Staley wins top honors at annual Mesa Verde Tee Cup

Staley wins top honors at annual Mesa Verde Tee Cup

August 16, 2001

DOTTIE BANKS of the host Cortez Women’s Golf Association chips on hole no. 18 during action Tuesday afternoon at the annual Mesa Verde Tee Cup Invitational Golf Tournament at Conquistador Golf Course. Some 112 golfers from throughout the Four Corners area participated in the wet and soggy daylong 18-hole tournament.

BY JIM THOMAS
Journal Sports Editor

Barb Staley of Farmington easily whipped the rest of the field in the Championship Flight of the annual Mesa Verde Tee Cup Invitational Tuesday afternoon, Aug. 14, despite an hour delay because of rain and slogging through lots of standing water.

The 18-hole medal-play tourney was hosted by the Cortez Women’s Golf Association.

Staley fired a low gross 81.

"There was water everywhere. It was really wet out there," she said. "I really wasn’t sure if we were going to get to play or not (the tourney started an hour late). Lots of mosquitos out there."

Staley, who plays out of San Juan Country Club and Pinon Hills, played better the first nine than the second.

It finally stopped raining and the tournament got under way. Light rain fell at times before the sun finally poked through around noon. Temperatures were cool but had turned warm later in the day.

Bonnie Hoover was second gross with an 87 and Sue Pierce shot 90. Cortez’ Fran Kirschenman took low net honors with a 69. Ann Hunter and Delores Brown both carded 72s.

Mary Kay Algner won low gross in the First Flight with a 98. Tracy Johnson was one stroke back at 99 while Sophia McKinney finished as third low gross, winning on a card playoff. Donna Durant won low net with a 71 while Dottie Banks checked in with a 74 and Angela Lewis had a 75, also winning on card playoff.

Randi Reed took low gross in the Second Flight with a 103. Dora Garcia had a 106 and Janet Miller 107. Maggie Choice took low net honors with a 72. Dee Balliger fired a 75 and Marlene Jossi 76.

Mary Batson was the low gross winner in the Third Flight with a 108. Ramona Wolfe shot 114 and Joanne Johnson 118. Bobbi Jo Ertel won low net with a 71 while Joyce Bowles finished a distant second with 78 and Kimm Lacy 79, winning on a card playoff.

Banks was closest to the pin on hole no. 7 and Pearl Wiggins was closest to the pin on no. 7.

A total of 112 golfers participated in the daylong event. Golfers came from Montrose, Delta; Monticello, Utah; Farmington, Aztec, Kirtland, and Gallup, N.M., An awards luncheon was served in the Cortez Elks Lodge following the tourney.

This is event was the second jewel of the three major tournaments of the season for the CWGA. The final event is the CWGA’s Club Championship, a 36-hole stroke-play event, is set for Sept. 11-12.

The men hit the course for the granddaddy amateur tournament of them all, the Pinto Bean Classic, which will be held this Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 18-19 (see related story).

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 news, the annual Totah Festival Four-Man Scramble Golf Tournament will be held Aug. 17 at Pinon Hills Golf Course in Farmington. There will be a shotgun start at 8 a.m. Awards and door prizes will be handed out. The cost is $65 per play or $260 per team. The fee includes green fee, half-cart, continental breakfast, lunch and some range balls to hit. Registration has been extended to 5 p.m. Monday, Aug. 13. For details, phone (505) 327-9673 or 599-1174.

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 representing 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 sponsor $1,500. For sponsorship packages and other information regarding the tournament, phone Fal Wood at 247-8774.