| Winner | Runner-Up | |||
| Player of the Year | G. Campbell | 128 | M. Katz | 127 |
| Points Champion | S. Menzel | 27.5 | M. Karz | 24.0 |
| Scoring Champion | G. Campbell | 69.40 | AJ Jones | 70.00 |
| Pyramid Tournament | S. Blotzer | 77 | M. Katz | 80 |
| Winners Tournament | B. Simonson | 66 | S. Blotzer | 68 |
| Club Championship | M. Katz | 42 pts | R. Butler | 41 pts |
| Low Gross Club Championship | R. Butler | 78 | M. Cook | 80 |
| Valero Cup Tournament | G. Campbell | 71 | D. Scribner | 72 |
| Barbara Juris Award | B. Hurst | |||
| # 1 Ranked Golfer at the end of the year | M. Katz | 14.75 | G. Campbell | 12.89 |
| Most Tour. as the # 1 ranked golfer | M. Katz | 3 | ||
| Most Improved Handicap | AJ Jones | 15.1-11.2 | M. Hurst | 15.5-12.7 |
| Most Improved Player | G. Campbell | S. Blotzer | ||
| M. Katz | ||||
| Most Tournament Wins | G. Campbell | 2 | S. Menzel | 2 |
| J. Crumrine | 2 | K. Peck | 2 | |
| AJ Jones | 2 | N. Williamson | 2 | |
| Most Top 3’s | M. Katz | 6 | ||
| Most Eagles | none | |||
| Most Birdies | N. Williamson | 8 | ||
| Most Long Drives | B. Boyer | 2 | ||
| B. Hurst | 2 | |||
| M. Hurst | 2 | |||
| Most Closest to the Pin | F. Duggins | 4 | ||
| Number of Tournaments | 8 | |||
| Avg # of players per tournament | 22 | |||
| Different players winning 1st place | 15 | |||
| Different players winning 2nd place | 19 | |||
| Players eligible for the Winners Tournament | 21 | |||
2009 Highlights Notes;
Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2009; Matt Hurst, first time major tournament winners; Glenn Campbell, Michael Katz, first time winner, B. Hurst
Achieved 750 Tournament Points – M. Cook, 752.0
Achieved 400 Tournament Points – D. Storbeck, 402.5
Achieved 359 Tournament Points – N. Williamson, 360.0
Achieved 325 Tournament Points – D. Scribner, 330.0
Achieved 250 Tournament Points – M. Hurst, 254.0
Achieved 175 Tournament Points – S. Menzel, 177.0
Achieved 125 Tournament Points – S. Blotzer, 128.0 Achieved 75 Tournament Points – F. Duggins, 82.5, Achieved 75 Tournament Points – M. Katz, 92.0, Achieved 50 Tournament Points – AJ Jones, 61.5
| Valero Golf Club records set or tied | Previous record or runner-up |
| Most Consecutive Years with at least one tournament win | |
| 9 – N. Williamson, 2001 – 2009 | 9 – D. Menzel, 2000 – 2008 |
| Lowest Career Scoring Average | |
| 72.06 – AJ Jones | 72.25 – M. Cook |
| Low Net Score, 18 Holes | |
| 17 under par, B. Hurst, Wildhorse, 2009 | 17 under par, R. Nitzkowski, Cypress Lakes, 1995 |
| Course Record – Low Gross Score | |
| 4 over par 76, N. Williamson, Wildhorse, 2009 | 5 over par 77, M. Cook, Wildhorse, 2006 |
| 6 over par 78, R. Butler, Rooster Run,2009 | 11 over par 83, M. Cook, Rooster Run, 2005 |
| 9 over par 81, G. Beckman, Roddy Ranch, 2009 | 10 over par, 82, L. Campbell, Roddy Ranch, 2005 |
| 10 over par, 82, M. Cook, Roddy Ranch, 2005 | |
| 16 over par 88, G. Campbell, M. Katz, D. Scribner | none |
| Yocha-De-He, 2009 | |
| Course Record – Low Net Score | |
| 17 under par (par 73), 56, B. Hurst, Wildhorse, 2009 | 14 under par (par 72), 58, S. Menzel, Wildhorse, 2003 |
| 6 under par 66, B. Simonson, Roddy Ranch, 2009 | 6 under par 66, L. Campbell, Roddy Ranch, 2005 |
| 1 under par 71, G. Campbell, Yocha-De-He, 2009 | none |
2009 Highlights
