41st WGC – Pugwash, Nova Scotia – July 2024
The 41st WGC has come and gone but time to refresh on the great time we had, all the scores are below the tournament summary!
The 41st WGC occurred during our typical 3rd weekend in July on the beautiful North Shore of Nova Scotia. We returned to Northumberland which had previously held a WGC in the 90’s and a practice round in the past ten years. The course was in phenomenal shape and looked quite different because of Hurricane Fiona in Sept. 2022. This storm happened to down close to 900 trees. This tragic event saw many old trees downed as the fierce winds devasted the area as it came directly in off the Strait. It wasn’t all bad news for the course, as the wind opened-up many more Ocean views on holes which previously were densely lined by trees. The course did a great job of dealing with this event and getting rid of the stumps so that new visitors may not even know what it once looked like before the storm.
One thing that hasn’t changed is the ‘lightening quick’ greens! More on this later when we review the putting by all competitors. This year we had a nice round number of 20 golfers converging on the North Shore. The field comprised of 15 players from Nova Scotia and 5 from NB. The location was a good in the sense that it was accessible for all travelling from both Provinces. Most competitors arrived near noon on Friday to allow for ample practise time and a quick bite before the practice round. Temperatures that day were a very comfortable 25 degrees with winds around 20km/h. All competitors except newbie Ben Garland were available for the practise round. These included: Peter, Mark and Jay Henderson, Shane Jackson, Braum Fader, Ian Paton, Adam Mulrooney, Ken Gardiner, Greg Eisner, Jamie Acker, Greg Sewell, Rick Deveau, Kevin Buckler, Dave Marcattili, Blake Miller, Ian Lezama, Dave Melanson, Stuart MacNeil and Darren Dunnett. Hilariously it was noted that the two Dave’s had matching golf shirts on purely by coincidence. There is picture evidence on the website somewhere 😊
Overall, the course’s reputation lived up to its billing as very few low scores (below 90) were posted on Friday. I don’t have scorecards from the practise round so it’s hard to say how everyone did other than anecdotally. It seems like most guys shot above their handicaps and struggled around the fast greens. My foursome of Jamie, Shane, Ian L. and I certainly had our struggles. For me it started with my first shot on #1 which trickled into the water. Deciding to take my shoes off and attempt to hit it out of the water – proved to be a terrible idea as proven by Jamie’s video evidence of me advancing the ball less than 15 feet. I regretted the decision as soon as my bare feet hit the muck at the bottom of the murky pond! Shane almost hit a mama deer and her two babies on the 16th hole. Since he was addressing his second shot, he didn’t see the three deer emerge from the woods. Because he was in his shot routine his playing partners remained silent as he swung. Thankfully the deer scurried away unharmed.
As a result of our later finish – we didn’t have the option of staying and eating at the Course as the kitchen closed at 7:00pm. Some guys grabbed a drink or two at the club before heading to a small pub on the outskirts of Pugwash across the street from the Pugwash Firehall. The pub was called the Route 6 Roadhouse and was only a 10-minute drive away so we departed for our reservations at 8:30pm. The proprietor reserved the back room for us which had old style garage door, lots of windows and a private bar area. It really was the perfect area for our large group to sit, converse, commiserate over our round. Unfortunately, the lack of a/c made it warm and the sun was in our eyes until it finally started to set to in the west. The food was nothing special but it was typical Pub-fare. Some guys made wise choices on pub food – burgers, smoked meat sandwiches, fries etc. Others were disappointed with their meal – as the seafood chowder had very limited fish/shrimp/scallops – making more a soup or brisque than an actual chowder. Either way we all got food in us and some side entertainment from a ‘one man band’ who played some vintage Neil Young, Eagles, etc. By approximately 9:45pm most of us (fifteen) departed to Wallace and the Airbnb. It was a beautiful 15-minute drive at sunset to Wallace. Stu, Darren, Adam and Jamie had rooms right next door from the Pub so it worked very well from a convenience standpoint. Ken Gardiner and Greg Eisner stayed at Ken’s cottage which was literally less than 10 minutes away.
Peter selected the Airbnb due to the fact it was advertised as a house with 7 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, a pool, hot-tub, party room gazebo, plenty of parking and privacy to make as much noise as we wanted to with fear of disrupting neighbours. The house was a little dated and there was humidity and ant issues – but the guys staying there were able to make it work. Beds were claimed and the odd person slept on a couch while Mark made the decision to sleep on pillows on the living room floor. As has been typical of recent Classics, the guys got into their beverages, edibles and weed soon after arriving and the party was on!
