramble from the forward tees pitted  against The Doctor and Andy who were playing best ball from the White Tees.  Now in the third day, LZ was looking like his pre-covid self. Video highlights were being shown at the bar. He and Andy were blasting balls over considerable hazards. With putting on, they halved holes keeping it close and went up by 1 at the turn and 2 shortly thereafter.  Ob was relentless driving the ball in the middle of the fairway. Mike J also had improved significantly delivering some beautiful approaches. They won 16 all on his shots. The scramble format was perfect and again they were just 1 off the pace.  LZ finally reached his limit and played the final two holes 9 over par.  Andy’s skill and long drive ability put him on the 17^th green in 2.  His par clinched a very close competitive match.

Bayzli closed by talking about the meals, card games and the evening sharing of stories. Crab Cakes, Eggplant Parmesan, Rib House Ribs Special, playing cards for hours winning or losing a few bucks, were all highlights. He announced that it was the Best Ever Antczak OC outing with  Richie’s finest contribution being,  Hot Crazy Matrix A Man’s Guide to Women.     

The  Promenade suddenly became quiet as the first foursome reached the tee box. Marc Bohan drove beautifully and two shots later dropped a Birdie. Le Petite Café patrons raised their glasses of Kronenbourg smoothly, in unison,  majestically saluting their hero. Over the front nine Keith, Andy and Richie watched their handicap leads slowly diminish.

In the second foursome, John Larson and Michael Lazarchick engaged in a titanic battle, up and down, head to head, continually switching the lead. When John dropped Birdie on number 10 and LZ faltered to a double bogey,  a monstrous roar echoed into the Polish American Tavern from the next door  Hofbräuhaus.  John went up by one. Stanislaw was fit to be tied.  Richie Antczak was not doing as well as expected. Now Lazarchick appeared to be on the road to defeat again,  with a stroke,  to the man he easily dominated until the very end of last season.  Katarzyna lit a candle at the Czachorowski shrine  evoking Perun . She was sure Art was now sitting next to him. On the very next hole LZ regained the lead and began pulling away from John.

The statisticians from the Vegas Betting Parlor were using AI to help predict what was happening and what bets could still be offered. At the turn LZ had placed a 43 on the Scorecard, one stroke ahead of both Larson and Bohan. Marc had a lot of stokes to make on the back but his swing looked pristine and he was focused. John birdied the very difficult 10th hole to take the lead, picking up 2 strokes on Marc and 3 on Michael.  Vegas accepted a flurry of bets at even money for him to win. In the next 6 holes he dropped 6 strokes to LZ  and  drifted into a battle to hold 3^rd place. Swanson, MacGregor and Finger were in the fray. AI shifted the mid tournament over/under for breaking 100 down to 4 and sent out the message Bet With Your Head, Not your Heart. For Help Call 800-Gambler. They accepted bets from the Tavern on Lazarchick to win, now down to 1 to 3 odds.

Andy, Keith and Bill all finished with net 76. The handicaps place them 4th, 5th and 6th. Andy was the only one to break 100. Dave was all alone three more stokes back. 

 LZ was cruising and the Tavern was in bliss. He lost 2 quick strokes to Marc but took one back on 12.  He was 8 strokes up with six holes to play. The fans were already celebrating, a Big Mistake when Marc Bohan is the opponent.  Lazarchick doubled twice and would not sink another par until 16. Pierre at Le Petit Café announced we are watching a masterpiece as their hero displayed a poetic dance of golf. He sunk one bogey, two birdies and 3 pars in the last six holes. LZ was 3 up with two to play and knew if he hit the green on 17 he would win. He did not. They finished as the only two to break 90, net 70, 5 strokes better than 3rd place. Marc had the tie breaker by virtue of lower handicap. 

SCATS

A record 19 SCATS were earned at Buena with Marc Bohan and John Larson taking the lion’s share. Bill Finger and Eddie Borello each had 2. Lazarchick Swanson, Kissinger and Stocker got 1 apiece. 

NEXT    Wedgwood Country Club       June 12th       9am 1st Tee Time   Handicaps

Wedgwood Country Club, located in Turnersville, NJ, is the Tri-State Area’s choice for Affordable Upscale Public Golf! Its traditional layout is reminiscent of Philadelphia’s most prestigious and well respected private courses. The spacious front nine and tree lined back nine create a unique golf experience that will test your skill and nerve as you navigate the rolling terrain. Bent Grass Tees, Fairways, and Greens complete your experience by providing the perfect playing conditions you desire to play your very best.