The 39th Valero Golf Club season started out with the playing of the traditional 24th annual Tom Stead memorial scramble at Green Tree G.C. on April 18th starting at 8am. Again this year we had a later than usual start to the season, the bonus was we had beautiful weather again this year but a pretty strong north wind during the middle of the round caused some problems. We only had 20 players sign up and play. A conflict with a Green Tree Men’s Club Tournament forced us to have 3 groups tee off on the front nine and the other 2 groups tee off on the back nine. The first flight was won by the team of Steve Blotzer, Glenn Campbell, Larry Campbell and AJ Jones with a 63. Finishing in second place one stroke back was the team of Randy Butler, Maria Ilomin, Debbie Menzel and Sonny Menzel. In third place was the team of Mike Osada, Dave Pearce, Don Scribner and Denzil Storbeck with a 65. Teeing off on split tees forced us to have only one CP & LD on each group’s front nine. Randy Butler won the closest to the pin on the front nine, the back nine CP went unclaimed.. Randy Butler and AJ Jones won the long drives. Mike Cook on behalf of the golf club presented Debbie Menzel a plaque in thanks for her 7 excellent years as the Tournament Director. Mike also showed a DVD of Tom Stead playing Green Tree GC in 1984. This year we raised $200.00 in contributions to the American Heart Association in “Tom’s” memory but the players added an additional $185.00 to bring our total to date over the $7000.00 mark at $7096.00. Thanks again for your generous support.
Valero Golf Rankings, to start the year off Debbie Menzel held the # 1 spot, Ken Dorsey # 2, Kevin Peck # 3, Mike Osada # 4 and Jerry Crumrine # 5.
The first regular tournament of the year was held at Rancho Solano GC on Saturday, May 9th starting at 9:00 am. The weather was beautiful, temperature in the high 70’s at the finish of play with essentially no wind the entire day. Kevin Peck and Nemon Williamson shooting net 69’s tied for first place in the first flight, Nemon shooting a gross 39 on the back nine and Kevin winning for the second year in a row. Finishing in second place 3 strokes back was Larry Campbell. Michael Katz took third place with a net 74. Glenn Campbell won the second flight with a net 69 after making back to back birdies on the 17th & 18th holes. Todd Lopez, 2 strokes back took second place. Don Scribner took third with a net 72. The third flight was won by Jerry Crumrine with the best low net score of the day, a 66. Finishing second was Sonny Menzel with a net 70. Bob Boyer was one stroke back with a 71 and took third place The CP’s were won by Debbie Menzel and Kevin Peck. Sonny Menzel and Bob Brown won the LD’s. Glenn Campbell starts off the year with the points lead, Jerry Crumrine leads the scoring average. The greens were fast and had some tough pin placements but the field came through with 12 birdies. Glenn Campbell led the way with 3 (2 back to back on the 17th & 18th holes), Randy Butler, Don Scribner and Nemon Williamson had 2 apiece. Other birdie shooters were Todd Lopez, Sonny Menzel and Bob Simonson. The par four 11th hole took it’s toll again this year. Four 6’s, five 7’s, four 8’s and one 9 reminded these players they were at Amen Corner. In first round Pyramid play it was Michael Katz over Randy Butler, Todd Lopez over Don Scribner, AJ Jones over Dave Pearce, Larry Campbell over Bob Simonson and Jerry Crumrine over Bob Brown. The Rankings were changed, Kevin Peck moved up to # 1, Jerry Crumrine moved up into # 2, Debbie Menzel slipped to # 3, Nemon Williamson moved up to # 4 with Mike Osada moving down into the # 5 spot.
