Burgi captures President's Cup with the help of a new putter

Burgi captures President's Cup with the help of a new putter

July 26, 2001

SHELLEY EARL lines up a putt during Cortez Women’s Golf Association’s President’s Cup play on Tuesday at Conquistador Golf Course. Earl, who competes in the championship flight, carded a net 66 to place second overall for the 18-hole tournament. She moved to Mancos recently from San Diego, Calif., and recently joined the local group. Earl will certainly be a player to watch for the CWGA’s Club Championship in September.

By Jim Thomas
Journal Sports Editor

What a difference a new putter made for Ethelene Burgi!

She made 15 putts on the front nine and 17 on back depite four-putting hole no. 15. She came out of the Third Flight to card a net 65 Tuesday, July 24, to win the Cortez Women’s Golf Association’s President’s Cup Tournament at Conquistador Golf Course. The cup is presented to the player who turns in the lowest net score over the field. The President’s Cup is the first major tournament of the season for the local women’s group.

Shelley Earl, who competes in the Championship Flight, came in second, one stroke back at 66. Three Second Flight players — Dorothy Banks (67), Asalea Wright (69), and Donna Suckla (70) — rounded out the top five.

Burgi said she played one of her best games all season. Sometimes when a new club feels right it can bring on a whole new feeling of confidence. Much of golf is a head game. She said she hit the ball well off the tee and hit her irons well. Despite cooler temperatures, wind, and some rain for the second nine, Burgi continued to putt well.

Earl, who recently moved to Mancos from San Diego, Calif., was the First Flight winner. Paula Lively finished a distant second with a 72 while Shannon Suckla and Joanne Rodstrom shot 73s and Carol Click and Kristin Harrison 74s.

Banks, Wright, and Donna Suckla finished one, two, three in the Second Flight. Harriet Nowotny recorded a 72 and Fay Kautz 74.

Burgi was the easy winner in the Third Flight. Bobby Jo Ertel, Joyce Stonehocker, Randi Reed, Mindy Rosenbaugh, and Judi Morgan all shot 74s.

The second jewel for the ladies is the annual Mesa Verde Tee Cup Invitational. Golfers from all over the Four Corners compete in this event which is set for Aug. 14 at Conquistador. The final major is the CWGA’s Club Championship, a 36-hole stroke-play event, is set for Sept. 11-12 at Conquistador.

Big, big tourneys will be held during the month of August. The annual Ute Mountain Oil Classic will get things under way on Aug. 4. The grandaddy of them all, the Pinto Bean Classic, will be held Aug. 18-19.

September may bring a nip to the air and leaf color changes, but it doesn’t mean golf season is over. The Dean Hanson Memorial is set for Sept. 8. The Cortez Senior Championship will be held Sept. 22-23 and the Job’s Daughter’s Tournament will close the tournament schedule Sept. 29.

In other golf news, the dates for the 2001 36-hole Colorado Golf Association’s Medal Play Tournament will be Sept. 29-30 at Dalton Ranch Golf Club located in the Animas River Valley north of Durango.

Players respresenting Colorado, New Mexico, and Arizona will play for some of the highest paying tournament stakes in the area. All players must have a current GHIN number and a USGA handicap. The tournament, sponsored by Touchstone Energy and the Durango Rotary Club, benefits the local chapter of the American Cancer Society and combines a Colorado Golf Association sanctioned event with social events and other fund-raising endeavors.

Sponsorship opportunities are available for several levels: tee box sponsor $200; birdie sponsor $500, eagle sponsor $1,000, and hole-in-one sponsore $1,500. For sponsorship packages and other information regarding the tournament, phone Fal Wood at 247-8774.