| Winner | Runner-up | |||
| Player of the Year # – won double tie breaker | M. Hurst # | 129 | K. Peck | 129 |
| Points Champion * – won tie breaker | M. Hurst * | 32.5 | K. Peck | 32.5 |
| Scoring Champion | B. Hurst | 70.00 | R. Butler | 71.00 |
| Pyramid Tournament | D. Menzel | 72 | S. Menzel | 81 |
| Winners Tournament | B. Simonson | 65 | D. Menzel | 69 |
| Club Championship | M. Osada | 45 pts | D. Menzel | 41 pts |
| Low Gross Club Championship | G. Beckman | 83 | R. Butler | 85 |
| M. Cook | 85 | |||
| M. Katz | 85 | |||
| Barbara Juris Award | D. Menzel | |||
| # 1 Ranked Golfer at the end of the year | K. Peck | 14.84 | M. Cook | 12.83 |
| Most Tour. as the # 1 ranked golfer | K. Peck | 5 | M. Cook | 4 |
| Most Improved Handicap | B. Hurst | 20.5-15.7 | M. Hurst | 16.0-13.0 |
| Most Improved Player | D. Menzel | R. Butler | ||
| B. Hurst | ||||
| Most Tournament Wins | M. Hurst | 3 | S. Blotzer, K. Dorsey | 2 |
| B. Hurst, K. Peck, B. Simonson | 2 | |||
| Most Top 3’s | M. Cook | 7 | M. Hurst | 5 |
| K. Peck | 7 | D. Menzel, S. Menzel | 5 | |
| Most Eagles | D. Menzel | 1 | ||
| Most Birdies | R. Butler | 9 | ||
| M. Cook | 9 | |||
| Most Long Drives | B. Hurst | 5 | ||
| Most Closest to the Pin | B. Hurst | 3 | ||
| Number of Tournaments | 9 | |||
| Avg # of players per tournament | 17 | |||
| Different players winning 1st place | 16 | |||
| Different players winning 2nd place | 14 | |||
| Players eligible for the Winners Tournament | 19 | |||
2012 Highlights Notes;
Inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2012; Bob Simonson
New Players; John Perrin, Rob Villarreal, Todd Yarbrough, Vinny Zabat Achieved 800 Tournament Points – M. Cook, 818.5 Achieved 400 Tournament Points – N. Williamson, 403.5 Achieved 350 Tournament Points – D. Scribner, 352.5 Achieved 300 Tournament Points – M. Hurst, 315.0 Achieved 250 Tournament Points – B. Simonson, 250.0 Achieved 225 Tournament Points – K. Peck, 243.0 Achieved 225 Tournament Points – S. Menzel, 240.0 Achieved 175 Tournament Points – S. Blotzer, 184.5.0 Achieved 125 Tournament Points - F. Duggins, 132.0 Achieved 50 Tournament Points - B. Hurst, 68.0 Achieved 50 Tournament points - R. Butler, 57.0
| Valero Golf Club records set or tied | Previous record or runner-up |
| Most Winners Tournament Wins | |
| 3 – B. Simonson, 1977, 2009, 2012 | 3 – M. Cook. 1974, 1997, 2002 |
| 3 – D. Pearce, 1972, 1999, 2001 | |
| 3 – C. Reyes, 1978, 1979, 1983 | |
| Course Record – Low Gross Score | |
| 1 over par, 73, R. Butler, Wildhorse, 2012 | 4 over par, 76, N. Williamson, Wildhorse, 2009 |
| 8 over par, 80, (par 72), M. Cook, Oakmont-West, 2012 | none |
| Course Record – Low Net Score | |
| 8 under par, 64, M. Hurst, Rooster Run, 2012 | 8 under par, 64, N. Stachowicz, Rooster Run, 2010 |
| 4 under par, 68, M. Cook, Oakmont-West, 2012 | none |
2012 Highlights
The 42nd Valero Golf Club season started out with the playing of the 27th annual Tom Stead memorial scramble at Green Tree G.C. on April 28th starting at 9:04am. This year La Nina continued which made for a winter with a long very mild period followed by a very wet March and early April. We had rain showers two days before the tournament but we played on a beautiful spring day, temperature in the low 80’s at the end of play. A north wind came up mid round. We had 16 players sign up and play. The one 4 player flight was won by the team of Rick Morgan, John Ortiz, Mike Osada and Don Scribner with a 64 (won the tie breaker for prizes) and the team of Mike Cook, Sandie Cook, Neal Stachowicz and Nemon Williamson.. Finishing in second place one stroke back was the team of Floyd Duggins, Matt Hurst, AJ Jones and Bob Simonson. In third place was the team of Rick Carr, George Cruz, Bill Laws and Mike McKee with a 71. The course was in good shape but the greens were a little slow, the field did make 21 birdies. The rough was difficult to play out of even with the scramble format. Floyd Duggins won the closest to the pin on the front nine, the back nine CP was won by Neal Stachowicz. Matt Hurst won the longest drive on the front nine, Mike Osada won the long drive on the back nine on the 14th hole. The 16th, the usual LD hole has been converted to a 150 yard par 3. This was done due to a lawsuit coming from golf balls being hit onto Leisure Town Road. The par 3 seventeenth hole has been shortened and the tee moved for the same reason. This year we raised $160.00 in contributions to the American Heart Association in “Tom’s” memory, this brought our total to date to $7696.00. Thanks again for your generous support.