Foursomes for the next day were randomly chosen out of a hat with the following groupings:
Kevin, Blake, Mark and Greg E.
Jay, Adam, Ian L. and Dave Mar
Rick, Peter, Ben and Braum
Shane, Darren, Greg S. and Stu
Jamie, Ken, Ian P. and Dave Mel.
The pairs were revealed and handicaps to all individual golfers. The latter was a break from tradition and it caused a lot of disconcertion with the competitors. Disagreements and arguments over what some players felt their handicaps should be (always wanting it to be higher than the actual handicap appointed to them). Peter learned that sharing this ahead of time may not be the most prudent approach in the future 😊 Teams for the team trophy were announced as: Mark and Ian P., Darren and Stu, Greg S. and Dave Mar., Shane and Jay, Ben and Rick, Blake and Jamie, Braum and Kevin, Dave Mel. and Ian L., Greg E. and Ken, Peter and Adam.
Ben was the only first timer joining us this year. A good friend of Phil Paton’s two boys, he is someone Ian recommended when we were left with an odd number only weeks before the tournament. Peter having met Ben before agreed he would fit in with the crowd and was excited to hear he could play on such short notice. Rankings for individual play based on handicaps was as follows: 1) Mark, 2) Darren, 3) Greg S, 4) Shane, 5) Ben, 6) Blake, 7) Braum, 8) Dave Mel., 9) Greg E., 10) Peter, 11) Adam, 12) Ken, 13) Ian L., 14) Kevin, 15) Jamie, 16) Rick, 17) Jay, 18) Dave Mar., 19) Stu, 20) Ian P.
After more debates and a lot more drinks – ½ of the guys went out to the gazebo (party room), some stayed in the house and others were outside near the pool/deck area battling the mosquitoes. Picture evidence shows Mark, Blake, Rick D and Peter still up in the party room – listening to the Rolling Stones on the sound system at 2:31am. Peter’s last photo of the night of the full moon – was time stamped at 3:13am. It was a very late night but the lightshow inside the party room, paired with the sound system made for a fun night! To everyone’s surprise Mark was up cooking breakfast for everyone and cleaning at 6:30ish am – literally 3 hours after he went to bed. A nice gesture but some were upset with the early morning kitchen noise as they tried to get a few more hours of sleep before the big tourney.
As all the competitors awoke, stirred and ate – we all recognized Saturday’s weather was almost identical to Friday. Sunny, temp around 24-25 degrees Celsius and winds slightly less at about 20/Kmh. Essentially ideal conditions for golf!! This may have led some to believe it would take a low score to win the Low Gross. Most people left the Airbnb by mid-late morning as the first tee times were near noon – a full two hours earlier than the practice round. It seemed most competitors spent as much or more time on the practice green as they did at the range. It seemed everyone thought putting would be the difference maker on Saturday.
All groups got off the first tee with a relatively short tee shot required but the water hazard to the right certainly came in to play for several of the Wedgies. It doesn’t help that the fairway and green all sloped toward the water. There was an average of 6.2 strokes taken on this short – 328 par 4 to open. Only one person out of 20 parred the course and that was Peter. Like Moncton the year before he had the lead after one hole – but it didn’t last lol. The second hole – a relatively straightforward par 5 – 523 yards had a scoring average of 6.9 (basically a double bogey)! Players had 5 snowmen, one 10, 7 doubles, 4 bogeys and a measly 3 pars – Dave Mel., Mark and Braum. The whole front nine seemed to be a disaster for most golfers. Only six broke 50 on the front and only one (Dave Melanson) broke 45 with a solid 44 to lead by 2 strokes at the turn – over Greg S and Braum. Only three strokes back were Darren and Blake.
