Shady Canyon defends home course again, back on top in Jones Cup
Shadows had formed over the 18th green as the hosts looked to close out their third win in as many tries on their home course in the 25th annual Jones Cup community golf tournament.
The drama had climaxed one hole earlier, and Brian Gunson, the man that supplied it, cleaned up a tap-in for par to give the trophy back to Shady Canyon on Wednesday in Irvine.
A roar could be heard from the green on the last hole after Gunson, the director of golf at Shady Canyon, sunk a long putt for birdie on the par-three No. 17, vaulting his club past Santa Ana with one hole remaining.
“I think you go through the whole round, and you’re trying so hard for your team,” said Gunson, the Shady Canyon captain. “You’re trying to make a birdie, just to get the team a little bit more under par, and everybody’s sort of doing their little bit.
“To make something like that happen, to create the joy from the crowd and the team, and then to take the lead, ultimately, it’s what we always strive for and what we’re here for.”
Shady Canyon, which finished at 14 under par in the two-best-ball format, rallied past Santa Ana (-12).
The Jones Cup, played between five country clubs that also include Big Canyon, Mesa Verde and Newport Beach, has been played with five-person teams since its sixth year.
A captain, a club professional, and the club’s men’s, women’s and senior champions, participate in the annual competition.
Shady Canyon went on the course with a quintet that included Gunson, club pro Kyle Bezuidenhout, ladies’ champion Kelly Ly, men’s champion Eoin Middaugh and senior champion Charles Kavanaugh. Middaugh produced a tournament-best seven birdies.
The host club has won 10 of the last 20 times the tournament has taken place. Shady Canyon has successfully defended its course in each of its three opportunities, the others coming in 2014 and 2019.
“It’s a highlight of my golfing year,” Gunson said. “You try to get your game in shape. I’ve practiced more in the last three days than I have in the last five years, so it’s just exciting to perform under the pressure, and eventually, just to lift the trophy.”
Nico Bollini, whose steady play provided four birdies and 13 pars for Santa Ana, left the course hopeful that his team had done enough. The club’s men’s champion also credited women’s champion Kaley In (three birdies) with clutch play down the stretch.
“On the front nine, we kind of had it going, and it could have been a really good front nine because every single hole, … we had looks every hole,” Bollini said. “We had three or four people with birdie opportunities. We just didn’t make nearly as many putts as we could have.
“The back nine, we still played solid, but when it starts going the other way, you start feeling the nerves and the pressure of the other players in the group. It is a unique environment because you’re all on the same team, you’re all rallying around each other, and then you’re trying to pick somebody up.”
Multiple golfers described the greens as “firm and fast” for Wednesday’s event.
The afternoon saw a trio of eagles drop in. Newport Beach captain Robin Shelton and Santa Ana senior champion Brandon Goethals got theirs on the par-five No. 3.
Mesa Verde senior champion Mitch Allenspach also eagled the par-five No. 7, adding three birdies to match club professional Mike Fergin (five birdies) for the most strokes gained for his team.
“I hit a drive that we don’t know what happened, but it had to have hit a cart path,” Allenspach said of his eagle. “A par-five that you normally have over 200 [yards] in, I had 145, so that was a big part of the help. I hit a wedge to whatever that distance was, and then rolled in a nice sliding 25-footer. That helped a lot.”
A five-birdie back nine for senior champion Will Tipton was the highlight for third-place Big Canyon (-11). Olivia Slutzky, the Newport Beach-based club’s women’s champion, sank three birdies, matching In for the most among female competitors.
Mesa Verde (-10) placed fourth, and Newport Beach (-7) was fifth in this year’s Jones Cup.
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