Valero Golf Rankings, to start the year off Nemon Williamson held the # 1 spot, Mike Cook # 2, Sonny Menzel # 3, Neal Stachowicz # 4 and Matt Hurst # 5.
The first regular tournament of the year was held at Mare Island GC on Saturday, May 26th starting at 10:00 am. Winter would not go away again this year, we had rain showers the day before the tournament. The conditions at Mare Island were tough, a strong westerly wind combined with very very fast greens led to some very high scoring. Lots of 7’s, 8’s 9’s & 10’s were recorded. Glenn Campbell and Kevin Peck won the first flight with net 82’s. Defending points champion Mike Cook was second one stroke back and with his finish achieved 800 career tour. points. Neal Stachowicz took third with a net 86. Brittany Hurst with a net 68 won the second flight. Sonny Menzel was second with a 74, Jerry Crumrine and Matt Hurst took third with net 76’s. The CP’s were won by Debbie Menzel and Glenn Campbell. Debbie Menzel and Kevin Peck won the LD’s. Glenn Campbell and Kevin Peck start off the year with the tournament points lead, Brittany Hurst the scoring average lead. The greens were fast and combined with some tough pin placements (# 15 was ridiculous) limited the field to 5 birdies, Mike Cook led the way with 2, Steve Blotzer, Brittany Hurst and Sonny Menzel had one each. The Rankings were changed, Mike Cook took over at # 1, Nemon Williamson slipped to # 2, Sonny Menzel held at # 3, Brittany Hurst moved up to # 4 with Matt Hurst holding the # 5 spot.
The 28th annual best-ball tournament was held on Wednesday, June 13th at Paradise Valley GC starting at 10:14 am. The weather was beautiful, temperature in the mid to high 80’s with a mild westerly wind blowing. Matt Hurst and Nemon Williamson teamed up to win the first flight for the second year in a row with a best-ball score of 62. This was their 3rd BB win in the last 4 years. The team of Randy Butler and Mike Cook took second place with a net 64, also finishing in second place was the team of Brittany Hurst and Kevin Peck. Steve Blotzer and Don Scribner took third place with a 67. The team of Floyd Duggins (Floyd’s 3rd consecutive win at Paradise Valley) and Bob Simonson tied with the team of Bob Boyer and Ken Dorsey for first place in the second flight with net 65’s. The Duggins-Simonson team won the tie breaker for Winners Tournament eligibility. Three strokes back was the team of Glenn Campbell and Alex Tegenkamp who finished second. Third place was won by the team of Mike Osada and Denzil Storbeck Not eligible to win and playing with discounted handicaps the team of John Perrin and Todd Yarbrough shot a very good best-ball score of 67.The greens were in excellent shape but some blue pin placements were very difficult. The birdie shooters were led by Randy Butler and Bob Simonson with 2 apiece. Other birdie shooters were Glenn Campbell, Matt Hurst, Kevin Peck and Don Scribner. (John Perrin and Todd Yarbrough each had one). Net Eagles were made by Bob Simonson with 2, Glenn Campbell, Matt Hurst and Don Scribner had one apiece. (Todd Yarbrough had two net eagles). Randy Butler, Mike Cook and Nemon Williamson all shot gross 38’s on the front nine. The CP’s were won by Floyd Duggins and Ken Dorsey. The LD’s were won by Brittany Hurst and Matt Hurst. Glenn Campbell and Kevin Peck were joined by Brittany Hurst for the tournament points lead. Ken Dorsey took over the scoring average lead. With his win Nemon Williamson retook the # 1 Ranking, Mike Cook slipped to # 2, Sonny Menzel held at # 3, Brittany Hurst held at # 4 with Matt Hurst holding at # 5.
We had a large turnout for the playing of the 17th Club Championship at Boundary Oak GC, our first 3 flight tournament in three years. It was held June 30th starting at 8:00 am, the weather was nice, temperature in the low 80’s at the end of play with a mild westerly wind blowing the entire round. Mike Osada who at the start of the season had been designated the best player without a major tournament win took care of that in short order by winning the third flight and the Club Championship with 45 points. Finishing 2nd in the third flight and 2nd in the Club Championship was Debbie Menzel with 41 pts. Bob Simonson finished 3rd in the Championship with 39 pts. The first flight was won by Michael Katz (5th career win) with 36 pts, Gary Beckman and defending club champion Mike Cook tied for second with 34 pts. Randy Butler took 3rd with 32 pts. In the second flight it was Ken Dorsey (2nd win in a row) and Rob Yarbrough tying for 1st place with 38 pts, Kevin Peck second with 36 pts, Glenn Campbell was third with 34 pts. Gary Beckman won the low gross Club Championship with a gross 83, Randy Butler, Mike Cook and Michael Katz were second with 85’s. Bob Simonson and Matt Hurst won the CP’s. Brittany Hurst won both the LD’s. Kevin Peck took over the points lead for the year. Brittany Hurst and Rob Yarbrough joined Ken Dorsey for the scoring average lead. Randy Butler shot a gross 39 on the front nine, Gary Beckman a 39 on the back nine. Mike Osada had a gross 86, net 63, Debbie Menzel a gross 89, net 67. The greens were in good shape and fast. Gary Beckman had 2 birdies, other birdie shooters were Randy Butler, Glenn Campbell, Larry Campbell, Ken Dorsey, Brittany Hurst, Kevin Peck, Don Scribner, Bob Simonson and Rob Yarbrough. Some changes took place in the golf club rankings, Mike Cook returned to # 1, Nemon Williamson slipped to # 2, Kevin Peck entered the rankings at # 3, Sonny Menzel moved down to # 4 with Brittany Hurst at # 5. In first round Pyramid play it was Jerry Crumrine over Don Scribner, Sonny Menzel over Todd Yarbrough, Matt Hurst over AJ Jones, Debbie Menzel over Randy Butler and @ Rancho Solano it was Kevin Peck over Brittany Hurst
