Champ Retains Cup

September 10
Manistee, Michigan.

Steady, steady, steady. In a methodical display of championship golf, defending Cup-holder Ron Braun retained his title over two grueling days of golf in Northern Michigan. Braun finally reeled in first round leader Rick “The Little Cat” Last on the thirteenth hole on Manistee National and cruised home from there. A marvelous 20 foot par putt on the sixteenth hole all but wrapped up the title.

Throughout the weekend, Braun’s new two-ball putter was a wondrous tool in his hands. He sank a number of clutch four to six footers on the twisty slippery greens of both Manistee and the other venue, Hemlock Golf Club. Others commented on Braun’s clutch shot-making; an eight iron from 110 yards to within five feet on the fifth hole was but one of many brilliant moments for the eventual winner.

Last had seized the lead on the first round at Hemlock as he got hot on the back nine with the highlight being a 30 foot downhill putt for birdie two on the spectacular par 3 thirteenth hole. But the Little Cat was nursing an injured right hand and as gracious winner, Ron Braun stated, “We’ll never know how much the Cat’s paw was bothering him on the last day”. Last, though, stoically persevered and closed with a par and bogey on the tough 17^th and 18^th holes at Manistee.

Closing was not a problem for five-time champion Stanley Pesick who parred 17 and 18 on both courses, yet surprisingly Pesick never mounted one of his vaunted Palmeresque charges. A distressing tendency to pull his irons to the left and a balky putter betrayed the 14 handicapper; yet he stayed in the tournament until the end and his near hole-in-one on 17 on Saturday was the stuff of highlight reels. Like Jack Nicklaus before him, if he doesn’t win it then Pesick always seems to finish in second. This was his fourth second place finish in the annual competition.

There were, alas, no ESPN moments for 2003 winner Peter Straus whose tournament was marked by a rare Bogey Straight Flush. Over the space of six back-nine holes on Hemlock, he scored five bogies (single, double, triple, quadruple and, gulp, quintuple) to effectively shoot himself out of contention. Despite sterling play on Saturday (42 on the back nine) he was never in contention.

But he did have his moments, the traditional Saturday afternoon team competition featured first round leader Rick Last paired with Straus against Braun and Pesick. The Straus-Last combo took the match to dormie four (four holes up with four to play), and then withstood a furious comeback that included two long birdie putts by Ron Braun on fifteen and seventeen and a frankly unbelievable, 180 yard draw from the left rough around trees to the front of the green on sixteen by Pesick. Yet except for a couple of yipped putts on sixteen, the Straus-Last pairing never wilted and held on for the upset by matching the others stroke for stroke on the scary 18^th.

Of course, no description of an Arbuckle Invitational would be complete without mention of the host. This year’s event may have been the best ever. Great courses; wonderful accommodations at the Braun Cottage on Cartier Lake in Fountain, Michigan; and good eats.

A fine time was had by all.