Pehr's 40, Dean's 32 and a Birdie-Free Night at UNM North
Not a single birdie fell at UNM North on Tuesday, but that didn't stop two players from posting their best cards of the season. Tom Pehr's gross 40 was the low round of the night, and Andy Dean's net 32 was the low net by a comfortable margin as he went 9–1. The top of the table took some lumps too: leader Orlando Flores and No. 2 Jimmie Rains both had their three-match win streaks snapped. Meanwhile Joe Olson and Doug Baird spent the evening on a guided tour of double-bogey country. It's only Week 4, so nobody is printing playoff tickets yet, but plenty of names shuffled around.
Dean 9, Olson 1
Andy Dean put together his best gross of the season, a 41 for a net 32, and turned it into a 9–1 demolition. Olson didn't win a hole all night, managing only halves on No. 5 and No. 7, and he carded doubles or worse on six of the nine. The cruelest bit came on hole 3: Dean made a double there and still won the hole. That's the kind of night where you buy the first round just to change the subject.
Candelaria 7, Baird 3
Dennis Candelaria had a big Tuesday that went well beyond the scorecard. He beat Doug Baird 7–3 with a gross 48, net 41, and also cashed both closest-to-the-pin prizes, on hole 2 and hole 8. Baird took holes 3, 5 and 9, but doubles or worse on eight of the nine holes is a tough way to make a living, even with eight strokes in your pocket. Candelaria never let him string anything together and controlled the front side from the start.
Maxwell 6.5, Flores 3.5
This was the match of the night. Jason Maxwell jumped on the league leader early, winning hole 1, hole 2 and hole 4, with Flores' double on the opener helping him along. Flores, playing scratch, answered by taking No. 5, No. 6 and No. 7 in a row to square things up. Then Maxwell closed it out by winning hole 8 and hole 9, and his net 40 beat Flores' 42 for the low-net point. Flores shot a perfectly respectable gross 42 and still went home with 3.5 points. Maxwell's streak is now three straight.
Pehr 8, Kardas 2
Tom Pehr's gross 40 was the best number anyone posted all night and his best of the season, good for an 8–2 win over Jeff Kardas. Kardas' only hole came on No. 4, where he had his one stroke and Pehr made a double. After that, Pehr won the last four holes in a row and shut the door. Kardas had doubles on four holes, which in this match was about four too many.
Jaramillo 7, Rains 3
Thomas Jaramillo knocked off No. 2 Jimmie Rains 7–3 even though his own card, a gross 51, had five doubles or worse on it. Rains was worse, with doubles on eight holes for a gross 57. Rains won hole 1, hole 4 and hole 8, but Jaramillo took No. 2, No. 3, No. 7 and No. 9, and his net 41 edged Rains' 42 for the low-net point. It ended Rains' three-match streak.
Sewell 6, Rael 4
Paul Rael came out swinging and won hole 2 and hole 3, but Todd Sewell answered by taking No. 4, No. 5 and No. 6 in a row. Sewell gave one back with a double on hole 7, then won No. 8 to restore order. They halved hole 9, where Sewell also rolled in the longest putt of the night for $20. His gross 42, net 36, was comfortably the better card, and it took the low-net point and a 6–4 win.
Around the league
The $60 pot went mostly to Candelaria, who collected $40 for his two closest-to-the-pin wins, with Sewell picking up $20 for the long putt on No. 9. Flores still leads the standings with 26 points, but Pehr jumped two spots to second at 25.5. Rains slipped to third at 23, and Maxwell and Jaramillo sit at 22.5 apiece. The biggest climbers were Dean, who went from 14th to 7th, Sewell from 10th to 6th, and Candelaria from 13th to 8th. Going the other way, Jeff Hunt tumbled from third to 10th and Olson dropped to 11th. Maxwell and Pehr both stretched their winning streaks to three. With 16 regular-season weeks still to play, the standings have a long way to go before they mean much, but somebody please find a birdie next Tuesday.