Of the 14 players over 50 on the front – the vast majority – nine of them were 55 or above. Scoring average overall on the front nine was 52.7 – which must be close to an all-time high!!! A full 3.1 strokes more than the previous year scoring average for the front nine at Moncton. Highest score on a hole on the front was a 10 on number 2. But there was a total of six scores of 9 on a hole. Two of them came on Hole #5 and two came on hole #9 (both holes were par 4’s). Pars were hard to come by for most groups – Jay/Adam/Ian L./Dave Mar. had two pars and zero birdies on the front. Shane/Greg S./Darren/Stu also had two pars and zero birdies. Jamie/Dave Mel./Ken/Ian P. had 3 pars and 1 birdie (1 par and one birdie by front nine leader Dave Mel.). The group of Kevin/Blake/Mark/Greg E. had a grand total of 4 pars and zero birdies. Finally, the group of Rick/Peter/Ben/Braum had 7 pars and zero birdies. So, to summarize the front nine – out of 20 golfers there was 1 birdie and 18 pars – an average of 1 par per competitor. At the turn – there were 17 strokes separating 1st from 20th.
Most golfers were deflated and perplexed by their high scores. The one consolation many took was the knowledge that based on handicaps the back 9 is the easier portion of the course especially if it isn’t windy on the water holes. However today it wasn’t that windy so hopefully it would ring true! Scoring average overall on the back was 54.2, which was a full 1.5 strokes higher than the front nine scoring average! Four golfers (Jay, Stu, Ian P and Kevin B) had a double-digit score on the back (one 12, one 11 and two tens). Additionally, there were 27 snowmen and 7 scores of nine on a hole on the back nine alone! At the other end of the spectrum there was one birdie – by Shane on the very last hole. A total of 17 pars were recorded by the competitors on the back 9 which was 14 more than the front 9. So, twenty golfers had a grand total of only 20 pars and 2 birdies over the 18-hole track. Low score on the back was a 45 by Shane which was one stroke better than Darren. In total, 5 golfers (a quarter of the field) broke 50 on the back. In addition to Shane and Darren, Greg S., Peter and Dave Mel also broke that threshold. Only three golfers in the 50’s broke 55 – Braum, Blake and Greg E. Ten competitors were between 55-59, one was 60 (Mark) and one was 70 (Stu).
The hole with the highest scoring average on the back was the very difficult par 5 #14 (according to the Club – 2nd toughest hole to par on the course behind the par 4 #7. On number 14 the average score for all 20 golfers was 7.6!!! On that hole there were 3 pars (Greg S., Peter, and Ian L.) but there was also half the field that had snowmen or higher on the hole.
Surprising to me was how difficult the short par 4 #17 seemed to play as well. On that less than 400 yards par 4 – not one competitor parred the hole. There were three bogeys (Dave Mel., Shane and Darren), 5 doubles, 4 triples, 6 quads or snowmen and 2 nines. This equates to a scoring average of 6.95 – almost three strokes above par!!
Remarkably, the average score in the tournament was 106.9 which is one of the highest in WGC history. Only half of the golfers broke 110. Yes, it is a hard course but given the conditions these results seem almost unexplainable!
Overall, Dave Mel was Low Gross with a great score of 91 on a very tough course. He beat Darren by two strokes and Greg S by three. Blake and Braum were the only other players to break 100. Only four other players broke 105 – Shane, Peter, Ben, and Greg E. One other player broke 110 – Ken G. Half of the field – ten players were over 110 with the highest score being 127. Huge congratulations to Dave Melanson for his first Low Gross Trophy at the WGC. It was certainly well deserved as he played a very consistent round – he had nothing worse than a double-bogey on any hole (5 of them) so he avoided the big scores by playing essentially bogey golf. His scorecard reveals – 1 birdie, 2 pars, 10 bogeys and 5 doubles. Just as consistent was Darren who remarkably had 12 bogeys to finish second. He cut Dave’s lead to two strokes after the tenth hole but never got closer after that and finished two back. Greg S. who finished third actually was only one stroke back after the tenth but a triple-bogey snowman on number 16 dropped him back and his doubles on 17 and 18 ended his hopes for the Low Gross trophy.
Dave won the trifecta (low gross, low net and team) in the WGC which has only been done a few times in our history. I believe the most recent time this happened was at Mill River by Ken Gardiner. Additionally, Dave missed also winning fewest putts by one stroke! In addition to winning the Low Gross by two shots over Darren, Dave beat Peter by seven strokes, Blake and Braum by eight strokes. His low Net score was 82! Mark finished last in Low net – probably for the first time in his history with the 117 debacle.
