2016 PDL XIV BANDON DUNES – SORRY, NOT SORRY VICTORIOUS AT SPECTACULAR BANDON DUNES
BIRD, BATTLE, PROUTT & GILBANE WINNERS!
MVP: WES BATTLE
TED OAKEY SPIRIT AWARD WINNER: BOBBY PROUTT
WOODEN SPOON: MICHAEL PALMORE
CHAIRMAN: SCOTT WINN
SEPTEMBER 6-9, 2016
RESULTS
Sorry, Not Sorry – 15 (Bird, Battle, Proutt, Gilbane)
Manifest Destiny -12 (McAllister, Thomson, Rankin, Aide)
EMT & The Wheelouts -10 (Winn, Adatto, Jefferson, Wainscott)
Southern Charm -9 (Garnett, Stevenson, Palmore, Smith)
Full Results and Tournament Stats
TOURNAMENT SUMMARY
Chairman Scott Winn brought the 14th installment of the Ponce to the spectacular Oregon coastline of Bandon Dunes and its four Golf Digest America’s top 100 courses.
Opening Ceremony
Bandon Dunes General Manager Hank Hickox and Official Greeter and legend Shoe Gaspar gave the Ponce welcome remarks at the Opening ceremony. Chairman Winn delivered exceptional gear, including Peter Millar team Sweater vests, Imperial baseball and Pom Pom hats, Smathers & Branson PDL belts and Player’s waffle towels. In a fun wrinkle, Pacific Dunes Head Pro Brandon Carter and his exceptional staff hosted a closest-to-the pin glow ball event in the dark, which was won by Southern Charm as Tom Stevenson scored three clutch shots for the win.
Day 1 – 1st Round Four Ball at Old Mac & 2nd Rd. Pinehurst Alt Shot at Bandon Trails
Sorry, Not Sorry (Bird, Battle, Proutt & Gilbane) went undeated (4-0) to score a perfect 8 points and take a 8-6-2-0 lead after day one. Manifest Destiny (McAllister, Rankin, Thomson & Aide) also played well, scoring 6 points (3-1), good for second place. EMT & The Wheelouts (Winn, Adatto, Jefferson & Wainscott) won one match (1-3) and Southern Charm (Garnett, Stevenson, Palmore & Smith) lost all four matches (0-4) to bring up the rear.
Day 2 – 3rd Round Four Ball at Bandon Dunes & 4th Rd. Captain’s Choice at Bandon Preserve
EMT & The Wheelouts won both matches in alternate shot to get within striking distance of the two leading teams while both two leading teams split their two matches. In unprecedented form, Southern Charm remained winless with 0 points through three rounds and six matches.
Seemingly out of nowhere, last-place Southern Charm won Round 4, shooting -7 over Bandon Preserve’s 13 holes. Manifest Destiny also played well, earning 2nd place with -6. Sorry, Not Sorry finished 3rd at -2 to retain their lead by one point while EMT & The Wheelouts finished last at even par.
The day was capped off by a fun putting tournament at Pacific Dunes’ Punch Bowl.
Day 3 – Final Round Singles at Pacific Dunes
Battle led off the final round firing a career low 76 to defeat Kevin Adatto 5&4 to give Sorry, Not Sorry a three-point lead. Five of the eight singles matches ended on the 17 green, including the PDL’s penultimate pairing.
Southern Charm continued its impressive comeback, winning three of its four matches to score the most points in the 4th and 5th rounds. Its 0 points in the first three rounds condemned this squad to last place. Michael Palmore finished this Ponce 0-4, losing to Rodney Jefferson 2&1 in singles to earn this year’s Wooden Spoon.
Winn beat Ponce rookie and 2016 Ted Oakey Spirit Award Winner Bobby Proutt 2&1 in one of the day’s best matches. Proutt had been previously unbeaten, and after dropping his opening four ball match, Winn won three consecutive matches. Both players played well all week, finishing 3-1.
Also, Ponce Rookie Trent Smith overcome an early four hole deficit to better Bill Wainscott 2&1 and in the battle for Charleston bragging rights, Tom Stevenson also took down Thomson 2&1.
With only the last match left on the course, Sorry’s Jeremy Bird and Destiny’s John McAllister’s match would decide the Ponce. A half or win by Bird would win for Sorry, Not Sorry while Mac needed a win for Manifest Destiny.
After a seesaw match, they stood ALL SQUARE on the 16th hole. Bird described how the match went down, “We were both short with wedges on the par 4 16th. I hit a blind flop shot to 20 ft from the bottom of the hill. He bladed it into the bunker and hit the stairs with his bunker shot. I won with a two putt. On the par 3, 17th the wind took my 5 iron into the pot bunker under the cypress tree. His 5 iron was short but left a downhill putt from the fringe. I splashed out to 20 ft or so – 2 putted bogey. He left his putt 15 feet short and then ran his par putt by 3.5 feet. He missed the bogey come backer. Match over 2&1.”