The 8th annual Menzel Classic best-ball tournament was held on Saturday, May 30th at Wildhorse GC starting at 9:04 am. The weather was beautiful, temperature in the mid 80’s at the end of play, the prevailing wind came up on the last few holes of the back nine. We had a great turnout for our second three flight tournament in a row. Matt Hurst and Nemon Williamson teamed up to win the first flight with a best-ball score of 58. The team of Mike Cook and Jerry Crumrine took second place with a net 63. The team of Glenn Campbell and Larry Campbell finished in third place with a 64. Mike Osada and Denzil Storbeck repeated and won the second flight with a 61. Floyd Duggins and Bob Simonson finished second four strokes back. In third place was the team of Sue Gustofson and Todd Lopez with a 72. The third flight was won by the team of Brittany Hurst and Kevin Peck with a 58. Finishing in second place was the team of tournament hosts Debbie and Sonny Menzel with a 61. Third place went the team of Sandie Cook and Don Scribner who shot a 63. Brittany Hurst won her first tournament, set a new low net course record and tied the club record for the all time low net score. The greens were very hard but the field came through with 20 birdies. Nemon Williamson led the way with 3 followed by Glenn Campbell, Larry Campbell, Matt Hurst, Sonny Menzel and Kevin Peck with 2. Other birdie shooters were Steve Blotzer, Mike Cook, Brittany Hurst, Debbie Menzel, Sonny Menzel Dave Pearce, Bob Simonson and Don Scribner all having one apiece. Net Eagles were made by Brittany Hurst with 5, Nemon Williamson had 3, Glenn Campbell, Matt Hurst and Sonny Menzel with 2 each and Steve Blotzer, Mike Cook, Sandie Cook and Debbie Menzel with one each. Nemon Williamson shot a two under par gross 34 on the back nine and a gross 76 to break Mike Cook’s course record by one stroke. Larry Campbell shot a gross 37 on the back nine. Mike Cook had a pair of 39’s. The CP’s were won by Kevin Peck and Steve Blotzer. The LD’s were both won by Brittany Hurst. Kevin Peck took over the points lead from Glenn Campbell who took over the scoring average lead along with Brittany Hurst. Debbie and Sonny handed out very nice cash prizes to all the first, second and third place finishers in the first, second and third flights. The flight winners had their pictures taken as winners of the Menzel Classic. In first round Pyramid play it was Bob Boyer over Sonny Menzel. Kevin Peck maintained his # 1 Ranking, # 2 was Jerry Crumrine, Debbie Mebzel at # 3 position, Nemon Williamson at # 4 with Mike Osada at the # 5 spot.
Our first major championship of the year was played at Rooster Run GC on Saturday, June 20th starting at 11am. The temperature was in the low 70’s and the prevailing wind made for some difficulties as it blew across each upwind and downwind hole. This Club Championship tournament was extremely competitive in both flights. Michael Katz finished par, birdie, par gathering 42 points to win the first flight and the Club Championship. This was his first major tournament win. Finishing in second place in the first flight was Randy Butler with 41 points. He also had a strong finish, par, par, par, birdie but came up one point short. Nemon Williamson took third place with 40 points. The second flight winner was the defending champion Jerry Crumrine with 40 points. Finishing tied for second in the second flight only one point behind were Glenn Campbell and AJ Jones. Another one points back was Sonny Menzel who took third place. Randy Butler broke Mike Cook’s low gross course record shooting a 78. Kevin Peck shot a 38 on the front nine, Dave Pearce had a 39. On the back nine Mike Cook and Nemon Williamson had 38’s, Michael Katz a 39. Mike Cook (Mike’s 55th CP) and Floyd Duggins won the CP’s. Bob Boyer (his first) with a 311 yard into the wind drive and Debbie Menzel won the LD’s. Debbie hit a 241 yard drive from her tees to ace out Matt Hurst with a 298 yard drive. Jerry Crumrine and Nemon Williamson took over the points lead for the year. Brittany Hurst took over the scoring average lead. The greens were difficult to read but the field came through again with 12 birdies. Nemon Williamson led the way with 3, Randy Butler had 2. Other birdie shooters were Glenn Campbell, Mike Cook, Michael Katz, Debbie Menzel, Mike Osada, Dave Pearce and Kevin Peck. Some changes took place in the golf club rankings, Jerry Crumrine with his win took over # 1 spot, Nemon Williamson moved up to the # 2 spot, Debbie Menzel held at # 3, Kevin Peck slipped to # 4, with Mike Osada holding his # 5 position. In first round Pyramid play it was Steve Blotzer over Nemon Williamson by forfeit.(Nemon had upcoming spinal surgery).