The OCAGA Tour opened at Pinelands on a beautiful fairly warm day.

Le Petit Café was very quiet as patrons watched the rust slowly drip off Marc. Of course he made a charge, but too many late bogies and only one birdie left him out of the money. Lazarchick, after his COVID crash late last season was obviously stronger, but instead of a late run he finished the last five holes 8 over par, looking tired. With the passing of legendary Art Czachorowsky and Richie Antzcak apparently still on the Arizona Tour, The Doctor is the only Tour Player left from the once dominant Polish American Tavern. Bill Finger again took advantage and held on for 5th place a stroke better than LZ. The Italian Bistro, already mourning the possibility that Jimmy Depiano would not compete this season, suffered through Kissinger’s fall from the lead to 4th place, 8 strokes over par in the last 5 holes. Dave had been playing the fairway early in the round with decent putting. The Bistro fans suffered with him through some bad luck and some late near misses. Legendary Fast Eddie Borillo is expected to play another season, but was traveling on opening day, a more frequent occurrence for the octogenarian. Swanson’s Health Foods spiked dramatically on the stock market, with a masterful charge by Andy. After a disappointing front and a net score only ahead of Marc Bohan after 9, he began to methodically chip away at the lead. On the back stretch he whizzed by Kissinger 5 strokes better on the last four. Then he squeaked past Lazarchick and Finger, with long pure drives picking up two stokes on each. His power and control escalated with soaring confidence. He just “ran out of holes!” Two better than Larson and three better than MacGregor were just not enough. He finished 3rd.

John and Keith had been battling through 18 holes. Both caught those who were getting strokes and Keith was ahead at the turn. With his handicap, he was five ahead of John after 10. Everybody else was just trying to make the top 5. John finally caught him on sixteen and with the lower handicap had the tie breaker. The tension dropped an immobilizing curtain over the fans. Keith took a deep breath and sent a rocket down the middle of the fairway. Three stroke later he was looking at par. He sunk the putt taking back the stroke. On eighteen placing a 5 on the Scorecard sealed the victory. A shower filled the air from raised pints of Tennent’s Lager, made with the fresh highland water from Loch Katrine, imported by the Pub in honor of Keith’s return to the Tour!

The Irish Pub was in remarkably pleasant revelry cheering on every decent shot of their hero, often raising mugs of Guinness stout and singing together the words “Tour Champion Michael O’Brien!” OB missed too many putts to be in contention but tied Joe Champion for best gross score over 100. Joe however had not picked up a club since last season and did not expect too much. Ernie Schuck was in the same boat, not expecting much, but fully enjoying seeing the other tour players again. Tom Gahr returned after spending a year in the Harbor Pines League to sharpen up his skills. He was a stroke away from beating Bohan and kept up with Wayne Flemming. The Stocker Foundation, which shifted their focus from just literacy to also teaching kids to think critically and creatively, issued a statement that they felt Phil’s Handicap was way too low. The Investigative Reporter subsequently confirmed that the Secretary will adjust all numbers that the Handicapper submits which are obviously not fair.

SCATS

Keith MacGregor and Marc Bohan took the lion’s share of SCATS money. John Larson and Dave Kissinger were respectable second place winners. Joe Champion and Bill Finger took the remainder of the money.

Meeting After Tournament

With a nod from President Joe Champion, Secretary Michael Lazarchick opened the official OCAGA Meeting. Both were reelected for another year unanimously. Reigning Tour Champion Mike O’Brien for President and Phil Stocker for Secretary was mentioned but with neither in attendance, no one would second. Fulfilling a campaign pledge, dues for the 2024 season were reduced by 50% by President Champion, down to $25. Official Members can pay the Secretary/Treasurer at their earliest convenience. The Treasury Report was promised to be published in this edition of the OCAGA News and on the ogaga.golf website on the About page.

$550 Collected in 2023
$100 Website
$200 Final Four Winnings
$26 Trophy Update
$224 Remaining

Bill Finger volunteered to help schedule Tournament.The Tour voted to try and schedule a new tournament every 2 weeks on Wednesday with an option to make up the tournament within a week playing with at least one other OCAGA Member.

The website OCAGA.COM was not renewed when the Provider of Services raised the price to over $200. While some historical information was lost, the OCAGA NEWS promises to print “Recollections” as needed following its motto to be “The Largest News Publication Reporting Exclusively of the OCAGA Tour.” Yes, The OCAGA News Blog did Win the 2024 Pulitzer Prize for American Journalism and Other Fields at the May 6, 2024 meeting of the Board under Sports New Blogs in 2023.