Saturday the 14th of July was the date for the Rancho Solano Tournament starting at 11:30 am. The weather was good, temperature in the low 80’s at the end of play. The normal afternoon prevailing wind was with us at the start of play and continued for the rest of the round. Matt Hurst won the first flight shooting a net 68 for his second win this year. Don Scribner took second place three strokes back and qualified for the Winners Tournament. Nemon Williamson had a net 74 for third place. Brittany Hurst shooting a excellent gross 83, net 64 won the second flight (her 5th career win). First place plus 2 CP’s,1 LD (her 5th LD this year) and 1 birdie for 11.5 tournament points (tied the golf club’s runner-up record held by Bruce Campbell and Nemon Williamson). Floyd Duggins took second place with a net 70. Steve Blotzer took third place with net 75. Debbie Menzel won the other LD. The usually tough par four 11th took it’s toll on the field again which averaged a double bogey 6 on it, Floyd Duggins made the only par on it, Mike Cook had his shot of the day putting his second shot 3 feet away and making a birdie 3. Brittany Hurst with her second win this year took over the points lead for the year and the scoring average lead for the year. The usually fast greens at Rancho were slower than normal and inconsistent in speed, some of the pin placements were very difficult. The field only made 6 birdies, Mike Cook led the way with 3, other birdie shooters were Brittany Hurst, Matt Hurst and Nemon Williamson with one apiece. The pyramid play this year continued to have very close matches.In first round pyramid play @ Green Tree GC it was Nemon Williamson over Steve Blotzer by 2 strokes. In second round play @ Rancho it was Michael Katz over Neal Stachowicz by 1 stroke and Sonny Menzel over Alex Tegenkamp by 2 strokes. The rankings were changed quite a bit, Mike Cook maintained the # 1 position, Brittany Hurst moved up to the # 2 spot, Nemon Williamson slipped to # 3, Mike Osada entered the rankings at # 4 and with his win Matt Hurst moved up to the # 5 spot. Kevin Peck dropped out of the rankings. Player of the Year standings: # 1 – Brittany and Matt Hurst are tied, # 2 – Rob Yarbrough, # 3 – Kevin Peck, # 4 – Michael Katz, # 5 – Glenn Campbell.
Our second weekday tournament of the year was played at Wildhorse GC starting at 09:06 am on Tuesday, July 31st. Perfect weather conditions although it was hot, temperature at 100 degrees with essentially no wind, this however led to some outstanding play by some individuals. Randy Butler won the first flight shooting a gross 73 (new course record) net 63 tying the club’s runner-up record for the lowest 18 hole gross score. Kevin Peck was second 7 strokes back, Mike Cook took third with a net 72. Steve Blotzer won the second flight for the second year in a row. Steve had an outstanding net round of 60 which included 4 birdies and tied the club’s runner-up record for the most birdies in one round.. Debbie and Sonny Menzel tied for second with net 66’s. Ken Dorsey and Floyd Duggins tied for third with net 71’s. Both Steve Blotzer and Randy Butler qualified for the Winners Tournament. Randy had nines of 37 & 36, Mike Cook had a 39 on the front nine. The par 5 fifth and thirteenth holes as usual ruined some players rounds. Brittany Hurst and Bob Boyer (his first) won the CP’s. Michael Katz (with a 300 yard drive) and Matt Hurst won the LD’s. Brittany Hurst maintained her tournament points lead. She and Rob Yarbrough tied for the scoring average lead. Debbie Menzel had an eagle 3 on the par five 18th hole (par 5 for the ladies) and tied the runner-up record for the most career eagles. The field had an outstanding 20 birdies. Steve Blotzer led the way with 4, Bob Boyer, Randy Butler, Matt Hurst and Kevin Peck had 2 apiece. Other birdie shooters were Mike Cook, Michael Katz, Debbie Menzel, Sonny Menzel, John Perrin, Bob Simonson, Alex Tegenkamp and Nemon Williamson. In first round pyramid play it was Bob Boyer over Glenn Campbell by forfeit. In second round Pyramid play it was Mike Cook over Jerry Crumrine, Debbie Menzel over Bob Boyer and Kevin Peck over Nemon Williamson. Low net money in the first round goes to Debbie Menzel and Steve Blotzer. In the Rankings; Mike Cook remained at # 1, Nemon Williamson moved up to # 2, Kevin Peck came back into the rankings at # 3, Mike Osada held at # 4, Sonny Menzel moved up to the # 5 spot. Player of the Year top 10 standings; Matt Hurst, Brittany Hurst, Rob Yarbrough, Kevin Peck, Debbie Menzel, Sonny Menzel, Mike Cook, Michael Katz, Randy Butler and Bob Boyer.