The next tournament was played at Franklin Canyon GC starting at 8:00 am (oops 9:00 am due to a clerical error) on Saturday, July 18th. The temperature was in the mid nineties with a less than normal westerly wind blowing. AJ Jones won the first flight after shooting his career low gross score of 78, net 62. A distant 7 strokes back was the trio of Michael Katz, Kevin Peck and Denzil Storbeck who tied for second place. Don Scribner with a net 73 took third place. The second flight was won by Sheldon Custer with a net 67. One stroke back was Floyd Duggins for second place. Brittany Hurst took third place with a net 72. Michael Katz and Floyd Duggins won the CP’s. Matt Hurst and Michael Katz won the LD’s. Kevin Peck took over the points lead for the year with Sheldon Custer taking over the scoring average lead. The greens again this year were very slow and bumpy, but the field did come through with 9 birdies. Michael Katz had 2, Larry Campbell, Brittany Hurst, AJ Jones, Todd Lopez, Sonny Menzel, Dave Pearce and Kevin Peck had one apiece. In first round Pyramid play it was Sandie Cook over Matt Hurst, Kevin Peck over Mike Cook, Brittany Hurst over Ken Dorsey by forfeit? and Glenn Campbell over Rick Morgan (@ Blue Rock Springs – East). One first round match that was overdue was Debbie Menzel vs Rob Yarbrough. The Rankings changed with Jerry Crumrine holding the top spot, AJ Jones moved up from # 7 to # 2, Nemon Williamson held at # 3, Michael Katz moved up to # 4, Debbie Menzel slipped to the # 5 position.
Saturday the 22nd of August was the date for the 8th “Boyd Cook Memorial Classic” held this year at Paradise Valley G.C. starting at 10:16 am. The weather was good, the normal westerly wind with the temperature in the mid eighties at the end of play. Don Scribner won the first flight and his first Boyd Cook Classic shooting a net 69. Michael Katz took second place two strokes back. Mike Cook, Dave Pearce and Denzil Storbeck were another stroke back and tied for third place. Sonny Menzel also became a first time winner of the Boyd Cook Classic by winning the second flight with a net 68. Steve Blotzer and Sandie Cook tied for second place five strokes back. Floyd Duggins was another one stroke back and finished in third place. Michael Katz and Neal Stachowicz won the CP’s, Matt Hurst (his 35th LD) and Bob Simonson won the LD’s. Michael Katz took over the points lead for the year. Brittany Hurst and Nemon Williamson took over the scoring average lead for the year. The front nine was very wet and the greens were slower than normal. The back nine greens were closer to normal speed. The field did make 12 birdies. Dave Pearce, Bob Simonson and Neal Stachowicz led the way with 2 apiece. Other birdie shooters were Glenn Campbell, Sandie Cook, Floyd Duggins, Rick Morgan, Don Scribner and Rob Yarbrough with one each. In first round pyramid play it was Rob Yarbrough over Debbie Menzel (@ Paradise Valley). In second round pyramid play it was Bob Boyer over AJ Jones (@ Rancho Solano) and in second round pyramid during this tournament it was Glenn Campbell over Todd Lopez, Michael Katz over Jerry Crumrine and Rob Yarbrough over Brittany Hurst. Steve Blotzer and Sandie Cook tied their second round match. The rankings were changed with Todd Lopez being added. Michael Katz moved up from # 4 to the # 1 position, AJ Jones holds at the # 2 spot, Nemon Williamson holds the # 3 spot, Todd Lopez enters in the # 4 position with Jerry Crumrine slipping down to the # 5 spot.
The eighth “Matt Hurst shootout” was played on Saturday, September 5th starting at 8:00 am at Tilden Park G.C. It was cool, 50’s to start with, 60’s at the end, when the fog retreated the players faced some gusty wind conditions. The course was extremely wet especially on the front nine. Tilden has the toughest two starting holes that we play all year, no one made a par on the opening par 4 first hole, AJ Jones was the only player in the field to par the tough second hole. Matt and Brittany Hurst handed out the traditional goodie bags to each player before they teed off. AJ Jones won the first flight with a net 67, his second win for the year. Matt Hurst was second one stroke back. Mike Cook was third with a net 69. In the second flight Sonny Menzel in shooting his best career gross score (84, net 65) wins his second tournament in a row (his 15th career win) and repeats his Shootout win from last year. A distance 7 strokes back was Brittany Hurst and Bob Simonson who tied for second place. Steve Blotzer, Bob Boyer and Debbie Menzel tied for third place with net 73’s. Mike Cook and Floyd Duggins won the CP’s, Mike missed out holing his tee shot by 12 inches pin high left, Floyd hit a beautiful iron unto the 178 yard 16th hole, both players holed their putts for birdies. Bob Boyer and John Ortiz won the LD’s. Neal Stachowicz shot a gross 39 on the front nine, Mike Cook had a 38 on the back nine and a gross 79 for the day. Matt Hurst with his second place finish went over the 250 career points needed to qualify him for the Hall of Fame. Sonny Menzel took over the points lead, the absent Nemon Williamson took over the scoring average lead for the year. The greens were in fairly good shape but slower than normal, the field took advantage making 11 birdies. Jerry Crumrine and Michael Katz led the way with 2 each. Other birdie shooters were Mike Cook, Floyd Duggins, AJ Jones, Sonny Menzel, John Ortiz Bob Simonson (a chip in from off the 10th green) and Neal Stachowicz. This was the last chance to qualify for the Winners Tournament. Bob Simonson took the last qualifying spot for the Winners Tournament bringing the final total to 21 for the year. It was a tough year for Hall of Famers Mike Cook, John Ortiz and Dave Pearce who failed to qualify for this years Winners Tournament. AJ Jones and Sonny Menzel had their pictures taken in the traditional lavender blazer worn by the first place finishers. In a second round pyramid play rematch it was Steve Blotzer over Sandie Cook. Low net money in the pyramid first round goes to Jerry Crumrine and Don Scribner. The rankings had some changes with AJ Jones taking over the # 1 spot, Michael Katz slipped to the # 2 spot, Nemon Williamson the # 3 spot, Sonny Menzel with his win moved up to # 4 with Todd Lopez holding the # 5 position. The Player of the Year race is very close.
