Sewell's Clean 40 Leads a Night That Shook the Top Five
Week 8 at UNM North belonged to the underdogs, and to Todd Sewell. Four of the top five came into Tuesday expecting business as usual, and all four left with fewer points than the other guy. Sewell led the charge with a gross 40, his best of the season, and did it without a single double on his card. Jeff Hunt posted the low gross of the night with a 37, and the low net was a three-way share at 35 between Hunt, Sewell and Dennis Candelaria. Everyone else spent the evening collecting doubles like Pokemon cards.
Dean 5.5, Pehr 4.5
Andy Dean took down the No. 4 man with a scorecard that looked like a seismograph: doubles on No. 3, No. 6 and No. 8, with a birdie on hole 7 sandwiched in there for good measure. Tom Pehr played the steadier round at gross 41, but the two finished level at net 37 and Dean won the last hole to take it by a point. That's three straight wins for Dean, who apparently plays his best golf when nobody can predict what's coming next, himself included.
Shields 5, Harvey 5
Brian Shields and Brit Harvey combined for ten holes of double bogey or worse and still managed to split the points, which is either balance or mutual destruction. Harvey had six of those on her own but clawed back by winning No. 4 and No. 7, and both finished at net 41. The tie ends Shields' four-match winning streak, though Harvey can console herself with closest to the pin on hole 8.
Candelaria 5, Hunt 5
The best match of the night went back and forth all the way. Hunt shot the night's low gross, a 37 with a birdie on No. 3, while Candelaria leaned on his five strokes and kept answering. Hunt's lone double came on hole 8, right where Candelaria had a stroke, and Candelaria took the hole to square things up before they halved the last. Both finished at net 35, Hunt's three-match win streak is over, and he'll have to settle for the longest putt prize on No. 9 and the bragging rights for the best number on the board.
Maxwell 6, Rains 4
Jimmie Rains got eight strokes and needed every one of them, posting a gross 56 with doubles or worse on eight of nine holes; the only hole he escaped was No. 7, and he won that one. To his credit he won hole 8 too and kept it close, but Jason Maxwell's net 40 edged Rains by a stroke for the low-net point and the upset. Rains slips a spot to fourth.
Kardas 6.5, Olson 3.5
Joe Olson jumped out by winning hole 1, then Jeff Kardas took over, winning No. 4 and No. 5 and closing with the last two holes. Kardas' net 36 was comfortably clear of Olson's 38, and five doubles on Olson's card did the rest.
Rael 6, Flores 4
The league leader opened double, double, and Paul Rael, getting a stroke on every hole, happily took both. Orlando Flores fought back late, winning No. 8 and closing with a birdie on 9, but Rael's net 41 beat Flores' 43 for the low-net point and the upset. Flores still leads the league, but the opening two holes will be on his mind this week.
Sewell 7.5, Jaramillo 2.5
Sewell birdied No. 2, won the closest to the pin there for good measure, and then won the next two holes as well. He added hole 6 and halved everything else on his way to a gross 40, a season best, with no doubles anywhere. Thomas Jaramillo, the No. 2 man coming in, didn't win a single hole and carded five doubles. Not the evening Jaramillo had planned, and very much the one Sewell had.
Around the league
Prizes went to Sewell for closest to the pin on hole 2, Harvey for closest on hole 8 and Hunt for longest putt on No. 9, each taking $23.33 from the $70 pot. Sewell is the big climber, jumping from fifth to second with 42 points, level with Jaramillo, and three back of Flores at 45. Rains sits fourth at 41.5 and Pehr fifth at 41, which means the top five are separated by four points with 12 weeks left. Dean's streak runs to three, while Shields and Hunt both saw theirs end in ties. Next Tuesday, the top of the table will be looking over its shoulder.