By Mike VanZandt
There are lots of reasons to play golf. It’s fun. It’s challenging. Golf courses are beautiful green spaces.Sunshine. Fresh air. Competition. Roller coaster emotional highs and lows. You can drink beer while you play. Finally, you almost always hit one memorable shot a round that keeps you thinking you might master the silly game.

Steady Comeaux Cools off Fading O’Brien
Michael Comeaux edged Mike VanZandt by one shot Thursday. Shannon O’Brien finished third. Dabney Harrison and Paul Williams tied at 35 despite a brilliant chip-in birdie by Williams on the short Par-4 7th hole. Mike Mitchell, and Par-3 tourney newbies Dora and Larry were also rans. Mitchell’s game has shown sporadic signs of life lately including a chip to 4 inches on the hardest Par 3 in SE Texas from thirty yards out. Unfortunately, four consecutive double bogies on holes 3-6 were his downfall. Dabney Harrison once again was tied for the lead after 5 holes, but played the final four in 5 over par to fade from contention. Where is Possum?

Mitchell Bomb Sends Team to Playoff Win
Head Golf pro Mike Mitchell sank a 25 foot birdie putt on the 2nd hole at the ranch to lead his team to score of one under par Sunday at the Ranch. Mike VanZandt and Rob joined Mitchell in a playoff against long knocking and heavily favored Hoss Strimple and his team of Dabney Harrison and Sonny Wong. A three team playoff was averted when Shannon O’Brien, Dewey Jones, and Chuck couldn’t birdie their final hole. As the rain began to fall, the playoff began and ended on the Par 3 road hole, with no one hitting the green in regulation. VanZandt chipped to 4 feet and watched as the 12 foot putts of Strimple, Harrison and Wong hit the cup but didn’t fall. VanZandt then calmly knocked in the downhill four footer for the win. Shannon O’Brien won the closest to the pin money on both Par 3’s. Strimple, playing his first event as an “A” player because Dabney Harrison’s outdated thirty year old “Big Bertha” driver is no longer competitive, got the most out of his team. Harrison narrowly missed a birdie chip on the eighth hole, and Sonny Wong watched his eagle chip on number nine stop two inches right of the hole. Had either chip found the hole, Harrison would have won his third consecutive Sunday Scramble since downgrading himself to a “B” player. Harrison’s skills have not diminished but his ancient clubs are no longer competitive against more technologically superior equipment.