The Blog is the “Home” page at OCAGA.golf with links to “About” and “Ocean City Amateur Golf Association.” About has the list of Champions and the 2024 Rules and other information. Ocean City Amateur Golf Association has the handicaps (updated for each new tournament), results of tournaments and schedule information. President Joe Champion extended thanks to the staff for their fine work, The Blog Writer, Investigative Reporter, History Scribe, Handicapper and The Sanctuary Press Editor.

NEXT BUENA VISTA WEDNESDAY MAY15 10:30

The weather was cool and crisp, perfect for the fair skinned O’Brien, a little too chilly for the heat loving Lazarchick. It was a beautiful fall day, with wind adding challenge to the Championship. Officially the latest ever final, late October, the snowbirds had returned to Florida and Arizona. The greens were sanded preparing for winter weather. O’Malley asked Finnigan why they did it and of course a dissertation followed. The pontification started, “Sanding helps break up thatch, a layer of organic material that builds up over time in the upper root zone. Too much of that stuff is not a good thing. If levels of thatch exceed roughly a half-inch, the greens will suffer during extremes of drought and wet periods. The ill effects can vary. The green might get spongy, or develop brown spots, or become vulnerable to scalping during mowing. Sanding helps protect against all that. Sanding also improves drainage and helps level out the green, creating smooth, consistent putting surfaces, and firm, fast conditions year round.” Aisling interrupted, telling the “men” to be quiet as they are introduced the Final Four.

O’Shaughnessy’s boy came in, his first day of legal drinking. All eyes were on O’Brien and he asked, “You mean that ancient guy who needed 119 strokes to finish Buena?” His father told him OB only got into the finals because the “Young Lassie” went back to teaching. O’Malley, the eternal optimist, responded, “He’s the best player ever to not have won a championship.” At 81, no one really believed he would win. Vegas was able to extract betting money from the Irish Pub by offering ever increasing odds. John Larson had taken the Pinelands Net Championship, from the white tees, the day before. Dave Kissinger had taken two tournament in the regular season and could almost double OB’s driving distance. Lazarchick had over 15 appearances in the finals, three titles and had been taking money from O’Brien since the day he dragged him out to Victor’s Par Three, to get him hooked on the game. The Doctor was the heavy favorite to win, playing John even and giving Dave only 2 strokes. Virtually no one believed the 11 strokes he was getting was enough, but they were very thankful that their hero had actually made the finals. At St Brigid Chapel, Sister Mary Pat told the praying Fiadh she needed to go back because OB needed as much collective positive energy as could be generated. Indeed, he had giving back the leader, 8 strokes in the first 7 holes!

Hofbräuhaus was hopping. John Larson was strong out of the gate commenting that it felt easy after the white tee challenge he had just experienced. He was dropping putts, while LZ was not and had him by 6 strokes before finally losing one on the 8th hole, only because The Doctor flew the hole into the woods from 85 yards out with his second shot, not respecting the wind at his back. In the Polish American Tavern, Casimir commented to Stanislaus that Lazarchick all season, before he was slammed by COVID, saved his front score in the last three holes. Eight was often a birdie or a short par. When he hit his longest drive of the day on 9 and followed with his 4 wood to 75 yards from the pin, he grabbed attention. His third shot was a beautiful pitching wedge straight towards the pin, tucked behind the trap in the back corner. All minds quickly shifted to the thought of an easy birdie. The ball hit the rough and instead of bouncing forward to the pin, it took a right turn into the trap. Three collective moans emanated from the Tavern following his attempts, only to get up 5 feet into the high rough, on route to a snowman. In the Italian Bistro the Godfather dismissed Dave Kissinger’s opening 7 and playing the par 3 holes, four over, all of which put Bruno into panic. Picking up 3 strokes on the last two holes brought cheers as he pulled to within 2 strokes of Larson. OB made the turn with a very respectable 50, tied with Lazarchick.

On ten, hitting into the wind, LZ again fell short on his second shot into a trap. Again he struggled to get out and suffered through his second straight snowman. He knew he had taken himself out, falling 4 more strokes behind by 12. Riding together, John and Dave were focused on each other. Larson was no longer on his early pace and Kissinger was displaying improved play. O’Brien continued to move steadily down the fairways, not long but in play.

