| Winner | Runner-Up | |||
| Player of the Year | M. Cook | 115 | S. Cook | 100 |
| Points Champion (*- won tie breaker) | M. Cook | 24.5 * | A. Tegenkamp | 24.5 |
| Scoring Champion | S. Cook | 71.00 | M. Cook | 72.40 |
| Pyramid Tournament | N. Stachowicz | 78 | S. Blotzer | 81 |
| Winners Tournament | A. Tegenkamp | 68 | S. Cook | 71 |
| Club Championship | M. Cook | 34 pts | F. Duggins | 30 pts |
| Low Gross Club Championship | M. Cook | 90 | D. Pearce | 98 |
| 2016 Valero Cup Tournament | B. Simonson | 78 | M. Cook | 81 |
| 2017 Valero Cup | Not held yet | |||
| Barbara Juris Award | S. Cook | |||
| # 1 Ranked Golfer at the end of the year | S. Blotzer | 11.77 | F. Duggins | 10.78 |
| Most Tour. as the # 1 ranked golfer | S. Blotzer | 3 | M. Cook | 2 |
| D. Scribner | 2 | |||
| Most Improved Handicap | A. Tegenkamp | 25.2-23.2 | S. Blotzer | 16.2-15.4 |
| Most Improved Player | S. Cook | M. Cook | ||
| Most Tournament Wins | S. Blotzer | 2 | ||
| M. Cook | 2 | |||
| N. Stachowicz | 2 | |||
| A. Tegenkamp | 2 | |||
| Most Top 3’s | M. Cook | 5 | S. Cook | 4 |
| A. Tegenkamp | 4 | |||
| N. Williamson | 4 | |||
| Most Eagles | none | |||
| Most Birdies | M. Cook | 3 | F. Longoria | 2 |
| N. Williamson | 3 | D. Pearce | 2 | |
| N. Stachowicz, 2 | ||||
| Most Long Drives | M. Cook | 2 | ||
| N. Stachowicz | 2 | |||
| N. Williamson | 2 | |||
| Most Closest to the Pin | D. Pearce | 3 | ||
| N. Williamson | 3 | |||
| Number of Tournaments | 7 | |||
| Avg # of players per tournament | 10 | |||
| Different players winning 1st place | 8 | |||
| Different players winning 2nd place | 11 | |||
| Players eligible for the Winners Tournament | 12 | |||
2017 Highlights Notes;
Achieved 400 Tournament Points – S. Cook, 402.5
Achieved 125 Tournament Points – M. Osada, 125.0
Achieved 100 Tournament Points – K. Dorsey, 100.0
Achieved 075 Tournament Points – A. Tegenkamp, 78.0
| Valero Golf Club records set or tied | Previous record or runner-up |
2017 Highlights As it was last year we didn’t have a tournament director so four players helped us out by setting up tournaments for us to play. Our thanks go out to Sandie Cook, Alex Tegenkamp, Ed Vegas and Nemon Williamson who set up seven tournaments for the year. Six players showed an interest so we also had a Pyramid Tournament, with matches being played at what ever course they wanted. Major operating problems at the refinery during the year limited our normal players participation.
After a years absence the Tom Stead Scramble returned but with a new format, we played a two person scramble tournament. The Tournament sponsored by Mike and Sandie Cook was held at Kennedy GC on Monday, April 24th starting at 10:30 am. The weather was very cool and windy with a chance of rain the entire day, some old “Tom Stead Weather”. In the first flight it was Larry Campbell and Mike Cook teaming up to win first place with a score of 74. John Ortiz and Dave Pearce came in second with a 78, also tying for second was the team of Mike Osada and Don Scribner. In the second flight it was the team of Steve Blotzer and Neal Stachowicz taking first place with a 75. In second place was the team of Floyd Duggins and Bob Simonson with a 78. Sandie Cook and Nemon Williamson took third place with a 88. The closest to the pins on the front nine were won by Larry Campbell and Nemon Williamson, on the back nine it was Steve Blotzer and Mike Osada, each received a sleeve of Titleist Pro-V 1’s. The first place team members each received $50.00. Even though we played from the gold tees it was still very much a test, the weather and the pin placements were very difficult. The team of Duggins and Simonson after getting off to a bad start pared the difficult final 8 holes. Our thanks go out to Larry Campbell who donated 4 ½ dozen golf balls to the club for future prizes. We raised $148.00 for the American Heart Association in Tom’s name, total to date is $8484.00.