The “39th” annual Winners Tournament was played for the first time at Roddy Ranch G.C. on Saturday, September 19th with a 8:30am start time. The weather conditions were good, high clouds kept the temperature down, it was in the low nineties at the end of play. The normal westerly wind came up only on the last few holes. The greens were very fast but did have a lot of damage on them, chipping unto the greens and holding was very difficult. A fair turnout, fourteen of the twenty one eligible players played plus six ineligible for a total of twenty. Before the tournament results were announced Matt Hurst was offically inducted into the Valero Golf Club’s “Hall of Fame”. Bob Simonson after finishing tied for 1st and losing a playoff in 2001 and finishing 2nd by one stroke in 2003 & 2007 came through to win his second Winners Tournament, his first being in 1977. Bob shot a gross 86 net 66 and tied the low net course record. Steve Blotzer took second place with a net 68.Two players tied for 3rd place with net 70’s, Glenn Campbell and Matt Hurst. Sonny Menzel won the Points Championship (his second) for the year. In a good competitive year 6 different players had a chance to claim the Points Championship going into the Winners Tournament. Bob Simonson and Floyd Duggins took the CP’s. In another very competitive year 8 different players won a CP, Floyd Duggins with 4 for the year tied the club’s runner-up record. The LD’s were won by Gary Beckman and Steve Blotzer. We had 11 different players claim a LD during the year, Bob Boyer, Brittany Hurst and Matt Hurst led the way with 2 each. Glenn Campbell won the Scoring Average Championship for the year. Larry Campbell, Matt Hurst and Bob Simonson had two birdies apiece. Other birdie shooters were Gary Beckman, Mike Cook, Michael Katz and Don Scribner. Nemon Williamson only able to play in 3 tournaments was the birdie leader for the year with 8. In second round pyramid play it was Kevin Peck over Larry Campbell by forfeit. In third round pyramid play it was Steve Blotzer over Glenn Campbell. Michael Katz moved back into first place in the Valero Golf Rankings, Nemon Williamson moved up to the second spot, AJ Jones slipped from # 1 to the # 3 spot, Sonny Menzel held at # 4 with Todd Lopez holding the # 5 position.
The 23rd Valero Cup tournament was played for the first time at Yocha-De-He G.C. on Saturday, October 3rd starting at 9:00 am. The weather was great, temperature in the mid 70’s, a mild wind started on about the 4th hole but became very strong on the last few finishing holes. Yocha-De-He golf course translated means very large and very fast greens, a tough start, a 447 yard par 4 and a tough finish, a 417 yard par 4. The greens were very fast, like Roddy Ranch hard to chip to but these greens were very smooth and tricky, this combined with very difficult pin placements led to some high scores. At the end of the front nine Jerry Crumrine led the way with a net 33, Glenn Campbell & AJ Jones were at 35 with Don Scribner at 36. Glenn Campbell holed out from off the 18th green for a double bogey 6 but that was good enough to earn him his first major championship win and the $80.00 winner takes all prize money. Don Scribner had the tournament won but took an 8 on the tough par 4 eighteenth hole and finished second. The # 1 ranked Michael Katz came through on the back nine with a gross 41 to finish third. Only three birdies were made, Glenn Campbell, Jerry Crumrine and Matt Hurst had one apiece. Other top eight players included; Jerry Crumrine, Matt Hurst, AJ Jones, Sonny Menzel and Bob Simonson. (Kevin Peck and Nemon Williamson were eligible but didn’t play). Not eligible but played were Mike Cook, Sandie Cook, Floyd Duggins and Debbie Menzel. Sandie Cook and Debbie Menzel were presented the “Barbara Juris Award” for the years in which they each won it. Brittany Hurst was this years winner. In third round pyramid play it was Bob Boyer over Kevin Peck by forfeit and Michael Katz over Rob Yarbrough (@ Paradise Valley). Glenn Campbell with his win squeaked ahead of Michael Katz for the # 1 ranking, the absent Nemon Williamson is at # 3, AJ Jones is at # 4 with Todd Lopez at # 5.