O’Brien Furniture had sent a custom, fully liquid resistant, Leather Bar Stool to the Pub engraved with the words OB’s Irish Throne. Murphy the elder, was allowed to sit in it because he was celebrating his 100th birthday. He spilled beer all over himself and added urine to the seat when O’Brien dropped Par on 11. Finnigan assessed that the pride of the Irish Pub had 6 strokes to burn with 7 holes left. O’Malley was the first to say, the old man actually has a chance. On twelve through fifteen however, he lost 5 strokes to the charging Kissinger. There was a glitch in the tournament scoreboard and the only information available to the players was Lazarchick saying that while he was out, all three of them had a chance going into the last holes.

The Doctor dropped the only Birdie of the tournament on 17, a consolation prize, finishing last. After dropping 5 strokes to Kissinger 12 through 15, Larson got 4 back on the final 3 holes, but he would still finish 3rd. Dave had caught OB on the 15th hole. They tied 16 and 17 very aware that John was charging. The scoreboard finally flickered ON in the Promenade. The tension was magnifying within fan bases on the edges of their seats watching a very close eighteenth hole. John and Dave found the woods. John would struggle to 6 and Dave to a second consecutive 7. Michael J. O’Brien cut the center of the fairway and followed with a nice fairway wood, in play as he had done pretty much all day. His third was just short of the green. He chipped beautifully, pretty much as he had done all day. Then he did what he needed. He dropped The Putt!

Beating the field with a five, OB posted a 2 stroke victory. He became the oldest player ever to win the OCAGA Championship taking that record away from the legendary Art Czachorowski. He had defeated the finest the league had to offer. Fiadh was the first to burst into tears as the Irish Pub erupted into a flood of jubilance. The Meadows began playing Joy of Life.

Buena Vista Country Club was not really a “Good View.” While the fairways were not bad the greens were still healing from aeration and were not very consistent and true. Putting at times was slow and bumpy. The sands traps were numerous, the sand far from fluffy. While fairway traps allowed “bounce outs” many of the green side bunkers were deep, presenting challenges. Of course the OCAGA Tour is famous for providing a wide variety of options. Those who make the final four need to master all sorts of playing surfaces, from the smaller county courses to upscale gems. This season those in the top four slots were in a foursome together to play the final regular season event.

The Italian Bistro was in utter bedlam midway through the front nine. After a disappointing snowman on the first hole, Dave Kissinger cut the center of the fairway on the second hole with a power draw. Each hole he got stronger and finally dropped a par on six. He played the last four holes one over, turning the corner with a gross score 45, one higher than Marc Bohan. Luigi and Giovanni catered with a fine selection of authentic Italian delicacies and in honor of Dave, Ed Borillo and Jimmy Depiano, sent the Godfather a wide variety of Peroni Birra, known as the “Quintessential Italian Beer.” Eddie of course, in bringing the Glimmer of Hope to the Championship, is forever the inspiration to face any odds, the belief in possibility. Often the men raise their beer mugs and toast their hero. The women, when passing, touch his picture hanging prominently in the Bistro entrance.

John Larson and Michael Lazarchick were in their own battle just off the pace and not pleased after 9, LZ with two sevens and John with a snowman. The Polish American Tavern was jam packed with the announcement that Art Czachorowski was playing. Art tied Larson and was ahead of LZ after nine eliciting continuous shouts of joy.

At the Irish Pub both Scraggy Bay and Guinness were on tap to meet the demands of the largest crowds since Mike O’Brien made the final four the first time, long, long ago. Just the possibility prompted the creation of extra pub space out into the Promenade and the installation of a large screen TV. OB was driving with LZ and not having his best day with distracting thoughts about Stephanie Champion and Marc Bohan being within striking distance. He told LZ who had just dropped his third 7 on the thirteenth hole, that he felt both of them might be cursed for playing Golf at Buena on the afternoon of the 911 attack. LZ responded that he remembered thinking that if it was the end of the world, he wanted get in one last round of golf. In the Pub, Finnigan was spreading unconfirmed news that Stephanie might not be playing. That lessoned some of the patron anxiety until O’Malley announced that Bohan just birdied 11, bringing out a collective ugh! While the men were quaffing beer fully engrossed, Fiadh was to too nervous to watch OB. She was saying prayers in the nearby Saint Brigid Chapel, named for Ireland’s only female patron saint, famous for having the ability to turn water into beer.

