Flores Cards Even-Par 35, Hands Kardas a Rough Tuesday
There was one round at UNM North on Tuesday, and then there was everything else. Orlando Flores went around in an even-par 35, net 30, with birdies on No. 2 and No. 7 and not a single double bogey on the card. That last part matters on a night when nearly everyone else was collecting doubles like scorecards in a cart basket. The league made 2 birdies total and Flores made both of them. He did it against Jeff Kardas, who came in on top of the table after opening night, and the result was about as lopsided as a 10-point match gets. Sewell, Maxwell and Pehr also had good nights, and Hunt came out on the wrong end of a handicap special.
Sewell 6.5, Dean 3.5
Todd Sewell won this with a gross 47 that included five doubles, which tells you how Andy Dean's night went. Dean made five doubles of his own on the way to a 51 and lost the low net point 43 to 46. Dean took holes 6 and 7 to make it interesting, but Sewell closed by winning No. 8 and No. 9. He then went back to the 9th green and collected the longest putt money for good measure.
Shields 7.5, Candelaria 2.5
Brian Shields made five strokes count, shooting gross 47 for a net 36 that was the second-best net of the night. He won holes 4, 5, 6 and 8, and Dennis Candelaria didn't take a single hole. Candelaria's 49 had doubles scattered across five holes, which is a tough way to spend a Tuesday.
Harvey 5, Olson 5
Joe Olson made seven doubles and still looked like he'd steal this one. He won holes 6 and 7 to go two holes up with two to play, and his net 39 had the low net point locked up. Then Brit Harvey won No. 8 and No. 9 to split the match 5–5. Olson will spend the week wondering how a lead that comfortable got away from him, and Harvey earned every half-point.
Baird 5.5, Hunt 4.5
Jeff Hunt shot 44, ten shots better than Doug Baird, and lost anyway. Baird was getting 12 strokes, a pop on every hole and a couple of extras, and he used them to win holes 1 and 3. Hunt won holes 5 and 8 to even it up, but Baird's net 39 beat Hunt's net 41 for the deciding point. Seven doubles on Baird's card, and he went home happy.
Maxwell 7, Jaramillo 3
Jason Maxwell shot a steady 45 and won five holes, including three in a row on Nos. 3 through 5. Thomas Jaramillo won the opening hole, then made doubles on six straight holes from No. 3 to No. 8. There's no catching up after a stretch like that, and Maxwell's net 38 finished it.
Flores 8.5, Kardas 1.5
Flores won the first three holes and kept going: six holes in all, birdies on 2 and 7, and a 35 that matched par for the course. Kardas shot a respectable 46 and did not win a hole. The net 30 against his net 41 tells you how wide the gap was. A week ago Kardas had the night's best card, and this Tuesday he ran into a better one.
Rains 6, Nicholson 4
Jimmie Rains put up a 53 with seven doubles on it, and his eight strokes did a lot of the work. He won holes 1, 4 and 6, and his net 39 edged Kevin Nicholson's net 40 for the low net point. Nicholson shot 46 and won two holes but couldn't get any more out of it.
Pehr 7.5, Rael 2.5
Tom Pehr settled this one early, winning four of the first five holes on his way to a 45. Paul Rael got hole 4 back with a stroke and won No. 7, but a 52 with six doubles wasn't going to catch anybody. Pehr's net 40 against Rael's 44 closed it out.
Around the league
Flores now leads the table with 15 points, followed by Rains at 12.5, Pehr at 11.5, and Hunt and Olson at 11 each. With 18 weeks to go that order means very little. The bigger moves were further down: Sewell climbed from 12th to 6th and Maxwell from 14th to 7th, while Kardas dropped from 1st to 9th and Rael from 2nd to 8th. Sewell's longest putt on No. 9 paid the full $80 pot. Flores took low gross and low net for the night, and both birdies too.