The first regular tournament of the year was set up by Ed Vegas at Rio Vista GC on Saturday, May 13th starting at 9am. We last played there 10 years ago for the Club Championship that was won by Sonny Menzel. Other previous winners at Rio were Denzil Storbeck who won back to back in 2001 and 2005, other winners included Sandie Cook, Sheldon Custer, Debbie Menzel and Nemon Williamson. We had a perfect day for playing, only a slight wind (not the normal gale force) and temps in the high 60’s and low 70’s. The pace of play was very good. Don Scribner took first place with an excellent net 66. Mike Cook was second with a net 70, Dave Pearce was third with a net 72. The closest to the pin was won by Dave Pearce, no one hit the par 3 eighth green. The longest drives were won by Steve Blotzer and Ed Vegas (his 15th). The greens were in good shape but the field only made two birdies, both on the # 3 handicap 7th hole, Dave Pearce made one, Nemon Williamson sunk a 72 foot putt for the other. In the rankings, Don Scribner took over the top spot, Matt Hurst moved up to # 2, Randy Butler held at # 3, Rob Yarbrough slipped to # 4 with Steve Blotzer moving up to the # 5 spot. So at the end of the day Don Scribner took first place and rose to the top of the rankings, “Don, we don’t want to hear any more about your bad back“.
After a years absence the 21st Club Championship was held at Hiddenbrooke GC on Tuesday, June 20th starting at 10:00 am. The date of the tournament fell between two heat waves so the temperature only got to the low 90’s during play but the gusty wind blew pretty hard on certain holes. It was directly in your face on the uphill par 5 second hole making that tough hole harder than ever. A lot of players did not make the tournament due to injuries and illnesses. The greens were slower than normal but the course still played very hard, lots of lost balls. Mike Cook after a very bad start came through on the back nine to capture his second Club Championship and also the low gross CC. He had a low 34 points, finishing second with 30 points was Floyd Duggins. Third place went to Alex Tegenkamp with 27 points. The closest to the pins went to Mike Cook and Dave Pearce (his 35th), the long drives (in the fairway cut) went to Mike Cook and Floyd Duggins (his 1st). Don Scribner maintained his # 1 ranking, with his win Mike Cook moved up to tie Matt Hurst at # 2, Floyd Duggins moved up to # 3, Steve Blotzer is at # 4 with Randy Butler at # 5. Thanks to Alex Tegenkamp for setting up the tournament for us. Mike Cook achieved the double “Yarbie Slam”.
The next tournament was at Rancho Solano GC on Friday, July 15th starting at 10:00 am. It was warm, the temperature at the end of play was in the low 90’s and some tropical high clouds made it very humid. Winning the first flight was Steve Blotzer with a net 68 closely followed by Nemon Williamson in second with a net 69. Mike Cook and Neal Stachowicz tied for third place with net 71’s. In the second flight Alex Tegenkamp took first place (his 5th) with a net 71. Floyd Duggins was close behind with a net 72 for second. Sandie Cook took third with a net 75. The CP’s were both won by Nemon Williamson, Nemon also won a LD with Alex Tegenkamp taking the other long drive. Birdies were rare, only one by Neal Stachowicz and Nemon Williamson. The blue pins on holes #1, 4, 7, 10, 13 and 16 were in the extreme back of the greens in very difficult positions. In Pyramid Tournament matches it was Steve Blotzer over Mike Cook, Neal Stachowicz over Dave Pearce and Nemon Williamson over Sandie Cook. In the rankings Mike Cook took over the # 1 spot, Floyd Duggins moved up from # 4 to # 2, Steve Blotzer moved up from # 5 to # 3, Matt Hurst slipped from # 3 to # 4, Don Scribner who was # 1 moved down to # 5. We want to thank Nemon Williamson who set up the tournament for us.
