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SHARKS COME UP SHORT IN BID FOR POST SEASON
October 13, 2007 - Channel Islands Sharks

The Sharks last SoCal Division Tournament in the National Golf League was held last Saturday at Chevy Chase CC in Glendale. The Orange County Wedge finished off a great regular season with their second victory and claimed the SoCal division title. The Sharks played well but came up short and finished 4th. In the Division race, the Wedge and the Inland Empire Styx secured the two spots in the NGL Championship with the Sharks finishing 3rd.

The tournament and season could be summed up on the first hole in the Best Ball match between the Sharks and the Wedge. Both Wedge players missed the green and the Sharks had a great advantage. However, the Wedge's Steve Conway chipped-in for birdie and then the Sharks' Steve Holmes power-lipped out his birdie for a disappointing loss. The match ended 2-4 against the Sharks. The Sharks' J.T. Kohut and Brian Helton also lost their match to the Stars 1-3. While the bright spot of the round came from Tommy Barber and Nate Whitson with a 4-2 win over the Spikes; the Sharks total of 7 points put them 5 points behind the Wedge, who scored 12. The round finished with Extreme Heat 9, Styx 7, Stars 6, and Spikes 4.

The Sharks scored 8 points in Alternate-Shot and did not lose any matches. However, the Wedge scored 12 and the Heat scored 11 to increase their lead on the field. J.T. Kohut and Brian Helton won their match against the Spikes 3-1. While Tommy Barber and Nate Whitson tied win the Heat 3-3, John Ray Leary and Steve Holmes played another tough match against the Wedge and faired better but only managed a tie 2-2. The scores going into the last round of Scramble format were: Wedge 24, Heat 20, Sharks 15, Stars 15, Styx 14, and Spikes 7.

"I thought that at this point we had to have a miracle finish to win," said Captain Wayne Merich. "I told them to just rip it and have a good time. I think that they gave their all and ripped a few beers as well."

The fate of the Sharks was evident in the first few holes of the Scramble round when they did not get off to the fast start that they needed. J.T. Kohut and Brian Helton met up against the toughest Stars team of the season and lost 5-1 against Corby Segal and Bob Jacobson. Tommy Barber and Nate Whitson tied the Styx 2-2 and John Ray Leary and Steve Holmes tied the Heat 2-2. This left the Sharks at 20 points in 4th place ending their 2007 season behind the first place Wedge who scored a decisive victory.

For the Wedge it was a very exciting day. Owner Jack Sherwood commented, “Our guys came to play today. Before they teed off they weren't talking about what it would take in this event to finish second in the division and qualify for the Championship. They were talking about winning the event and taking the title outright. They played their best as a team when it counted the most.”

The Wedge team was a model of consistency in 2007. They completed six straight top-three finishes. Jack’s buddy and team equipment manager Cliff Tompkins added, “This may be the toughest division in the NGL – it includes last year’s NGL champion Sharks and the Styx who won a league-record three events in a row. We know we’re going to have to bring our ‘A game’ to the Championship event but I'm confident we will. I don’t know if momentum is a factor in pro team golf, but if it is, I like where we’re at.”

Summing up the season the Sharks Captain stated, "Our guys have winning attitudes and are fun to be around. We had a very strong team this year, a lot stronger than last year. In fact, all the teams this year were definitely a lot stronger than last year. The teams had PGA tour, Nationwide tour, and LPGA tour players playing on a regular basis. However, it was evident that throughout the season that the teams were stacked against the Sharks. Unlike the other teams, we never had a match that was easy, where we felt like it would be easy to win points. In this NGL format, we are only in control of 1/3 of the matches – the ones that the Sharks are involved in. Unfortunately the other 2/3 of the matches are out of our control but determined the outcome of our season. Our guys played great, but we are disappointed - we all hoped for a better result. Like life, golf is very humbling. Sometimes you can play your best and still not get the result that you expect. I am very proud our players, owners, and crew and the great spirit that they brought to our team. However, they are already talking about next year and are all excited to be Sharks."

"Like they have for millions of years - the Sharks will survive and thrive. We would like to thank all of our sponsors and fans for their support. We have many events planned in our future including some off season tournaments and outings that will give our team more exposure, as well as a chance for redemption."

 

 

TeeClub.com Team :
TeeClub.com Team

wmerich@teeclub.com
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