Six Favorites Tumble as Winters Posts a Net 34
If you were ranked higher than your opponent on Tuesday, you probably wanted a mulligan on the whole evening. Six of the seven live matches at UNM North went to the lower-ranked player. The only favorite to survive was Jeff Kardas, and he barely counts as one, sitting a single spot ahead of his opponent. Sean Winters led the charge with a net 34, the low net of the night. Jeff Hunt posted the low gross, a 40 that took apart Tom Pehr. Nobody made a birdie, again, so the bar talk was all about which double bogeys hurt the most.
Dean 6, Rains 4
Jimmie Rains posted a season-best gross 52 and still went home with a loss. That tells you what kind of season-best it was: doubles or worse on seven of nine holes, with 10 strokes to cushion the blow. Andy Dean gave two holes right back by doubling Nos. 4 and 5. He steadied to take holes 6, 7 and 9, and both men finished at net 37. Dean claimed the upset with a little left over.
Shields 5.5, Jaramillo 4.5
Dead even on paper: both players carded gross 47, net 38, with no strokes changing hands. Brian Shields took the opener. Thomas Jaramillo answered on Nos. 2 and 3, and then Shields grabbed holes 6 and 7 for the decisive edge. The back stretch was four straight halves, so the No. 2 man in the league never got a chance to win it back. Shields now has four wins in a row, the longest active streak in the league.
Harvey 7, Sewell 3
Brit Harvey had the full evening: a season-best gross 46, the low net in her match at 35, and closest to the pin on hole 2, the same hole she won. She took four of the first six holes and played the strokes perfectly. Todd Sewell shot a perfectly respectable 43 but didn't win a hole until No. 9. By then his three-match win streak was already finished.
Winters 8.5, Candelaria 1.5
This one needs a closer look. Both players doubled holes 1, 3 and 6, and Sean Winters won all three of them anyway, thanks to his strokes. Winters shot gross 49, net 34, winning six holes and never losing one. Dennis Candelaria matched him at gross 49 but never got a hole of his own. Candelaria went home with 1.5 points and a three-spot slide in the standings.
Olson 5.5, Maxwell 4.5
Joe Olson put up a gross 55 with doubles or worse on seven holes, and won. Credit the nine strokes and a terrific run through the middle: Olson took holes 2 through 5 in a row, then added No. 8 for good measure. Jason Maxwell won four holes and the longest putt on No. 9. That putt took that hole but couldn't rescue the match.
Hunt 7.5, Pehr 2.5
Jeff Hunt's gross 40 was the low round of the night, and Tom Pehr had the misfortune of standing next to it. Hunt won the first three holes while Pehr doubled all of them. Hunt added Nos. 5 and 6, then wobbled with a double of his own on hole 8, the only hole Pehr won. That's three straight wins for Hunt, and a drop out of the top three for Pehr.
Kardas 8.5, Rael 1.5
The one match the higher-ranked player won, and Jeff Kardas made it look easy. He shot gross 44, net 35, and won six holes without dropping a single one. Paul Rael's 51 included doubles or worse on five holes, and he fell two spots in the standings for his trouble.
Flores 5, Maxwell's card 5
Orlando Flores played off scratch against Jason Maxwell's card, which carried six strokes. The result was a 5–5 split. Flores swept holes 2 through 5 at the heart of his gross 42. Maxwell's card won No. 1 and then three of the last four holes. Maxwell's round ended up losing by half a point in person and tying the league leader on paper.
Around the league
Harvey's closest to the pin on No. 2 and Maxwell's long putt on No. 9 split the $75 pot, $37.50 apiece. At the top of the standings, Flores holds the lead with 41 points, and Jaramillo trails at 39.5. Rains moved up to third at 37.5, Pehr slipped to fourth at 36.5, and Sewell holds fifth at 34.5. Shields climbed from 11th to ninth and Harvey from 13th to 11th. Rael fell to 10th and Candelaria dropped all the way to 13th. Shields leads the streaks at four wins, with Hunt and Winters at three apiece. Thirteen weeks remain, so there's plenty of time for the favorites to get their revenge, or to keep handing out points.