It was a beautiful day for golf, temperature in the low 80’s at the end of play and very little wind for the Wildhorse Tournament held on Tuesday, August 15th starting at 10:00 am. Sandie Cook played some very good golf and won first place with a net 67 (her 25th career win). Close behind in second place was the dual of Ken Dorsey and Alex Tegenkamp with net 68’s, Larry Campbell was another stroke back with a net 69 good for third place. Fred Longoria won both Closest to the Pins, Sandie Cook and Neal Stachowicz won the Long Drives. The usual fast greens were incredibly slow, very difficult to get the ball to the hole but some players made the adjustment as the field had 7 birdies. Fred Longoria led the way with 2, other birdie shooters were Larry Campbell, Dave Pearce, Neal Stachowicz, Alex Tegenkamp and Nemon Williamson. Will Grinslade was the only player in the field to par the difficult par 4 eighteenth hole. The Rankings remained the same in the first 4 spots, Mike Cook, Floyd Duggins, Steve Blotzer, Matt Hurst but Alex Tegenkamp moved up to take the # 5 spot. The Player of the Year race is very close, Mike Cook, Nemon Williamson, Neal Stachowicz, Sandie Cook and Steve Blotzer are the top five.
The third Kamp-Devlin Classic sponsored by Vickie Devlin and Alex Tegenkamp was held at the Eagle Vines GC on Saturday, September 2nd starting at 11:00 am. The weather was unbelievably hot, temperature officially at 107 degrees (matching our tournament at Cypress Lakes in 1995) but some readings had it at 111 degrees. Fourteen players teed off but only five players finished. Two players quit after seven holes, one after nine, one after eleven and two more after fifteen. Finishing play and taking first place was Eddie Pereira, in second place was Nemon Williamson. Sue Gustofson took third place. Eddie Pereira and Nemon Willianson won the LD’s and a dozen golf balls each. Dave Pearce won the CP. Eddie Pereira, the 1st place winner received $100.00 prize money. Herb Forthuber won the Callaway Flight and also a closest to the pin and some golf balls and money. Our thanks go out to Vickie and Alex for sponsoring the tournament. The greens on the course were fuzzy and a little slow because of the high temperatures. The course played tough, especially the par 5 opening hole, no one recorded a par there. There were no birdies for the field. The rankings were changed a bit, Steve Blotzer took over the # 1 position, Floyd Duggins is at # 2, Alex Tegenkamp is at # 3, Neal Stachowicz at # 4, with Kevin Peck at # 5. The Player of the Year race is very close, Nemon Williamson, Neal Stachowicz and Mike Cook are only two points apart, then Sandie Cook and Steve Blotzer.
The “47th” annual Winners Tournament sponsored by Mike and Sandie Cook was held at Paradise Valley GC on Wednesday, October 11th starting at 10:48 am. The weather was the thing, with wildfires burning in the entire area it was very smoky especially on the front nine. We lucked out on the back, we finished with blue skies with the temperature in the mid 70’s and very little wind. The course was in good shape, the greens were fast like they used to be. Alex Tegenkamp ($100.00) won his first Winners and second major after shooting a net 68. Sandie Cook ($50.00) was a close second with a net 71. Third place went to Mike Cook with a net 72 ($20.00). Alex Tegenkamp won the CP. Neal Stachowicz and Mike Cook who hit his best drive of the day won the LD’s, all those players received a sleeve of Titleist Pro V-1’s. We had only one birdie shooter, Mike Cook (using his Dad’s old ping putter) had 3 for the day. With one point for winning his long drive Neal Stachowicz ended the year ½ point shy of induction into the Hall of Fame. Mike Cook won the Points Championship for the year in a triple tie breaker over Alex Tegenkamp. Sandie Cook won the Scoring Average Championship for the year. Steve Blotzer maintained his # 1 ranking, Floyd Duggins his # 2, Alex Tegenkamp held # 3 with his major win, Sandie Cook moved up to # 4, Mike Cook moved up to # 5.
The 41st Pyramid Tournament is still in progress.
The Valero Cup tournaments from 2016 and 2017 have not been played yet.
The # 1 position in the Valero Golf Club Rankings starting the year was held by Rob Yarbrough. Don Scribner took over the top spot after the Rio Vista Tournament and held it through the Hiddenbrooke Club Championship, Mike Cook took over after the Rancho Solano Tournament and held it through the Wildhorse Tournament, Steve Blotzer took over after Eagle Vines and held it through the Winners Tournament at Paradise Valley.
By finishing 1st in Tournament Points, 2nd in the Scoring Average Championship for the year and 4th in the Pyramid Tournament, Mike Cook was the Valero Golf Club’s “Player of the Year” for 2017.