The 33rd Pyramid Tournament finals were held at Eagle Vines G.C. on Saturday, October 31st, it was Holloween and we had a trick and a treat. The trick was it was so foggy you could not see the fairway on your tee shots or the greens on your approach shots, just the vauge general direction. The treat was after the fog lifted it was an absolutely beautiful day, temperature in the mid 70’s with no wind. The three players in the finals were Steve Blotzer, Bob Boyer and Michael Katz. On the par 5 opening hole Michael hit he tee shot left and ended up with a lost ball, he had to retee but came through with a bogey 6 on the hole. Steve also had a 6, Bob after some approach shot problems took a 7. On the tough 423 yard par 4 second hole both Bob and Michael took 6’s, Steve hit his second shot into the left lateral hazard (we think, it was so foggy it was hard to tell) and ended up taking an 8. The sun broke through on the tee of the 491 yard par 5 third hole and the scores immediately improved, both Michael and Steve made par 5’s, Bob had a bogey 6. On the tricky short par 4 fourth hole Bob hit the perfect tee shot down the right side to the 100 yard marker. Michael and Steve were left with longer approach shots. Michael hit his tee shot long just over the green, Steve was just off the green but up on the hillside. Bob mishit his shot and ended up in the hazard, he rehit and ended up taking a 7 on the hole. Both Michael and Steve hit good chip shots to a very difficult pin (upper back of the green on a small plateau) and 2 putted for bogey 5’s. On the par 4 fifth hole the pin was again in a tough spot, upper left on a very small plateau. Michael was on the green but right on the upper level. Steve was on the lower front of the green. Bob ended up with his shot way up on the hill above the green, an impossible chip shot to the green went across and ended up in the front bunker. Bob had bunker problems and ended up taking an 8. Michael 3 putted for a 5, Steve 3 putted for a 6. On the par 3 sixth hole, the island green, Michael hit his tee shot short left, Steve went into the right side bunker pin high and Bob was short and ended up in the water hazard.but saved a 5, Steve and Michael took 4’s. On the downhill dogleg left par 4 seventh hole both Steve and Michael hit perfect tee shots, Bob ended up in the right side fairway bunker. Bob’s bunker shot went OB right, he ended up taking a high number on the hole. Steve made a par 4, Michael a bogey 5. On the par 3 eighth hole Steve’s tee shot was short right, Michael’s was long left, Bob’s went right, hit the cart path and bounced into the water hazard. Steve managed a bogey 4, Michael a 5 and Bob took a 6. On the par 4 ninth hole Michael and Bob both hit good tee shots, Steve mishit his drive short, layed up and then just hit the right side of the green almost in the lateral hazard, Michael was long right and almost in the same hazard. Michael chipped up unto the green and made an excellent 10 foot putt for a par. Bob would make a bogey 5, Steve ended up taking a 7 on the hole. At the end of the front nine Michael and Steve were tied with Bob 6 strokes back. Starting the back nine on the par 4 uphill dogleg right 10th hole Michael was left with his tee shot, Steve went way right in no mans land, Bob just missed carrying the last right side bunker. Bob had bunker problems and ended up taking a 8 on the hole, Michael hit his second shot right under a small fence, Steve not only found his ball but hit his second shot across the green, Michael chipped out from under the fence and went across the green. Both Steve and Michael 2 putted, Steve for a par Michael for a bogey 5. On the downhill par 5 eleventh hole Bob hit a very good tee shot, Steve was way right almost into the the 10th fairway, Michael mishit his tee shot short left on the downslope. Michael hit his second shot across the water hazard that crosses the fairway but it went right and into the lake. Steve put his ball back in play. Michael took his drop but then hit his next shot into the greenside water hazard. Some approach and putting problems had both Bob and Steve take 7’s on the hole, Michael ended up taking a 9. On the par 3 twelfth hole Bob hit the best shot of the day pin high right, Steve was short left, Michael was in the center of the green a little long. Michael 2 putted for a par, Steve chipped up and 2 putted for a bogey, Bob made his putt for a much needed birdie 2. Going to the par 4 