The 11th “Boyd Cook Memorial Classic” was held at the Napa Golf Course (Kennedy) on Wednesday (our 3rd weekday tournament), August 15th starting at 8:56am. It was a beautiful day for golf, the temperature at the end of play was 80 degees with a fairly mild wind the entire round. Boyd would have loved to play on a day like this. The course played long from the blue tees with only one player scoring under net par. The pins were in very difficult positions, many left over from the Kennedy Club Championship held a few days before. Kevin Peck won his 1st Classic with a net 72 to win the first flight and his second win this year, Matt Hurst was second two strokes back, Mike Cook and Nemon Williamson tied for 3rd with a net 77’s. Sonny Menzel (his 20th career win) won his second Classic by winning the second flight with a net 71. Rob Yarbrough shot a net 74 to finish second. Sandie Cook and Brittany Hurst tied for 3rd place with net 75’s. This was Sandie’s first tournament play after a long layoff. Kevin Peck and Mike Cook won the CP’s, Rob Yarbrough and Brittany Hurst (her 5th LD this year) won the LD’s. There were no new players qualifying for the Winners Tournament. Kevin Peck took over the points lead for the year, Randy Butler and Brittany Hurst share the scoring average lead. After 20 birdies @ Wildhorse, reality set in, only 2 birdies for the field @ Kennedy, Brittany Hurst and Kevin Peck managed one apiece. Mike and Sandie Cook passed out gift cards to the 1st, 2nd & 3rd place finishers along with cash bonuses. In second round Pyramid play it was Matt Hurst and Rob Yarbrough tying in their match. In third round play it was Kevin Peck over Mike Cook. In the rankings Kevin Peck with his win moved into the # 1 spot, Mike Cook moved down from # 1 to # 2, Sonny Menzel with his win moved up from # 5 to # 3, Mike Osada held at # 4, Nemon Williamson slipped from # 2 to # 5. Player of the Year top 10 standings; Kevin Peck, Matt Hurst, Brittany Hurst, Sonny Menzel, Rob Yarbrough, Debbie Menzel, Randy Butler, Michael Katz, Mike Cook and Bob Boyer.
Our final regular tournament of the year was played on Saturday, September 1st starting at 09:04 am at Rooster Run G.C. This was the playing of the 11th Menzel Classic which got off to a very cool start, temperature in the mid 50’s and overcast skies. The sun broke through on the back nine with the temperature in the low 70’s at the end of play. This was the last chance to qualify for the Winners Tournament, AJ Jones claimed the last spot by finishing second in the second flight with a net 69. Steve Blotzer won the second flight with a net 67 for his second win in a row @ Rooster and his 3rd Classic win. Floyd Duggins and Bob Simonson tied for third place with net 72’s. In the first flight the weather could not cool off Matt Hurst who shot a gross 79, net 64 (tying the low net course record) to win his 3rd Classic. Mike Cook took second with a net 70. Kevin Peck took third with a net 71. Debbie and Sonny, the tournament sponsors handed out very generous cash prizes to the 1st and 2nd place finishers. We ended up with a large field of 19 players eligible for the Winners Tournament. Matt Hurst (his 20th) and Sandie Cook won the CP’s, Debbie Menzel (her 15th) won both the LD’s. Mike Cook shot a gross 37 on the front nine, Gary Beckman and Matt Hurst had gross 39’s on the back nine. Matt Hurst joined Kevin Peck as the points leaders for the year, the absent Brittany Hurst took over the scoring average lead for the year by herself. The greens at Rooster, usually fast and smooth were in in awful shape, lumpy and bumpy with many bare spots. The field did come through to squeak out 10 birdies led by Steve Blotzer and Mike Cook with 2 apiece. Other birdie shooters were Gary Beckman, Randy Butler, Matt Hurst, AJ Jones, Bob Simonson and Neal Stachowicz. It’s a tough finish on each nine holes, the tough par 5 ninth and the tricky par 5 eighteenth took their toll on quite a few players. In a second round rematch in pyramid play it was Rob Yarbrough over Matt Hurst @ Rancho Solano GC. In third round play it was Debbie Menzel over Michael Katz and Sonny Menzel and Rob Yarbrough tying in their match. Low net money in the pyramid second round goes to Matt Hurst and Debbie Menzel and in the third round it goes to Mike Cook and Debbie Menzel. The rankings had some changes with Kevin Peck at the # 1 spot, Mike Cook holds at the # 2 spot, Matt Hurst moved up from # 7 to the # 3 spot, Brittany Hurst moved up to # 4 with Sonny Menzel slipping to the # 5 position. In the Player of the Year race top ten it is Kevin Peck, Matt Hurst, Brittany Hurst, Sonny Menzel, Rob Yarbrough, Mike Cook, Debbie Menzel, Steve Blotzer, Randy Butler and Michael Katz. In the race for the Hall of Fame there are 4 players, one of which could qualify by winning this years Winners Tournament.