2017 was the 16th year for the Valero Golf League, play continued at Blue Rock West on Wednesday’s. Fun league play was held on Thursday’s on the East course. The league continued to be nine hole team play starting officially at 4:30pm every Wednesday. Playing were 6 teams of 8 players each. Steve Duff continued as as the League President, Jim Rollans was the League Statistician. 2017 started out with the Hackers Unlimited holding first place. In week # 2 the Seadlings took first and held it until week # 3. There was a three week break in play due to refinery operating problems, In week # 4 it was the Mulligans who held it until week # 9, in week # 10 the Rovers had first for one week, in week # 11 the Birds then took first and held it until the end of the regular season. At the end of the regular season the first place team (The Birds) received a bye. The second place team the Mulligans and the third place team, the Hackers played off on September 6th to determine who would play the top team. The Mulligans won 9.5 to 0.5 and advanced on to play the Birds on September 13th. The Mulligans won over the Birds by a score of 5.5 to 4.5 and claimed their third league championship. Mike Cook shot video of the match showing some play on the first, second, fourth, sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth holes. The Mulligans finished first, the team consisted of Bob Brown, Kevin Ebert, Ron Hall, Jeff Marquez, team captain Dexter Nigos, Rob Villarreal, Eddie Pereira and Jim Petrellese. The Birds finished second, the team consisted of Wafa Alfatesh, George Cruz, Andrew Estrada, team captain James Johnson, Mike Osada, Randy Pockrandt, Richard Sullivan and Alex Tegenkamp. The third place team the Hackers consisted of team captain Ben LaFountain, Sarah Harlan, Justin Biecharczyk, Brad Martin, Sean Black, Chris Wagner, Yves Marekani and Steve Milicevich The Rovers team which finished fourth consisted of Randy Butler, Steve Duff, Jake Finnigan, Herb Forthuber, Sanjeet Kamat, Rick Morgan, Chad Rollans and team captain Jim Rollans. The Seadlings finished in fifth place, the team consisted of Jason Allen, Rick Carr, Ken Hoehn, Josh Lundholm, Mike Petrellese, team captain Neal Stachowicz, Brandon Von Loon and Ken Gibson.. The Tennis Pros took sixth place, the team consisted of team captain Randy Goudy, Jim Minkel, Josh Cross, Doug Nelson, Bill Quessenberry, Don Wilson, Josh Winterburn and Hadi Jammal. Yearlong individual honors went to Steve Milicevich who set a new record for low net score in the reg.season, Eddie Pereira who matched his own record for low gross score in the playoffs, Randy Pockrandt and Eddie Pereira who tied the record for most match points won in the Reg. Season, Eddie Pereira who set a new record for most match points won through the playoffs, Eddie also tied the record for the most medal points won through the playoffs, Jim Petrellese and Randy Butler who tied the record for the medal point winning % through the playoffs and Eddie Pereira who set a new record for the total points won through the playoffs. In the individual rankings this year; Dexter Nigos started the year in the #1 position and held it by himself through week #5. Eddie Pereira took over the #1 position for weeks # 6, 7, 8 and # 9 when he was joined by Randy Butler, Eddie retook # 1 in week # 10 by himself and held it until week # 13 when he was joined by Randy Butler and Jim Petrellese, Eddie retook # 1 in week # 14 and held it through week # 15. At the end of the regular season Randy Butler took over # 1 and held it through the playoffs. In post season play, it was Sanjeet Kamat winning the points tournament in a tie breaker over Bill Quessenberry, in the best-ball tournament it was the team of Rick Carr-Josh Lundholm winning the tie breaker over the team of Sanjeet Kamat-Ken Hoehn, both teams set a new runner-up record, Josh Lundholm and Dexter Nigos won the two person scramble and set a new record in doing so, in the one person 2 ball scramble tournament it was Jim Rollans winning it tying the runner-up record. The Valero Golf League had another good year.
This golf year came to a close following the Winners Tournament with the Pyramid Finals still to play. We still needed a tournament director but in the meantime Sandie Cook, Alex Tegenkamp, Ed Vegas and Alex Tegenkamp set up 7 tournaments for us, our thanks go out to them. The Valero Golf League had another good year with the Mulligans winning their 3rd League Championship. Thanks to Steve Duff for continuing to run the golf league as president and Jim Rollans who remains as the league statistical. As always we look forward to next year.
Mike Cook