With the win, Bird won his record 8th Fountain of Youth trophy in 13 attempts while McAllister remains winless in eleven tries! Thomson and Battle each have won five times, a distant second place.
Sorry, Not Sorry‘s Wes Battle and Manifest Destiny‘s Michael Aide won all four matches (4-0) and both went undefeated for the second consecutive match play Ponce. (8-0) Battle was voted 2016 MVP. (Aide earned the 2014 award.) In addition, Aide has not lost a match play since 2012, as he went 4-0 in 2014 and 2-0-2 in 2013 with 2015 being a stroke play event. (10-0-2 in last three match play Ponces!)
Closing Ceremony
Former Atlanta Falcon, Seattle Seahawk and Virginia Cavalier All-Pro Defensive End Patrick Kerney joined fellow Hoos David Rivers, George Seals, Alex Seals and Hunter Stokes as special guests at the closing ceremony in the St. Andrews room. In addition, NFL Hall of Famer, San Diego Charger and Oregon Duck Quarterback Dan Fouts and NBC golf commentator, former seven-time PGA Tour winner and Oregon Duck Peter Jacobsen delivered video messages to the Ponce!
Chairman Emeritus Neil Thomson thanked Chairman Winn for an epic Ponce and selected Bill Wainscott as Chairman for the 2017 Ponce, expected to be competed in late Spring under the North Carolina pines. Bobby Proutt (3-1) earned the Ted Oakey Spirit Award.
Finally, Saturday morning, most of the group trekked to Eugene and Autzen Stadium to watch the Oregon Ducks beat the Virginia Cavaliers 44-26.
FRIENDS – SPECIAL THANKS (COMING SOON…)
Hank Hickox – General Manager / Vice President
Shoe Gaspar – Director of Happiness
Brandon Carter, Head Golf Professional, Pacific Dunes
Dan Fouts – NFL Hall of Fame, San Diego Charger and Oregon Duck Quaterback
Peter Jacobsen – 7x PGA Tour Winner, Oregon Duck and NBC Commentator.
ITINERARY: 116 HOLES IN 4 DAYS
Tuesday, September 6 – Practice Rounds at Pacific Dunes (9:20-9:30 PDT) & Bandon Preserve (3-3:45 PDT) and Opening Ceremonies
Wednesday, September 7: Round 1 Four Ball at Old Macdonald (7:30-8am) and Round 2 Modified Alternate Shotnat Bandon Trails (2:20-2:50pm)
Thursday, September 8: Round 3 Four Ball at Bandon Dunes (7:50-8:20am) and Round 4 Captain’s Choice at Bandon Preserve (1:30-2:15pm)
Friday, September 9 – Final Round Singles at Pacific Dunes (High Noon) and Champions Dinner (7:30pm)
Saturday, September 8 – Travel to Eugene for UVA @ Oregon CFB (7:30 PDT Kickoff)
Sunday, September 9 – Depart Eugene
TEAMS (# OF PONCES PLAYED INCLUDING THIS BANDON PONCE)
1st : SORRY, NOT SORRY (GRAY): J. Bird (13) W. Battle*(12), D. Gilbane (1), B. Proutt (1)
2nd: MANIFEST DESTINY (GREEN): J. McAllister (11), N. Thomson (14), J. Rankin* (14), Aide (M. 12)
3rd: EMT & THE WHEELOUTS (NAVY): B. Wainscott* (11), S. Winn (10), K. Adatto (1), R. Jefferson (2)
DFL: SOUTHERN CHARM (CAROLINA BLUE): M. Garnett (14), , T. Stevenson* (2), M. Palmore (13), T. Smith (1)
* Captain
Coming soon…
Players Guide (PDF)
Invitation Letter (PDF)
CHARITY
The Ponce honors the memory of Nick Fouts and the Dominic Fouts Memorial Cancer Fund this year in its battle to support cancer fighters
The Dominic Fouts Memorial Cancer Fund is a registered 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to raising funds through special events to help support cancer fighters. Dominic Daniel Fouts (aka Nick), son of Oregon Duck and NFL Hall of Famer Dan Fouts, was delivered the devastating diagnosis of stage 4 colon cancer on July 4, 2009, just 12 days before his 31st birthday. Stoic throughout his 3 year battle, Nick continued to teach middle school science, snowboard, surf, and travel as much as he could between the surgeries and treatments that left him ill. He unexpectedly lost his battle on August 12, 2012, though he never stopped fighting
