 |
||||||||
 |
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
Final four holes could decide title
By GREG AUMAN, Times Staff Writer
WESLEY CHAPEL -- So tightly bunched is the pack of teams atop the Sunshine Athletic Conference that the difference between winning it all and finishing fifth could be a handful of strokes. "The regular season went like a game of cutthroat," Wesley Chapel coach Alan Black said. "At least within the top five, anybody can beat anybody. When we beat Land O'Lakes and Ridgewood, they had been undefeated in conference, but we lost to Zephyrhills and they lost to Mitchell. It goes around and around like that." The Wildcats host the tournament at Lexington Oaks, and with teams playing 18 holes instead of their standard nine, it's just another factor making it hard to tell which team should be chasing which on the greens. "Zephyrhills had always been head and shoulders ahead of everyone else, and then last year, it was Zephyrhills and Mitchell," Ridgewood coach Gary Anders said. "But this year, I think there are several teams capable of winning the tournament." The Bulldogs and Mustangs have lost to Anders' Rams, whose only conference loss came by three strokes to Wesley Chapel. The Wildcats, in turn, have the home-course advantage, but Black said that is an edge that can work against them if they're not careful. "Sometimes, kids get on the home course and think it's going to be easy," Black said. "Our kids know they have to have a good day to win. Mitchell has to be the favorite, average-wise and talent-wise. They didn't tear up our course when we played them, but they were able to beat us that day." With the field as close as it is, teams are putting extra thought into which five to line up with today. Ridgewood, whose Nos. 4-6 players average close to 43 strokes per nine holes, will go with sophomore Phillip Marina, while Wesley Chapel held a playoff for its final spot Monday. Tee times are at 9 a.m. and the final foursome with the lowest averages -- Ridgewood's Justin Schlau, Mitchell's Kyle Laux, Wesley Chapel's Stephen Seal and Zephyrhills' Kyle Pierson -- start their rounds at 10:28. Those four have been the best, but the medalist could easily come from another foursome. "There are at least 12 players that can really put up a number out there, and at least one on every team," Zephyrhills coach Bob Hatfield said. "We've finished the season on a real upbeat note, but we played just awful the first half of the season." If there's one thing that can separate the conference's elite teams from each other, Hatfield said it might be the final four holes at Lexington. Teams are accustomed to playing only the front nine, so they're more unfamiliar with the holes, even though most teams scheduled practice rounds in the past week. Add in the fatigue factor with players lugging their own bags for twice as many holes in midday temperatures in the mid 80s, and just keeping scores reasonable on the final holes might be enough to win. "Whichever team can keep the ball in play on those last four holes will win it," Hatfield said. "Once you get to the 15th, it's a matter of survival of the fittest. They're four of the toughest finishing holes in this area, and the scores can really balloon, even if they have their game on."
 © 2006 • All Rights Reserved • St. Petersburg Times
490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111 
|
From today's Pasco Times Letters |