After 12 years we returned to the Franklin Canyon GC for the playing of the “42nd” annual Winners Tournament. It was the sight of the 1976 W.T. (Harland Stuart), the 1977 W.T. (Bob Simonson), the 1984 W.T. (Scotty Coffin), the 1993 W.T. (Gary Beckman), the 1996 W.T. (Ron Powers) and the 2000 W.T.(Dan Riley). Play took place on Saturday, September 15th with a 10:00 am start time. The weather conditions were okay, the afternoon prevailing wind was with us from the start of play but was not a major factor. The temperature was in the high 70’s at the end of play. The course was in awful condition for playing the Winners Tournament, the fairways were dirt (even bumping the ball didn’t help) and the greens were lumpy, bumpy and very very slow. A fair turnout, thirteen of the nineteen eligible players played plus one ineligible for a total of fourteen. Original golf club member Bob Simonson (20th career win) won his third Winners Tournament 35 years after winning his first WT at Franklin Canyon with an identical net 65 score. Bob was one of 4 players that could meet the qualifications for the Hall of Fame entry and with his win he did, 250 tour. points and 3 majors tour. wins. Debbie Menzel took second place with a net 69. Randy Butler took 3rd place with net a 70. Randy Butler shot gross 38 on the back nine, Gary Beckman had a gross 39 on the same nine. Matt Hurst (his 2nd) won the Points Championship for the year in a tie breaker (most 1st places) over Kevin Peck. Sandie Cook and Debbie Menzel took the CP’s. In another very competitive year 11 different players won a CP, Brittany Hurst led the way with 3 for the year. Both LD’s were won by Randy Butler. We had 7 different players claim a LD during the year, Brittany Hurst led the way with 5 for the year. Brittany Hurst won the Scoring Average Championship for the year (her second in the last 3 years). Randy Butler figured out the greens and made 3 birdies for the day, other birdie shooters were Mike Cook, Sonny Menzel and Don Scribner with one each. Randy Butler and Mike Cook tied for the birdie leaders for the year with 9 apiece. In third round pyramid play it was Sonny Menzel over Rob Yarbrough. It’s Debbie Menzel, Sonny Menzel and Kevin Peck in the pyramid finals. Kevin Peck maintained first place in the Valero Golf Rankings, Matt Hurst moved up to the second spot, Mike Cook slipped to the # 3 spot, Brittany Hurst held at the # 4 spot with Nemon Williamson moved up to the # 5 position. In the Player of the Year race it’s Kevin Peck first and Matt Hurst second, both players can still win P of Y depending on the Pyramid Tournament outcome.
The 26th Valero Cup tournament was played at the first time venue Oakmont – West G.C. on Wednesday, October 3rd starting at 10:08 am. Following 2 days of 100 plus degrees the temperature for play was in the high 80’s with a mild westerly wind that came up at the end of the back nine. The Oakmont greens are very large with a lot of undulations, they didn’t look good but putted OK, faster on the front nine than the back nine. Before the Valero Cup results were announced Bob Simonson was officially inducted into the Valero Golf Club “Hall of Fame”. In the Valero Cup at the end of the front nine Mike Cook and Sonny Menzel led the way with a net 33’s, Kevin Peck at net 36 and Matt Hurst at net 38. After shooting a net 35 on the back nine Mike Cook won his 3rd Valero Cup and 10th major championship. Debbie Menzel finished second 4 strokes back. Sonny Menzel took 3rd place with net 73. Mike won the $80.00 winner takes all Valero Cup prize money and bought a round of drinks for the field. Only three birdies were made, Mike Cook birdied the # 2 handicap second hole, Randy Butler birdied the # 1 handicap 17th hole after almost holing out his second shot, Kevin Peck made a downhill slick putt on the 9th hole for a birdie 3. Other top eight players included; Randy Butler, Steve Blotzer, Matt Hurst, Kevin Peck and Bob Simonson. Brittany Hurst was eligible but didn’t play. Kevin Peck maintained the # 1 ranking, Mike Cook with his win moved up to # 2, Brittany Hurst moved up to # 3, Matt Hurst slipped to # 4, Nemon Williamson maintained the # 5 position.
The 36th Pyramid Tournament finals were held at Rancho Solano G.C. on Friday, October 3rd at 08:50 am. The course was in very good shape, the greens had not been aerated yet, the temperature was in the low 70’s at the end of play, the normal afternoon wind started up early on the second hole. The three players in the finals were Kevin Peck, Debbie Menzel and Sonny Menzel. Kevin Peck had to give one stroke to Debbie and two strokes to Sonny. It was a tough start for the guys on the par 5 opening hole, Kevin went left off the tee and was OB, Sonny topped his tee shot for a short distance while Debbie hit a nice drive down the right side. Debbie went on to par the 1st hole, Sonny ended up with a 7, Kevin with an 8. All 3 players hit good drives on the par 4 second hole. Sonny was on the green with his second a 2 putted for a par, Debbie had some problems and would make a double bogey 6. Kevin was just off the back of the green and sank a 36 foot putt for a birdie 3. On the par 4 third hole all the players again hit good drives. All three players hit the green in two, Sonny and Kevin were on the green left, the pin was way right and back. Both Kevin and Sonny made difficult 2 putts for pars, Debbie 3 putted for a bogey 5. On the par 4 fourth hole all 3 players hit their tee shots OB left, Debbie and Sonny came back down the hill and into play, Kevin’s tee shot stayed OB. Sonny’s second was short of the green, he chipped on a 2 putted for a 5. Kevin went long with his 4th shot, chipped on a 2 putted for a 7. Debbie was long on her second shot, left her chip shot short but then sank a 41 foot downhill putt for a par 4. On the par 3 fifth