thirteenth Steve was 2 strokes up on Michael. The turning point of the match was coming up. Michael used an iron to tee off with but mishit it short, both Steve and Bob hit good tee shots. Michael hit his long second shot, it hit the slope on the right side of the green and careened right down across the cart path to the OB fence. He then hit a provisonal shot. His second shot ended up being in bounds by 4 inches but laying under the fence. He hit his next shot but it only moved just across the cart path. He chipped from there but ended up taking a 7 on the hole. Steve would make a par 4, Bob a bogey 5. Steve was up by 5 strokes on Michael. Next was the dangerous 427 yard par 4 fourteenth hole with OB right and a lateral hazard (vineyards) left. Michael hit a very good tee shot, Bob hit what looked like a good one left, Steve went left into the lateral hazard. Steve hit his 3rd shot back in play, Bob’s tee shot hit the left slope of the fairway and went into the hazard. Bob would go on to make a good bogey 5, Steve would take a 6, Michael picked up one stroke with a 5 to be 4 down for the match. On the par 3 fifteenth hole Bob’s tee shot was way right but close to pin high, Steve was short left and laying in the hazard, Michael was just left of the green but also in the hazard. Steve and Michael chipped out of the hazard and then 2 putted for bogeys. Bob chipped into the bunker but got it up and down for a bogey 4. On the par 5 sixteenth hole Steve hit the left fairway bunker on his tee shot, both Bob and Michael hit good tee shots. Steve got out of the bunker and then hit his 3rd shot right and short of the green. Bob ended up taking a 7, Steve would get on and 2 putt for a bogey 6, Michael just missed a birdie 4 but did make a par to go 3 down in the match going to the 17th hole. On the par 4 seventeenth hole Michael hit his tee shot left into the trees, Steve mishit his right towards the big trees on the edge of the fairway, Bob hit a good tee shot almost to the green. Michael tried to advance his ball but it hit more trees, he then had to chip out sideways back to the fairway. Steve layed up with his second shot but then hit his 3rd shot into the greenside bunker. Michael’s next shot was short, he chipped on and 2 putted for a 7. Steve could not get out of the bunker on his first try but did on his second, then 2 putted for a 7 also. Bob would make a bogey 5. Steve was still 3 up going to the 18th hole. Steve hit his tee shot left but OK, Michael was right and Bob hit it right down the middle. Michael’s second shot was short of the green, Steve hit the middle of the green to essentially win the match. Steve and Michael had bogey 5’s, Bob a 6. The course was in good shape, the greens speed slower than normal. Steve Blotzer will have his name engraved for the first time on the “Tom Stead Trophy” as the winner of the 33rd Pyramid Tournament, his second major ($90.00). Finishing second was Michael Katz ($46.00). Finishing third was Bob Boyer ($28.00). Low net money went to Michael Katz ($22.00), Jerry Crumrine ($18.00), Glenn Campbell ($14.00), Sandie Cook ($12.00) and Don Scribner ($10.00). After the Pyramid Tournament Michael Katz took over the # 1 spot in the golf rankings, Glenn Campbell at # 2, Bob Boyer at # 3, Nemon Williamson at # 4 and Steve Blotzer at the # 5 spot.
The # 1 position in the Valero Golf Club Rankings was held by Debbie Menzel to start the year off. Kevin Peck took over from the start of the year through Rancho Solano and the Wildhorse tournaments. Jerry Crumrine took over after Rooster Run and held # 1 through the Franklin Canyon tournament. Michael Katz took over after the Paradise Valley tournament. AJ Jones reached # 1 after the Tilden tournament. After the Winners Tournament at Roddy Ranch Michael Katz retook # 1 spot. After the Valero Cup at Yocha-He-De Glenn Campbell barely took over the top spot away from Michael. Michael Katz after finishing second in the Pyramid Tournament at Eagle Vines took over the # 1 position and ended the year as the # 1 ranked golfer.
By finishing 7th in Tournament Points, 1st in the Scoring Average Championship for the year, and 4th in the Pyramid Tournament, Glenn Campbell was the Valero Golf Club’s “Player of the Year” for 2009 (his first). He won it by one point over Michael Katz. Past one point winners were in 1985, Cullen Stephenson over Bob Mathews, in 2001, Matt Hurst over Mike Cook and in 2005, Dave Pearce over Nemon Williamson.
