Valley “Rivals” Meet For First Ryder Cup

DAYTON - The Bul ldogs ma y have won the first Touchet Valley Ryder Cup, but the stage is set for a new tradition in a longstanding rivalry with the ball in the court of Waitsburg and Prescott.

Dayton beat the "WP" contingent of community golfers 27.5 to 23.5 after three days of golf one player said "made for a very interesting format."

The event featured players from Waitsburg/Walla Walla County against Dayton/ Columbia County in a European-style men's golf tournament. Three formats were used and no handicaps were assigned, said Kim Lyonnais of Dayton, who instigated the contest with fellow coordinator TJ Scott of Waitsburg.

Friday's format was a two-man team alternating shot. Each match was worth one point and the final score set the tone for the weekend. There was only a one-point spread on Friday after play with Waitsburg in the lead 6-5.

Saturday morning began with a buffet breakfast at the Sand Trap Restaurant. A two-man team best ball was played. Again, no handicaps were assigned. Eighteen players from both teams wrestled out a final tally of Dayton 7.5 to Waitsburg's 2.5.

With the assistance of Stephanie Wright and Julie Bickelhaupt, "Chef" Don Hodgson prepared a meal sponsored by Windermere Realty. All competitors appreciated the thoughtful gesture as they began the second round of competition, Lyonnais said.

Saturday afternoon was a hot three-man scramble, which included 36 players participating in six matches. Players stepped up their game making some great shots and resulting in high team scores. Dayton/Columbia County came out on top 4 - 2, which left the two-day score at Dayton 12.5 and Waitsburg 8.5.

"It's a lot of golf over a short period of time," said Prescott's Dustin Snedigar. "For me, it was fun - an opportunity to meet people from the other communities."

The overall success of this event was evident when Sunday's finale culminated in a flurry of rounds with 48 players going head-to-head.

This exceeded the number of participants for the popular spring and fall men's best ball competitions, Lyonnais said.

Sunday's teams were assigned by team captains Scott and Lyonnais. Play began at 7:30 a.m. with a shotgun start. There were 24 matches in all. Each win was worth one point and a tie was worth 0.5 points. This final man-toman format proved to be an exciting finish to a fun-filled weekend of golf.

Waitsburg won the Sunday contest with a score of 13-11, but it was not enough to overcome Dayton's com- manding lead built up over the weekend.

One thing is certain, Lyonnais said, there will be a rematch.

"Suggestions and ideas have already begun to flourish for next year's Touchet Valley Ryder Cup," he said.

Organizers and participants thanked the Sand Trap Restaurant for providing the buffet breakfast as well as the Windermere Realty cooks for their hard work and generous support. In addition, all participants gave a round of applause to the grounds crew of the golf course, Norm Thomas and Nick Page, who "outdid themselves by having the course in the best shape ever for this pleasurable event," the Dayton team captain said.