hole both Sonny and Kevin hit the green, Debbie’s tee shot was short. Debbie chipped on a 2 putted for a bogey 4, Sonny 3 putted for a bogey 4 and Kevin 2 putted for a par 3. On the par 4 sixth hole all 3 players hit their tee shots left towards the OB but all came back into play. Debbie got on in two and 2 putts for par 4, both Kevin and Sonny got on in 3 shots and 2 putt for bogey 5’s. On the par 5 seventh hole both Debbie and Sonny hit good tee shots, Kevin goes right but it’s very playable. All three players hit good second shots. Sonny’s third shot finds the front bunker, he gets on in 4 but 3 putts for a 7. Both Debbie and Kevin are on in two and both make difficult 2 putts for par’s. On the par 3 eighth hole all 3 players hit the green with their tee shots. Sonny 2 putts for a par three, Debbie 3 putts for a bogey, Kevin makes a 12 foot putt for a birdie 2. On the par 4 ninth hole both Sonny and Debbie hit perfect tee shots, Kevin is just short of the dogleg left after hitting an iron off the tee. Kevin’s next shot hits the trees on the corner, his third shot is pin high but off the green right, a bad chip and 2 putts for a double bogey 6. Both Debbie and Sonny are on in two and 2 putt for pars. At the end of play on the front nine Debbie is one stroke up on Sonny and three strokes up on Kevin. Starting the back nine both Debbie and Sonny hit good tee shots on the par 5 tenth hole, Kevin is left towards the bunker on the corner. Kevins second shot hits the trees and drops down but then hits a verg good shot unto the left side of the green. Sonny hits the left side of the green with his third shot, Debbie is long with her third shot. Debbie hits a bad chip and then 2 putts for a bogey 6. The pin was on the very right side of the green, Sonny 3 putts for a bogey 6, Kevin 2 putts for a par 5. The players now enter “Amen Corner”. On the par 4 eleventh hole Debbie’s tee shot is down the middle, both Kevin and Sonny are left but OK. Sonny hits the green in two and 2 putts for a par 4. Kevin goes way right with his second shot, has 2 bad chips and then 2 putts for a double bogey 6. Debbie’s tee shot landed just short of the lake but then mishits her second shot into the lake, her 4th shot goes right of the green, a chip and 2 putts for a triple bogey 7. On the par 3 twelfth hole both Debbie and Kevin hit the green, Sonny is way left and lands on the 13th tee box. He pitches over trees right in front of him but the shot comes up short of the green. He chips on in three and ends up 3 putting for a triple bogey 6 ( he missed a very short putt for a 5). Debbie 3 putts for a bogey, Kevin 2 putts for a par 3. On the tough par 4 thirteenth hole Kevin’s tee shot went left, hit the trees and dropped straight down. He chipped out with a middle iron back to the fairway. Debbie’s tee shot went right towards OB but hit a tree and bounced back to the middle of the fairway. Sonny hit a very good tee shot but then mishit his second shot into the bunker. Kevin’s 3rd shot was short but he then putted on and then made a tough putt for a bogey 5. Debbie and Sonny were both on in 3 shots but both 3 putted for double bogey 6’s. (tough green to putt) At the end of 13 holes played Kevin is up by one stroke on Debbie and Sonny. On the par 4 fourteenth hole Debbie and Sonny hit very good tee shots. Kevin’s tee shot went right around the corner and ended up in the bunker in the back of the par 3 fifteenth hole. He hit a very good shot out of the bunker but it hit the trees short of the green. He had a couple of chips and 3 putts which led to a triple bogey 7. Debbie got on but then 3 putted for a bogey 5, Sonny got on in 3 but 3 putted for a double bogey 6. On the par 3 fifteenth hole both Debbie and Sonny’s tee shots were just off the green left but pin high. Kevin’s tee shot was right just off the green but short of the back pin placement. Kevin chipped on and 2 putted for a bogey 4. Debbie 3 putted for a bogey 4, Sonny 2 putted for a par 3. On the par 4 sixteenth hole both Kevin and Sonny hit very good tee shots. Debbie hits her tee shot right along the tree line, her second shot hits the trees but then bounces back into the middle of the fairway. (good Karma again) Kevin was short with his second shot, he chipped on a 2 putted for a bogey 5. Both Debbie and Sonny ended up on the green but way above the red pin placement, this led to double bogey 6’s for both of them. On the par 5 seventeenth hole both Debbie and Sonny hit very good tee shots, Kevin’s was good but left into the hump area. Kevin’s second shot hit the trees but he then hit his 3rd shot on the left front of the green. Sonny gets on in 3 shots and 2 putts for a par 5. Debbie gets on in 3 shots but her and Kevin both 3 putt for bogey 6’s. The match being extremely close goes to the par 4 eighteenth hole. The blue pin is on the top left shelf of the green. Kevin and Debbie hit very good tee shots, Sonny’s is hit but hugging the right side of the fairway towards the bunkers. Kevin’s second shot was just a little long and off the back of the green on a downslope. Sonny’s second shot was right of the green but pin high. Debbie’s second shot was a beauty, pin high left and 6 feet from the pin. Sonny chips on a 2 putts for a bogey 5. Kevin putts from the back of the green just missing the hole but it goes by about 6 feet. His next putt again just misses the hole, he then makes a tester for a bogey 5. Debbie putts, the ball goes to the hole, catches the right side, spins around the cup 270 degrees and hangs on the highside of the hole, it looked like it was going to drop in but it didn’t. Debbie makes a par 4. In one of the closest 3 way playoffs in the history of the Pyramid it’s Debbie and Sonny Menzel tying for 1st, Kevin Peck finishes one stroke back for 3rd place. Debbie and Sonny will play off for the win.