The annual Revenge Scramble Tournament normally played at Kennedy GC in Napa in October was not held again this year.
2009 was the eighth year for the Valero Golf League, nine hole team play starting officially at 4:30 pm every Thursday afternoon at Blue Rock Springs – East G.C. in Vallejo. The League ran from mid April through September. The Seadlings started off the year in first place for weeks 1 – 5, the Hackers tied them in week 6, the Seadlings went on to hold first place for weeks 7 – 9, the Hackers took over first place for weeks 10 – 11, Team Albatross tied with them for week # 12, the Seadlings retook the lead and held it until the end of the regular season. At the end of the regular season the first place team ( The Seadlings ) received a bye, the second place team Team Albatross and the third place team the Hackers Unlimited played off on August 13th to determine who would play the top team. The Hackers Unlimited team won 5.0 to 5.0 (won the low agragate net score tie breaker) and advanced on to play the Seadlings on August 20th. As it was in 2006 & 2008 the Championship match was very close coming down to the final foursome on the final hole with the Hackers Unlimited winning by a score of 6.5 to 5.5. This gave the Hackers their first league championship. Mike Cook shot video of the match showing play on the first, third and ninth holes. The first place team the Hackers Unlimited consisted of Will Grinslade, AJ Jones, Brad Martin, Debbie Menzel, team captain Sonny Menzel, Trent Van Nieuwburg and Dave Watson. The Seadlings finished in second place, the team consisted of Rick Carr, John Endicott, Michael Katz, Al Middleton, captain Neal Stachowicz, Gene Stangel and Casey Walker. Team Albatross finished in third place, the team consisted of Dave Barnholt, Lauren Bird, Steve Blotzer, team captain Matt Hurst, Mike Osada, Glenn Overman and Terrence Vallely. Birdies-R-Us finished in fourth place, the team consisted of team captain Glenn Campbell, Andrew Estrada, Sue Gustofson, JD Johnson, Todd Lopez, Lacey Sutherland and Alex Tegenkamp. The defending champion Rovers finished in fifth place, the team consisted of Randy Butler, Steve Duff, Dave Frank, Rick Morgan, Jim Petrellese, Chad Rollans, team captain Jim Rollans, (and Karen Webster). The Mulligans finished sixth, the team consisting of Bob Boyer, team captain Rick Hastings, Chris Hom, (Jack Merrill), James Minkel, Eddie Pereira, Chris Riley and Lelsie Sullivan.Year long individual honors went to Randy Butler, Eddie Periera and Neal Stachowicz with a low gross of 36 in the regular season, a low net of 28 in the regular season went to Neal Stachowicz. In the playoffs low gross went to Trent VanNieuwburg with a 41 (new runner-up record). Low net in the playoffs went to Glenn Overman and Dave Watson with 33’s (tying the runner-up record). Sonny Menzel had the most improved handicap for the year. In the league individual rankings Will Grinslade and Trent VanNieuwburg finished the year in the year tied in the # 1 position. Andrew Estrada and JD Johnson held the # 1 spot for 7 weeks each. Michael Katz held the # 1 spot for 3 weeks, Will Grinslade for 2 weeks, Trent VanNieuwburg for for one week. The Seadlings set a new runner-up record for the most team match points. In post season tournament play; in the two person best-ball it was Glenn Overman and Dave Watson teaming up to to win with a net 27 (setting a new runner-up record). The two person worst-ball tournament was won by the team of John Endicott and Neal Stachowicz with a net 38. In the stableford + handicap tournament it was Jim Rollans in first place with 24 points (setting a new runner-up record). The last tournament of the year was the was the low net tournament won by Chad Rollans with a net 30. This was followed by awards, food and drinks provided by League President Bob Boyer. The Valero Golf League had another good year.
This golf year came to a close following the Pyramid Tournament Finals. This year we continued the players sponsoring tournaments, thanks to all the sponsors. Thanks go out to Matt Hurst for taking over and doing an outstanding job as our new Tournament Director. The Valero Golf League had another good year with the Hackers Unlimited winning their first League Championship. Thanks to Bob Boyer for running the Valero Golf League as League President this year. Thanks also Mike DeHart, treasurer & Matt Hurst the membership coordinator, Jim Rollans who was again the league statistician and Jon Shallenberger who was the farm league statistician. As always we’re looking forward to next year.
Mike Cook