Up to speed? Good. If you need more background, please read: The Sham-Rock Cup (part one). It’s worth it.

You know, before we go any further, I'm getting the sense that you don't fully appreciate the magnitude of this golf match.  To put it in perspective, imagine that the 8 best players in the history of the Yankees/Red Sox rivalry came together for one golf match;  better yet, imagine that the 8 best players in the history of the Celtics/Lakers rivalry came together for one golf match; or wait, even better than that, imagine that Rocky Balboa played Clubber Lang in one golf match for the Heavy Weight Title.  But wait, now imagine that Rocky Balboa and Clubber Lang shared office space together and losing meant that Clubber would most likely spend the whole year insulting and hurting Rocky with ill-timed, unfunny taunts and that Rocky had a very fragile ego and some serious emotional issues that he buried down deep and...um...anyway...it was a big match, a very big match.

The first 9 holes were a Total Score Team format with Todd Carges and Jason Adamic squaring off against Mike Ronci and Pat Bannon in Group 1, and Kevin Adams and Mike Bush pitted against Randy Spencer and Shawn Elliott in Group 2.  Todd and Jason lived up to their reputations (both as golfers and gentlemen) as they squashed Mike and Pat like bugs.  Red bugs.  This put Feehan up 2-0. Randy and Shawn squeaked by Adams and Bush in a tight match and tied up the score at 2-2.

The next 9 holes were an Alternating Shot Team format with the same match-ups.  Once again, Tiger and Phil...I'm mean...Todd and Jason beat Mike and Pat, even though they were down 2 with 3 holes to play.  This put Feehan up 4-2.  Bush and Adams put on a show and beat a sluggish and at times disoriented Spencer and Elliott.  Adams was dropping putts like the North Team dropped college courses.  It has never been confirmed, but at this point, it is believed that there were some whispers to remove Randy as Captain.

So, at the half-way point, the Feehan Team was sitting pretty (literally). They were ahead 6-2 and only needed 2 1/2 points to win the cup.  The North Team was in disarray.  They never expected to be in such a hole and were now faced with the reality of having to sweep the next two events to win it all.  Like all great North Teams, however, they were up to the challenge.

9 Hole Singles Matches were next with each worth a point.  Mike Ronci played brilliantly and embarrassed Carges in their match (despite the rumors, poor conditioning was not a factor).  Pat Bannon was magnificent as he shot a 42 to put away Adamic.  Randy Spencer lived up to the billing as he shot a blistering 38 to beat a very worthy Kevin Adams.  Mike Bush and Shawn Elliott traded blows and battled to a tie. 

Just like that, the North Team cut the lead to 1.  It would all come down to the Scramble.

The last 9 holes were a Team Scramble format worth 4 points. Winner takes all.  For the first time, Teams would play together and keep score on the honor system.  This had Todd worried, not about cheating, but about North's shoddy arithmetic skills.

Both Teams played well trading birdies and eagles.  On 17, Feehan put the ball 10 feet from the cup while the North Team watched from the 18^th tee.  North was -5 at that point with one hole to play, while Feehan sat at – 4.  A birdie would tie it up going into 18.  Feehan had 4 cracks at it.  All 4 looked good but didn't drop.  Heartbreaking.

A dejected Feehan team then stepped up to the par five 18^th needing a birdie or eagle to win.  Maybe it was the pressure or the fatigue from the many charitable community service projects that the Feehan team is involved in, but Carges, Adamic, Bush and Adams hit 4 poor drives, and by the time they reached the green in 3, North had already birdied and won the match.

Pat Bannon was the hero as his drive and second shot put North on the green in 2.  From there, Randy Spencer lipped out an eagle and tapped in for the win.  North had won the inaugural Sham-Rock Cup with a masterful come back.

As we all sat in the club house laughing, crying and watching the North Team drink beer out of the Sham-Rock Cup, I couldn't help but think how lucky we were to share such a great day of golf and fellowship with such a special group of friends, and as Mike Bush secretly dumped Tabasco sauce and other condiments into the Sham-Rock Cup knowing that the oblivious North Team would soon drink it, I couldn't help but feel even luckier to have Mike as a business partner, neighbor and teammate.

I will end with three lessons from that wonderful day: 1. Shawn Elliott is a class act as he picked up the golf and bar tab for everyone. 2. While ridiculous good looks don't necessarily translate into golf victories, they do make the 7 hour ride home from Rehoboth a bit easier to tolerate. 3. The North Team outplayed us, plain and simple, and certainly deserved the 2009 Sham-Rock Cup.

Congratulations Randy, Shawn, Mike and Pat.  Enjoy it while it lasts.


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