The Pyramid Tournament Finals rematch was played Friday, October 26th, 2012 at Green Valley CC starting at 1pm. It was an absolutely beautiful autumn day for golf, temperature in the mid to high 70’s with essentially no wind. The course was in excellent shape, the greens fast and true. For the rematch Sonny Menzel had to give Debbie Menzel 2 strokes. On the par 5 first hole both players hit good drives. Sonny’s second shot went left up into the tree line, the ball was found but he had to stand on top of the rock wall to hit his 3rd shot. From there the ball hit a tree and bounced down behind it, no shot, he had to chip back out to the fairway. He reached the front of the green in 5 and 3 putted for an opening 8. Debbie made a good bogey 6. On the par 4 second hole both players layed up short of the creek but Sonny hit his 2nd shot into the hazard, a drop and then hit the green in 4 and 2 putted for a 6. Debbie was on in 3 and 2 putted for a bogey 5. On the par 5 third hole both the players hit good drives. Sonny’s 2nd shot went way left of the green, a bad chip shot long led to a double bogey 7. Debbie was on in 4 and 2 putted for a bogey 6. On the par 4 fourth hole Debbie’s drive caught the fairway bunker. Sonny topped his drive but then hit a good second shot in the right side of the fairway. From there he went long off the back of the green. Debbie’s 2nd shot went into the greenside bunker, she didn’t get out and her next attempt went long right of the green. A bad chip shot, then on the green and a putt for a 7. Sonny also had some short game problems and also took a 7. On the par 3 fifth hole Sonny’s tee shot just cleared the creek, he then hit a very good shot about 5 feet from the flag. Debbie’s tee shot was on the green about 15 feet from the pin. She missed her birdie try but tapped in for a par 3. Sonny missed his par putt and settled for a bogey 4. On the par 4 sixth hole Sonny hit a very long drive down the left side of the fairway. Debbie also hit a good drive but had problems with her fairway shots, on in 4 and 3 putted for a 7. Sonny hit the green in 2 and 2 putted for a par 4. On the par 3 seventh hole Sonny hit the green on the right side pin high. Debbie’s tee shot went right at the pin, bounced once, hit the pin and careened about 12 feet right. Both players missed their birdies but made par 3’s. On the Par 4 eighth hole Sonny’s tee shot went right into the trees. Debbie hit a very good drive left center of the fairway. She then mishit her 2nd, got on in 3 and 3 putted for a 6. Sonny chipped out, his 3rd shot went long, on in 4 and 2 putted for a 6. On the par 4 ninth hole Sonny hit a long tee shot but it caught the left fairway bunker. He got out, left his 3rd shot short, on in 4 a 2 putted for a 6. Debbie’s 2nd shot was short, got on in 3 and 2 putted for a bogey 5. At the end of nine holes of play Debbie was up by 5 strokes in the match. Starting the back nine on the uphill par 5 tenth hole both players hit great drives, both hit very good second shots and both got on the green in 3 strokes. Debbie 2 putted for a good par 5. Sonny was snakebit after Mike Cook mentioned he had 4 putted this green in the 1984 Exxon Cup, Sonny then 5 putted for an 8. Sonny was now 8 strokes back with 8 holes to play. On the downhill par 4 eleventh hole Sonny’s tee shot went left but ended up OK in the 10th hole fairway. Debbie hit a good drive, but got on in 3 and 3 putted for a 6. Sonny hit the very front of this very large green and 3 putted for a good bogey 5. On the uphill par 4 twelfth hole Sonny hit a very good drive. Debbie hit her drive right just in the rough, she hit her 2nd shot short, on in 3 and 2 putted for a bogey 5. Sonny hit a beautiful second shot about 5 feet from the pin and then sank the putt for a birdie 3. On the par 3 thirteenth hole Sonny hit the green pin high. Debbie’s tee shot was just short, she chipped on and 2 putted for a bogey 4. Sonny missed his birdie try but made a good par 3. On the downhill par 4 fourteenth hole Sonny’s drive was unplayable, he had to retee, this led to a triple bogey 7. Debbie hit a good tee shot but had trouble getting on the green, this led to a double bogey 6. On the par 5 fifteenth hole Sonny’s tee shot went left but stopped short of the OB markers. His second shot was good in the right side of the fairway, he then hit the green in 3. Debbie hit a good drive and 2nd shot but had some problems getting on the green which led to a double bogey 7. Sonny 2 putted for a par 5. On the tough par 4 sixteenth hole both the players hit very good drives. Sonny’s second shot was mishit short but he hit the green with his 3rd about 6 feet from the pin. Debbie’s second shot went into the greenside bunker, she got out but just barely. A bad chip then she 3 putted for a 7. Sonny just missed his par putt and made a bogey 5. After being 8 strokes down after the 10th hole he was now only 2 strokes down going to the par 3 seventeenth hole. Debbie hit her tee shot left and short of the green. Sonny’s tee shot was very short left, he then his 2nd shot just to the back rightside of the green. Sonny misses his par putt and then takes 2 more for a 5. Debbie makes a very good chip shot and then makes the putt for a par 3. Sonny was now 4 strokes down going to the 18th hole. Not in the cards, bad karma, the golf God’s were against him, his tee shot went OB and later he played the wrong ball, it wasn’t meant to be, Debbie makes a good bogey 5 and wins the rematch. Debbie will have her name engraved on the “Tom Stead” trophy as the winner of the 36th Pyramid Tournament ($90.00), finishing second was Sonny Menzel ($46.00). Finishing third was Kevin Peck ($28.00). Low net money went to Debbie Menzel ($22.00), Debbie Menzel ($18.00), Mike Cook ($14.00), Matt Hurst ($12.00) and Steve Blotzer ($10.00). After the Pyramid Tournament Kevin Peck maintained the # 1 spot in the golf rankings, Mike Cook at # 2, Sonny Menzel at # 3, Matt Hurst at # 4 and Debbie Menzel at the # 5 spot.