On the putting front – Northumberland lived up to its reputation as having some of the fastest, most difficult greens in the province. Average putts overall were 36.3. They ranged from a low of 30 for putting champ Braum Fader to an astounding 48 putts for Mark. A fifth of the competitors did not break 40 putts (Mark, Dave Mar., Greg E and Jay). There was a total of six – 4 putts and 1 five putts!!! Mark had the five putt and two of the four putts. Jay had two four putts (1 and 18) while Shane and Stuart (both on number 1) were the others to 4 putt. Dave Mar who finished second worst in putting had nothing more than a three-putt. Unfortunately for him he had nine of them! In winning fewest putts – Braum only had one three putt (on the 13th hole) the entire round. He also had 7 one putts!! Rick who somewhat surprisingly finished 2nd in putts had 6 one putts and one zero putts. Dave Melanson was the only player to have two zero putts – both on his way to 15 putts overall on the front. Front nine averaged 18.7 putts while the back nine averaged one full stroke less at 17.7 putts. Lowest nine for putts was 14 – Rick and Braum both did it on the back nine. Hole #1 averaged 2.65 putts – by far the worst of all the holes. Only 8 golfers (Braum, Rick, Dave Mel., Ken, Jamie, Darren, Ian P. and Peter) averaged less than 2 putts per hole.
On the team front Dave Melanson and Ian Lezama beat Braum/Kevin Buckler and Greg S./Dave Marcatilli by 4 shots overall. Blake/Jamie were fourth – 6 shots back while Greg E./Kenny were 7 shots back, followed by Shane/Jay 9 shots behind. Ben/ Rick finished tied with Peter/Adam ten strokes behind. Darren/Stu were 16 strokes behind in ninth and Mark/Ian P. finished a mind-boggling 32 strokes back in last place.
A quick run-down of each player’s round:
1) Dave Mel.
1 birdie (one of only two – Dave got his on the par 3 #3). 2 pars (#9 and #11), 10 bogeys (including the final 4 holes), 5 doubles (three on the first 5 holes of the back nine). Very steady round with nothing worse than a double bogey kept high scores off his card – worst two holes score was 7’s on par 5’s (#2 and #14). Went out in 44 and came in with a 47 = 91. 31 putts – including two zero putts, 4 one putts, 9 two putts and only three 3 putts (two back-to-back on #9 and #10) 15/16 =31 putts. Ist in Low Gross, 1st in Low Net, 2nd in fewest putts, 1st in team! Dave’s improved putting certainly helped his score!
2) Darren
2 pars (both on the back #10 and #13), 12 bogeys (including 5 in a row from #5 to #9), 3 doubles (two on the first four holes #1 and #4), and one snowman on par 5 #14 only score above a six on his card. Mr. consistency went out in 47 and came in with a 46 = 93. 4 one putts, 2 three putts on the front. 17/17 = 34 putts
3) Greg S.
3 pars (two in three holes on the back #12 and #14 – one of only three players to par #14 – Peter and Ian L. the other two), 9 bogeys (six on the front 9), 5 doubles including three of the last four holes and two on par 3’s), one quadruple (snowman on par 4 16th hole). Out in 46 and in with a 48 = 94. three 1 putts, ten 2 putts, five – three putts, 20/18 = 38 putts
4) Blake
4 pars (both back-to-back on front #3 and #4 as well as on the back, #10 and #11), 5 bogeys (4 on the front nine), 7 doubles (including 5 on the back 9 – #12, #13, #15, #17, #18), 2 triples (including the par 3 #8 and a snowman on #14). He went out in 47 and came in with 50 for a 97. Three one putts (including back-to-back on #3 and #4), 12 two putts, 3 three putts (two of them on the front #@ and #8) Overall very consistent putting 18/18 = 36 putts
5) Braum
4 pars (#2, #8, #11, #18), 6 bogeys (four on the front nine – #4, #6, #7, #9), 5 doubles (#1, #3, #5 on the front, #10, #14 on the back), 2 triples (including two on the final three holes #16, #17) and a quad on #12. Out in a 46 and in with 52 for a 98. 7 one putts (the most on the back nine with four), 10 two putts and only one three putts on #11! 16/14 = 30 putts (putting champ)
6) Shane
1 birdie (one of only two birdies in total and he got it on #18), 1 par (#6), 7 bogeys (six in eight holes on the back from #10 to #17), 7 doubles (five of his first eight holes to start his round), one triple (#9), and 1 quintuple on the par 4 fourth. Went out in 55 but came in with 45 (ten stroke improvement) for a 100. 4 one putts (three on the final four holes), 11 two putts (including 5 in a row from #7 to #11), 2 – three putts (#2 and #12), and 1 four putts (dreaded first green). 20/16 = 36 putts
7) Peter
3 pars (#1, #4, and #14), 4 bogeys (three on the back #11, #12, and #15), 8 doubles (including final three holes – 5 on par 4’s, 2 on par 3’s), 3 triples (two on par 5’s – #2 and 6, and #7 a par 4). Out in 52 and in with a 49 =101. 3 one putts (including back-to-back on #3 and #4), 13 – two putts (T2nd most including eight of nine holes on the back 9), 2 – three putts (back-to-back on holes 6/7). 18/17 =35 putts.
