Standings

CONGRATULATIONS TO MTM TECHNOLOGIES, THE 2011 WILMINGTON INDUSTRIAL GOLF LEAGUE CHAMPIONS!

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On a sun splashed afternoon at Odessa National Golf Club, MTM Technologies (2007 WIGL Champs) took on Astra Zeneca (2008 WIGL Champs) in an 18 hole match to decide our 2011 Champions.

Following Friday’s rain, the teams agreed to play lift clean and place prior to the match. This insured some of the low scores and close matches that followed. The scoring format for the Championship is exactly the same as we use all season long, 86 points per match. The only difference is they would now be playing 18 holes.

In the first match on the front 9, MTM’s lead group gave their team the early lead with each player winning their individual match while combining to win the doubles match by 3 strokes. The middle group for Astra Zeneca jumped all over their competitors, sweeping their individual matches while combining for a 15 stroke victory. The last group was a real nail biter as MTM Captain Mike Staniszewski won his match by a single stroke while the #6 players tied their net score. Mike’s one stroke victory gave his doubles match the 5 point bonus while AZ took the overall 5 bonus points. At the end of 9 holes, the match was squared away 43 all. This one stroke victory proved to be extremely huge as AZ was up 11 strokes in net score should the teams finish with the same amount of points at the end of the day. I will show just how huge this one stroke victory was later on.

On the back 9, the matches continued to be extremely tight. Matt Brainard from MTM, the top player in the league based on handicap, continued his stellar play. After an even par round of 36 gross on the front, Matt shot a 1 over par 37 on the back. Matt’s score for the day (gross) was a phenomenal 73, just 1 over par. Matt is now accepting his invitation to the Nationwide Tour. However, Mike Malmstrum for AZ was not going to be outdone. Being spotted 3 strokes by Matt, Mike shot a 38 gross, 34 net to secure his singles match by 2 strokes. However, Emil Mellow for MTM beat his opponent Ray Murphy by 2 strokes to tie the doubles match for his team. We still had ourselves a nail biter.

Things got real interesting when the #3 players for each team, Ken Carandang for MTM and Frank Morris for AZ each tied at 1 over par net. They had to count on their opponents to secure the doubles victory. MTM’s Jeff Staniszewski was up for the challenge, shooting a net 36 on the back 9 but AZ Assistant Captain Bob Kern, a veteran of more WIGL seasons then I care to mention bested Jeff by a single stroke, securing his victory along with the 5 point bonus for the AZ twosome. The match would come down to the final foursome.

The final group of Mike Staniszewski and Ron Carbine for MTM were battling AZ Captain Larry Goff and Pat Hines to settle the title. As the saying goes, they saved the best for last. All 4 players in this group came in with net scores of par or better. Each MTM player was just a couple of strokes better then their counterparts from AZ. When it was all said and done, MTM won the back 9 by the score of 48 to 38, winning the overall 5 point bonus by a mere 4 strokes.

If you think that was close, just wait. The match was actually closer then the 4 stroke final margin on the back. Granted, if AZ had come home 5 strokes better, they would have been the champion. But if you remember the front 9 scores, Mike Staniszewski won his match by a single stroke, giving his twosome the 5 point bonus by that 1 stroke. If his score was 2 strokes higher on the front, AZ gets the bonus and is the League Champion. That’s just how close this team event was. That’s how Championships should be played. That’s one of the many reasons why I think the WIGL is the best league out there. It is a total team effort to secure a title. Of course, I may be just a bit biased when it comes to our league.

At the conclusion of the match, the teams shook hands, congratulated each other on an amazing run and had a well deserved cold beverage in the brand new clubhouse at Odessa National. If you haven’t been there, be sure to check it out.

Thank you all for your participation during the 2011 regular season. I had a blast and I hope you did too. Let’s wrap it up in style as we celebrate the 2011 season at our outing. I hope to see you there.