The # 1 position in the Valero Golf Club Rankings was held by Nemon Williamson to start the year off. Mike Cook took over after the Mare Island tournament. Nemon retook it following the Paradise Valley tournament. Mike Cook took over again after the Boundary Oak Tournament and held it through the Rancho Solano and Wildhorse tournaments. Kevin Peck took the # 1 spot following the Kennedy tournament and maintained it through Rooster Run, Franklin Canyon, the Valero Cup and the Pyramid Finals.
By finishing in a tie for 1st in Tournament Points, 5th in the Scoring Average Championship for the year, and 7th in the Pyramid Tournament, Matt Hurst was the Valero Golf Club’s “Player of the Year” for 2012 (his second). Matt tied for first with Kevin Peck but won the second tie breaker, lowest scoring average.
2012 was the eleventh year for the Valero Golf League. Play continued at Blue Rock West on Wednesday’s. Farm League play was held on Thursday’s. The League continued to be nine hole team play starting officially at 4:30 pm every Wednesday. The League ran from mid April through September. Due to a change in the Refinery shift work schedule the League went from 6 teams of 7 players each to 5 teams of 8 players each. Team Albatross was dropped. Steve Duff continued as the League President. 2012 started out like it was going to be a competitive season but it wasn’t. The defending champion Rovers started off the year in first place in week # 1, Birdies-R-Us took over 1st for week # 2, the Hackers Unlimited took first place in week # 3 and then dominated play for the rest of the year holding first place until the end of the regular season. At the end of the regular season the first place team ( The Hackers Unlimited ) received a bye, the second place team, Birdies-R-Us and the third place finisher the Seadlings played off on August 15th to determine who would play the top team. The Seadlings trounced the Birdies 9.5 to 0.5 and advanced on to play the Hackers on August 22nd. As it was in 2006, 2008, 2009, 2010 & 2011 the Championship match was very close coming down to the final foursome on the final hole with the Hackers winning over the Seadlings 7.5 to 4.5. This gave the Hackers their second league championship. Mike Cook shot video of the match showing some play on the first, second, third, fifth, sixth, eight and ninth holes. The first place team, the Hackers consisted of Gary Armstrong, AJ Jones, Brad Martin, Jim Minkel, Debbie Menzel, team captain Sonny Menzel, Christine Stewart and Chris Wilburn. The Seadlinds finished second, the team consisting of Rick Carr, John Endicott, Will Grinslade, Michael Katz, Al Middleton, captain Neal Stachowicz, Gene Stangel and Casey Walker. Birdies-R-Us finished third, the team consisted of team captain Glenn Campbell, Jerry Dower, Andrew Estrada, Sue Gustofson, John Hill, Kevin Lassahn, Mike Osada and Alex Tegenkamp. The Rovers finished in fourth place, the team consisted of Steve Blotzer, Randy Butler, Susan Cortez, Steve Duff, Rick Morgan, Mike Petrellese, Chad Rollans and team captain Jim Rollans. The Mulligans finished in fifth place, the team consisted of Bob Boyer, Bob Brown, team captain Rick Hastings, Chris Hom, Joe Muehlbauer, Glenn Overman, Eddie Pereira and Jim Petrellese. Year long individual honors went to Randy Butler with a new record low gross of 36 in the regular season, a new record low net of 26 in the regular season went to Joe Muehlbauer. Gary Armstrong tied the runner-up record for low net. John Endicott had the most improved handicap for the year and tied the runner-up record for low gross in the regular season. Christine Stewart tied the runner-up record for match point winning % through the playoffs.. In the league individual rankings Randy Butler started the year in the # 1 position and held it through week # 2. Chad Rollans held the # 1 ranking from week # 3 to week # 5. Randy Butler held the # 1 spot from week # 6 until week # 10. In week # 11 Alex Tegenkamp held # 1. Randy Butler returned and held the # 1 spot until the end of the regular season and through the playoffs. Randy Butler tied the runner-up record for highest player ranking % and set a new runner-up record for the most weeks with the # 1 ranking. The Hackers Unlimited team set new records for the most team match points, the most total team points and the team total winning %. In post season tournament play; This was followed by awards, food and drinks provided by League President Steve Duff. The Valero Golf League had another good year.
This golf year came to a close following the Pyramid tournament. This year we continued the players sponsoring tournaments, thanks to all the sponsors. Thanks go out to Matt Hurst for doing an outstanding job as our Tournament Director in a year that made tournament scheduling very difficult due to the new refinery shift schedule. The Valero Golf League had another good year with the Hackers winning their second League Championship. Thanks to Steve Duff for continuing to run 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