Le Petit Café was fairly quite and reserved as usual. Pierre was able to import a collection of “Savoury Ales” from the French Canadian Avant-garde micro brewery Unibroue. There was a new design of the Marc Bohan shrine prominently displaying his Buena 2022 victory, scoring 79 with Closest to the Pin. Françoise and Véronique were convinced Marc would make it 3 in a row if he could get into the Final Four and add his fourth Championship Title to the display. Both women could not hold back the tears when Larson dropped the ball 6’10” on number twelve. They remembered the OCAGA Statistician saying their hero could not catch OB without a victory and Closest to the Pin. Pierre’s bookkeeper Anaïs already knew Marc could not make the finals. Even if OB finished last he would get too many points because Stocker, Depiano, MacGregor, Deckard and Stephanie were not playing. She called her college roommate and best friend Maeve at the Irish Pub, also the bookkeeper, when she confirmed Stephanie’s absence and ran the numbers. The field was too small, limiting the points available to catch the top four.

The Irish Pub was becoming somber as O’Brien struggled through his worst outing of the season. A 10 on thirteen was followed by an 8 on fourteen. That’s when Finnigan stood up and told the bartender to distribute a round on the house. He announced OB had made the Final Four. A wave of euphoria spread throughout the crowd, tears of happiness flowing and shortly thereafter the boisterous celebration brought Fiadh back from the chapel.

The Bistro never let up the celebration with Dave Kissinger holding the lead all through the match. Even his snowman on sixteen only let Larson and Lazarchick climb a little bit closer. For the most part he played the fairways with distance. His mid round was beautiful, 4 pars surrounded by bogeys on greens that were tough putting. The excitement was electrifying as the match tightened. Cheers for every pristine hero swing radiated out into the Promenade from the Tavern and Hofbräuhaus challenging the Bistro jubilation.

Dave Kissinger won his second tournament of the season by 2 strokes over John Larson. For the second time John took the most tournament points by taking Closest to the Pin for Points. Marc Bohan and Michael Lazarchick were another stroke off the pace, Marc taking 3rd by virtue of lower handicap. Andy Swanson finished 5th.

PTS Regular Season Final

• 131 Larson, John
• 114 Kissinger, Dave
• 111 Lazarchick, Michael
• 101 O’Brien, Mike
• 92 Bohan, Marc
• 83 Champion, Stephanie
• 81 Champion, Joe
• 74 Borillo, Ed
• 70 Depiano, Jimmy
• 65 Deckard, Mike
• 62 Schuck, Ernie
• 54 Stocker, Phil
• 52 Swanson, Andy
• 37 Spickler, Jeff
• 36 MacGregor, Keith
• 34 Czachorowski, Art
• 23 Freddie Hubbard
• 13 Finger, Bill Tobias

The 2023 OCAGA TOUR was packed with talented Rookies. Indeed, the Hofbräuhaus is clearly a major contender for glory. John Larson finished 1st in the Regular Season. Ernie Schuck with an outgoing personality and quick wit became another favorite, displaying moments of great potential. The addition of The Hammer, William Tiberius Finger, extricated WOW from virtually everyone with his rocket drives at Buena. VEGAS already has him as the favorite for Rookie of the Year next season. The Babbity Bowster  Scotish Pub opened with Keith MacGregor making a Tour Appearance. There is hope he will play next season with his extensive social obligations organized to allow greater participation. In the Bistro the Godfather explained to Bruno why Jimmy Depiano is a serious challenge to Larson for Rookie of the Year. In addition to his moments of excellence in tournaments for someone so new to the game, his character and wisdom are beyond reproach. He truly transcends any hints of jingoism between drinking establishments. Jimmy just wants to play golf and he reaches out to everyone, regardless of allegiance, as long as they respect the game. He truly embodied the finest spirit of competition when he orchestrated a comped round of golf, inviting Larson, Lazarchick and Finger, to play the private Atlantic City Country Club, one of America’s oldest and most prestigious. They were treated like royalty.

Needless to say Swanson’s Health Products stock bumped up significantly with Andy’s return to competition. With their heartthrob back, the Girl Scouts were able to stop their crying about roll model Stephanie Champions. They truly believed she would have been able to at least tie 5th place Andy which would have been enough points to catch OB. She was coming off a low 90s victory at the Vineyard. Certainly she learned from her mistakes in the 2022, the 105 struggle at Buena and would be able to shave off 5 strokes. They so wanted to see the first woman ever in the OCAGA Championship.

Marc Bohan was the Big SCATS winner with Dave Kissinger a strong second.

SCATS

RESULTS

SCORECARD

The Final Four Decided to play Pinelands for the Championship on October 19th at 10:30. If anyone else wants to play they need to contact the Secretary as soon as possible so that he can create an appropriate event.