8) Ben
2 pars (both on the front nine – #4 and #9), 6 bogeys (#2, #3 and #8 on the front,#10, #14, #15 on the back) , 6 doubles (including three in a row from #11 -#13), 3 triples (#5, #16 and #17), 1 quad (#18) – Ben finished with triple, triple, quad which caused him to miss breaking 100. Out in 48, In with 55 = 103. He was one of four players to finish the last hole with a quad or worst. Putting he had 4 one putts (in a span of seven holes from #7 to #14), 10 two putts, 4 – three putts including last two holes. 19/17 = 36 putts. His inaugural WGC – he seemed to enjoy himself and fit in nicely with the crowd – even bringing his guitar for extra entertainment. He will be welcomed back anytime he wants to play and said he wants to prove he is better than his score – but it was hos forst time ever playing this difficult course and he held his own!
9) Greg E.
1 par (came on the 15th hole), 8 bogeys (5 on the back nine including the first four holes), 5 doubles (all on the front nine), 3 triples (two on par 5’s and one on the last hole), plus a quintuple on number 17. His last two holes really cost him breaking 100. 52/52 = 104. Greg was only golfer to have zero one putts). But he did have 14 two putts (most of any competitor), 4 three putts (including three on the front nine and three of 4 came on par 5’s #2, #6 and #14). 21/19 = 40 putts.
10) Ken
2 pars (one on the front par 3 #8 and one on the last hole), 6 bogeys (three on the front and back), 3 doubles (including back-to-back on #4 and #5), 5 triples (including four on the first ten holes), 1 quadruple (on par 3 #13) and one quintuple on par 4 #17. Out in 52 and in with a 56 = 108. Putting wasn’t an issue for Ken as he tied for the 3rd fewest. He had 1 zero putt (on #5), 3 one putts (#6, #14, #16), 11 two putts, and 3 three putts (two on the front nine #3 and #9). Out in 17 and in with 17 = 34 putts.
11) Kevin
1 par (par 4 #5), 6 bogeys (five on the first ten holes), 5 doubles (three in a row from hole 11 to 13), 3 triples (two on par threes), 2 quads – (both on par 4’s on the front – #4 and #7) and 1 quintuple on par 5 #14. Out in 53 and in with a 57 = 110. Two one putts both on the front 9 – and the only guy to one putt the very difficult 1st hole. 13 two putts (t2nd most), 3 three putts – one on the front #8 and two on the back – #11 and #15. 17/20 = 37 putts
12) Rick
2 pars – both on par 3’s (#8 and #15), 4 bogeys (all on the first ten holes), 5 doubles (two on the front and three on the back including back-to-back on #11 and #12), 4 triples (including two of the final three holes), 2 quads (#5 and #14), 1 quintuple (#4). Rick was consistent – out in 55 and in with a 56 = 111. He putted very well! 1 zero putts (difficult #14 which helped him avoid double digit score on the hole). He also had 6 one putts (most of anyone – 3 on both the front and back). He had 3 three putts – two on the front 9 and one the back. He finished his last 5 holes with a total of 5 putts!!! He finished T2nd in putting 17/14 = 31 putts.
13) Dave Mar.
2 pars (both on the front nine #2 and #9), 4 bogeys (three in a row to start the back), 5 doubles (three on the front nine (#4, #6, #8), 3 triples (including back-to-back on the back #15 and #16), 3 quads (#1, #14, #17) and one quintuple (#5). Out in 55 and in with a 57 = 112. 4 one putts (two on both nines) all before hole number 14, only 5 two putts, 9 three putts (including four in a row from hole#4 -#7 as well as the final two holes)! Nothing worse than a three putt! 21/20 = 41 putts.
