2015 Champ Jeff Mains beats the field — and the elements
Long-suffering Sandbagger veteran Jeff Mains upped his game during a rain-soaked weekend in the Perth-Smiths Falls area yesterday. Mains emerged as champion, after heading into the Sunday round in second place, one shot behind 2000 Champion Andrew Posthumus.
Steady rains during the weekend had taken its toll on the field. Several of the less hardy didn’t even make it through the first round of competitive play, cutting out at the turn in Smiths Falls on Saturday to flee back to Ottawa as soon as the parking lot was in sight. Through the years, Sandbaggers have endured snow, hail, high winds and driving rain. The mid-round weather-related departures in 2015 were a first in the annals of Sandbagger competition, ensuring that the early-departed Doug Anderson, Lou Riccoboni and Blake Johnston will forever enjoy a special place in Sandbagger lore and Star Chamber deliberations!
The inclement weather continued through the evening on Saturday, causing further disruption to the field.
Jack Pantalone, Steve McMahon, Brian Bonnar, Andres del Castillo, Brian Joe and Greg Hodgins showed up at the Perth course on Sunday morning but — after observing the soaked terrain and the still steady rains — opted to bail out of the round rather than risk having to bail out their golf cart. (Brian Joe and Greg Hodgins declared their withdrawals to be due to injuries rather than an aversion to a bit of moisture.) Rick Cunliffe, Geoff Oliver, Derrick Hockley and John McKinnon never made it to the course, opting for tea time (at Ricky’s cottage) rather than tee-time.
So, with 13 of our 19 competitors implicitly acknowledging that — much like the little girls in the rhyme — they were made of sugar, a decimated field of 6 took to the course at 11 am on Sunday.
It should be noted that the sturdy six who made the bell for the Sunday round were all among the top ten in the field, proving that the spirit of competition was alive. The group included Andrew Posthumus, who headed into the round with a slim one stroke lead over Jeff Mains; Greg Jarvis and Bruce Murdock (both starting the day 7 back of the leader); yours truly, whose 95 (please note) in the opening round left me 10 back of the lead; and Mike Maidment (who sat 12 back).
We had the course to ourselves and were able to play as a six-some, another Sandbagger first. It was fun playing as a group and the conditions made it even more of a memorable adventure. The grounds were soggy, with every footstep eliciting moisture, but the course drained reasonably well and was in very good shape. Andy Posthumus had a tee-shot that plugged impressively in front of the green on the par 3 15th and we all experienced fairway shots that skidded to early stops due to puddles but balls rolled true on the well-manicured (in fact, freshly-cut) greens.
Jeff Mains had never before played in such conditions – noting “why would I?” — but from the outset he had the eye of the tiger. Demonstrating impressive focus Jeff hit fairway after fairway. Andy Posthumus made just a few mistakes on the front nine, but these were enough to allow the surging Mains to move into the lead. On holes 3-4-5-6, Jeff beat Andy by a combined 5 strokes, straight up. Greg Jarvis was striking the ball very well but, sensing that Jeff wasn’t going to implode, seemed to be showing the pressure of needing to be near-perfect in order to make up the gap. As we approached the 10th tee, Jeff’s solid play had earned him a 5-stroke lead over Andrew Posthumus. Jarvis had fallen 13 back by that point; Murdock (15), Maidment (20) and I (17) were all trailing badly.
It was at that point that Mother Nature seemed to signal her approval with Jeff’s ascendance (and perhaps our fortitude). The rains stopped, the sun emerged and the afternoon became entirely pleasant. We slowly began to discard our layers of clothing and enjoy some warmth.
Some of our group capitalized better than others on the improved conditions. The back nine featured some impressive displays of golf. Greg Jarvis shot a fine 2-over 38 (to finish at 81). Michael Maidment carded a 43 on the back nine (and, with a 90, had the second lowest round of the day). Bruce Murdock fired a 44. Andy Posthumus and I (please note) did not enjoy noteworthy back nines.
It was fitting that Jeff Mains earned the Pewter Mug in a year with such tough conditions. Jeff had already proved he could endure tough condition after soldiering on in the 2014 competition despite incurring a hip injury on his first swing of competition. Despite being in constant pain Jeff limped and lunged around the Smugglers Glen course, intent on staying in the game to enjoy some friendly banter and the company of friends.
Jeff has improved considerably over the years. He has never played more than ten rounds in a year and holds a Sandbagger record for the most rounds over 120. But, in the fading summer of 2015, Jeff fired back-to-back 115’s in conditions adverse enough to send 13 Sandbaggers scurrying for safety. Though he buckled slightly under the pressure of the lead, Jeff held on to earn a well-deserved Sandbagger championship. With a ten stroke margin of victory over second place Andy Posthumus, Jeff would have won even if his target had been 4 strokes lower. And, I would wager Jeff’s score would have been at least 3-4 strokes lower had the weather been hospitable.
All-in-all, despite the weather, the 20th Sandbagger was yet another fun and memorable weekend. Thank you to Rick Cunliffe and Jeff Mains for hosting us at their fine cottages. Bass Lake is a popular stop on the Sandbagger tour. Staying in the area gives us an opportunity to play some challenging courses, the cottages allow for plenty of opportunity for socializing and the meals are always fine. Thank you to everyone for coming out and to those who helped out on the meals. I look forward to seeing as many of you as possible again in 2016.
Congratulations, again, to Jeff Mains, 2015 Sandbagger Champion!
2015 Final Standings:
Mains
Posthumus
Jarvis
Murdock
Anderson
Maidment
115
94
82
96
95
91
115
106
81
96
97
90
-6
+4
+5
+6
+14
+15
Withdrawn (aka “the sugar-babies”): Doug Anderson, Lou Riccoboni, Blake Johnston, Rick Cunliffe, Geoff Oliver, Derrick Hockley, John McKinnon, Jack Pantalone, Steve McMahon, Brian Bonnar, Andres del Castillo, Brian Joe, Greg Hodgins.
The Sturdy Six, including 2015 Champion Jeff Mains
Very well played Mr. Mains. Congrats. Also thanks for including me in this years special weekend. I hope to be invited back for the next years.
John,
Thank you John for your kind support. Hope to see you at Owl’s Head or Orford for a wee game sometime. Cheers Jeff