14) Jay
0 pars! 3 bogeys (one on the front and two on the back #10 and #12), 11 doubles (most of any golfer), two triples (both on par 4’s #5 and #17), 2 quintuples (#1 and #14) – out in 57 and in with a 56 = 113. 2 one putts back-to-back on the back 9 (#11 and #12), 12 two putts, only 2 three putts – back-to-back on holes #3 and #4), 2 four putts (first hole and #17). 22/18 = 40 putts.
15) Jamie
0 pars! 5 bogeys (three in four holes from #3 to #6), 5 doubles (four on the first ten holes #2, #4, #9, #10), 6 triples (including 3 in 5 holes on the back – #12, #13, #16) and 2 quads (first hole and last)! Out in 55 and in with a 58 = 113. 4 one putts (three of them on the back in four holes – #11-#14), 12 two putts, just 2 three putts (#1 and #13) 18/16 = 34 putts.
16) Ian L.
1 par (on the very difficult par 5 #14), 3 bogeys (two on the front), 7 doubles (including four in a row from #5 – #8), 4 triples (two on par 5’s #2 and #16), 3 quads (all on par 4’s #1, #4 and #17) Out in 57 and in with a 56 = 113. 3 one putts (two on the back #15 and #18), 13 two putts (t2nd most), 1 three putt (#16), 1 four putt (#17). Ian went a string of the first 15 holes with nothing worse than a two putt. Out in 17 and in with 19 = 36 putts.
17) Adam
2 pars (par 5 on the front and a par 3 on the back – #6 and #13), 4 bogeys (all on par 4’s), 4 doubles (two to start his round and two on the back nine), 5 triples (including two back-to-back on #7 and #8), 1 quad (#17), and 2 quintuples (#3 and #5). Out in 58 and in with a 55 = 113. 2 one putts (both on the back 9), 11 two putts, 5 three putts (3 on the front and two on the back). Out in 18 and in with 18 = 36 putts.
18) Mark
Unusual to be discussing Mark’s round this far down the board but he has been battling arthritis in his hands. 1 par (on the 2nd hole), 4 bogeys (two on the front and two on the back), 4 doubles (3 in five holes on the front), 5 triples (4 in six holes on the back #11-#16), 2 quads (both on the final two holes), 2 quintuples (both on the front nine #3 and #9). Out in 57 and in with 60 = 117. 1 one putt (2nd hole), 8 two putts (four on each nine), 6 three putts (four on the back 9 – two to finish the round), 2 four putts (third hole on both nines – par 3 #3 and par 4 #12), 1 five putts (on the difficult 9th green). 24/24 = 48 putts.
19) Ian P.
2 pars (both on par 3’s #8 and #15), 2 bogeys (both on the back nine #10 and #18), 6 doubles (4 on the front nine), 3 triples (two on the back), 2 quads (both on par 4’s (#4 and #17), 2 quintuples (both on front nine #2 and #9), 1 septuple – (one of only 2 by WGC participants – par 5 – hole #14). Out in 61 and in with a 59 = 120. 4 one putts (three on the back 9 in 5 holes #11-#15), 9 two putts (six on the front 9 – 5 in a row from #4 to #8), 4 three putts (including back-to-back on #13 and #14). Out in 19 and in with 16 putts = 35 putts.
20) Stu
0 pars (only one of three players), 4 bogeys (three on the front nine within 7 holes -#2, #6, #8), 1 double bogey, 7 triples (four on the front 9 in the seven holes from #3 to #9), 4 quads (1st hole and then three on the back #14 #15 and #17), 1 quintuple (very last hole), 1 septuple (on the par 4 12th hole). Out in 57 and in with a 70 = 127. Stu’s stamina may have played a part on his back 9. 3 one putts (including 2 in three holes #6 and #8), 11 two putts (including 6 on the back nine), 3 three putts (two back-to-back on #14 and #15), 1 quadruple putt (1st hole of the tourney shatters your confidence). Overall consistent putting 19/19 =38 putts.
Observations about some of the holes for putting: #1 had 6 three putts and 3 four putts! #8 the short par 3 is usually considered one of the toughest putting holes but only four players three putted it two people one putted it while the champion had zero putts on that hole. The other par 3 everyone thinks of for tough putting is number 15 with its triple tier green. However, the WGC crowd did relatively well there. On that hole – 6 participants one putted, 10 – two putted and only 4 players three putted. #9 green seemed to cause some trouble as: 3 one putted (Jay, Darren and Dave Mel.) 11 two putted it, 5 three putted, and one 5 putted (Mark). When you look at the different scorecards one foursome’s even play was uncanny. The foursome of Jay, Adam, Ian L., and Dave Mar. were separated by only 1 stroke! They were within three of each other after nine, and if Dave took one more stroke on 18 – they would’ve all had a 113 – that is unbelievable!!! The next closest grouping was that of Rick, Peter, Braum, and Ben who were separated by 9 strokes after nine holes and 13 strokes after 18.
Mark going from 82 one year to 117 the next must be the greatest swing in scores by one golfer in the history of the event. Plus 35 strokes may never happen again! Adam also went up quite a bit as he had his lowest score ever in the WGC last year but went up 19 strokes this year. Ian L. was another golfer who saw his score increase almost a shot per hole as he went up 16 from last year. Ian P. and Stu both went 13 strokes from last year but then again Dave Mel. was the only golfer to have his score improve from last year. I guess the terrible chowder he had the night before didn’t cost him!
Fewest putts came down to three players (Braum, Dave Melanson and Rick Deveau). In the end, Braum won by one stroke over the other two players. Dave Melanson two putted the last green and both Braum/Rick one putted. Braum eked it out despite Rick matching him with three of four one putts on the final 4 holes. Braum had a one stroke lead after nine and they both had 14 putts on the back. Braum only had one three putts on these difficult greens which made it a deserving win. Rick deserves a lot of credit as this was his second year in a row with 31 putts and his 2nd second place finish in a row. Previously, he was never known for his putting but that has changed! Mark’s 48 putts must be an anomaly as he was 7 strokes worse than anyone else.
On closest to the pin which was the difficult #8 – Ken Gardiner hit a very good tee-shot that was within feet of the hole. He was one of few who hit the green a despite missing the birdie putt he certainly was deserving of the Closest to the Pin honours!
On the long drive hole on the back 9 – the Par 5 #14 (also one of the highest scoring holes), Blake Miller was able to poke one well out there 250 yards or so and found the fairway. Braum edged Peter by a yard in their group, but Blake and one other golfer surpassed Braum (apologies as I can’t remember who it was – perhaps Dave Mel.?). Despite the wide fairway many competitors had a hard time finding the fairway. The upward hill a little further out cut back on some distance from roll.
After the golf it was time to have some well-deserved refreshments and a meal. Many of the golfers drowned their sorrows on the outside deck overlooking #18 green and #1 tee box. Most were off the course by 5:30pm. We all decided to eat supper at the course. The food was good but the drinks were better! After 90 mins or so we started to disperse back to the Wallace Airbnb. A few guys had gotten back early largely because the Airbnb had no towels. Peter missed that in the description so as a result 14 guys were using their own clothes, golf towels, dish towels whatever they could get their hands on to dry themselves off after a shower. Braum and some others tried the hot tub out while Peter attempted to finalize the results.
Despite some shortcomings – the Airbnb worked out well for the prize and trophy presentations. Everything was laid out on the dining room table to make it easy for the golfers to see the various prizes and trophies. It was at this point Peter was shown Ken’s prize contribution – a dozen TaylorMade golf balls with a picture of Peter’s face on it and the saying ‘smack me hard – I love it! It was at that point Peter decided he had to get those as a gift so others weren’t losing them at golf courses all over the Maritimes lol
After the photos of the presentations, many of the guys went outside to the deck area and the party room. It quickly became another late night as photo evidence indicates several players still going strong well into the night. Jay, Ben, ian P., Mark, Dave Mel., Shane, Stu, Peter, Darren and Balke were all rocking the disco in the Gazebo as the clock got close to midnight. By 1:00am, Mark was doing his best Trailer Park Boys impression deciding to go topless. At 2:38am- Peter, Mark, Dave Mel and Sewell were still smiling for the camera. Peter’s final photo of the moon was 3 mins later than the previous night at 3:16am. As is typical of the WGC – everyone departed quite early on Sunday as we had to be out of the Airbnb by 11:00am. Peter locked up around 10:35am and notified the owner we had left. She let me know that we were great guests with no issues at all with noise or damage etc.
Next year we will be in PEI for the 42nd WGC and will be held on Saturday, July 21st, 2025. Courses and accommodations to be announced in April – hopefully we’ll see everyone again next year – 20 golfers were a great number this year! Early rumours have Steve Kerr and Alan Forsyth (two original Wedgies) plan on being there – we shall see!
Peter G. Henderson
WGC Chairperson
Low Gross
| Position | Name | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Dave Melanson | 91 |
| 2nd | Darren Dunnett | 93 |
| 3rd | Greg Sewell | 94 |
| 4th | Blake Millre | 97 |
| 5th | Braum Fader | 98 |
| 6th | Shane Jackson | 100 |
| 7th | Peter Henderson | 101 |
| 8th | Ben Garland | 103 |
| 9th | Greg Eisner | 104 |
| 10th | Ken Gardiner | 108 |
| 11th | Kevin Bucker | 110 |
| 12th | Rick Deveau | 111 |
| 13th | Dave Marcattilli | 112 |
| T 14th | Jay Henderson | 113 |
| T 14th | Jamie Acker | 113 |
| T 14th | Ian Lezama | 113 |
| T 14th | Adam Mulrooney | 113 |
| 15th | Mark Henderson | 117 |
| 16th | Ian Paton | 120 |
| 17th | Stuart MacNeil | 127 |
Low Net
| Position | Name | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Dave Melanson | 82 |
| 2nd | Peter Henderson | 89 |
| T3 | Braum Fader | 90 |
| T3 | Blake Miller | 90 |
| 5th | Dave Marcatilli | 91 |
| T6 | Rick Deveau | 92 |
| T6 | Greg Sewell | 92 |
| T6 | Darren Dunnett | 92 |
| T9 | Jay Henderson | 93 |
| T9 | Kevin Buckler | 93 |
| T9 | Ken Gardiner | 93 |
| T9 | Greg Eisnor | 93 |
| 13 | Ian Paton | 94 |
| T14 | Jamie Acker | 95 |
| T14 | Shane Jackson | 95 |
| T16 | Ian Lezama | 97 |
| T16 | Ben Garland | 97 |
| 18 | Adam Mulrooney | 100 |
| 19 | Stuart MacNeil | 103 |
| 20 | Mark Henderson | 117 |
Low Putts
| Position | Name | Putts |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Braum Fader | 30 |
| T2 | Rick Deveau | 31 |
| T2 | Dave Melanson | 31 |
| T4 | Ken Gardiner | 34 |
| T4 | Jamie Acker | 34 |
| T4 | Darren Dunnett | 34 |
| T7 | Ian Paton | 35 |
| T7 | Peter Henderson | 35 |
| T9 | Ben Garland | 36 |
| T9 | Shane Jackson | 36 |
| T9 | Ian Lezama | 36 |
| T9 | Adam Mulrooney | 36 |
| T9 | Blake Miller | 36 |
| 14th | Kevin Buckler | 37 |
| T15 | Stuart MacNeil | 38 |
| T15 | Greg Sewell | 38 |
| T17 | Jay Henderson | 40 |
| T17 | Greg Eisnor | 40 |
| 19th | Dave Marcatilli | 41 |
| 20th | Mark Henderson | 48 |
Team
| Position | Team | Score | Score Adjusted |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Dave Melanson / Ian Lezama | 204 | 202 |
| T2 | Braum Fader / Kevin Buckler | 208 | 206 |
| T2 | Greg Sewell / Dave Marcatilli | 206 | 206 |
| 4th | Blake Miller / Jamie Acker | 210 | 208 |
| 5th | Greg Eisnor / Ken Gardiner | 212 | 209 |
| 6th | Shane Jackson / Jay Henderson | 213 | 211 |
| T7 | Ben Garland / Rick Deveau | 214 | 212 |
| T7 | Peter Henderson / Adam Mulrooney | 214 | 212 |
| 9th | Darren Dunnett / Stu MacNeil | 220 | 218 |
| 10th | Mark Henderson / Ian Paton | 237 | 234 |
Longest Drive & Closest to Pin
| Longest Drive (#16) | Blake Miller |
| Closest to the Pin (#8) | Ken Gardiner |