ACC, Cider Ridge win Round 1

By EASportsToday.com
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Updated: May 30, 2015

[corner-ad id=2]Teams win opening round Challenge Cup matches; ACC takes early series points lead

Brian Woodfin (L) stands by as partner Jake Spott rolls a birdie putt on the 16th green during Saturday’s EA Sports Today Challenge Cup matches at Anniston Country Club.

By Al Muskewitz
East Alabama Sports Today

Cider Ridge and host Anniston Country Club won the first series of matches in the East Alabama Sports Today Challenge Cup Saturday with ACC taking the lead in the series-long points standings.

Cider Ridge defeated Silver Lakes 7-5 and ACC defeated Cane Creek 9-3. Both winners earned three additional points for their victory, giving ACC a series-leading 12 points.

“When you host the event you want to take every bit of advantage you can in terms of home-course advantage,” ACC pro Jake Spott said. “I think of all the courses around here, having course advantage is more important here than anywhere else.

“In a perfect world, having the first match out of the gates at your club, you want to win as many points as you can. To have the lead going forward, it’s nice to have a little bit of a cushion.”

Playing on their home course, the Country Club teams won three matches and halved a fourth. Spott and Brian Woodfin won all three possible points, while senior partners Bob Orchid and Don Whitlow won 2.5 points.

“It’s such an advantage on every one of these home courses when it comes to putting, because you play them all the time and you know the breaks and the other guys get confused by the breaks on the putts,” Woodfin said. “Your home course is a big advantage; you should be in the top one or two every time with your home course on your handicap. Whether it’s Cider Ridge, Cane Creek or here, it’s a big advantage.”

Spott and Woodfin weren’t the only players to score sweeps for their clubs.

The teams of Frank Toland-Landon Winfrey and Jake Goggans-Mark Lee both won three points in the middle of Cider Ridge’s lineup. Tim MacTaggart and Dr. Ted Klimasewski won three points for Silver Lakes.

Cider Ridge director of golf and captain Doug Wert called his team’s two sweeps “awesome.” Goggans gave his team the lead by winning three straight holes on the front; Lee got them going on the back with a birdie on 10. Toland and Winfrey won both sides of their match 2 up.

“It’s a big advantage not playing the Country Club out at the Country Club,” Winfrey said. “We’re playing guys who don’t know the course either.”

The next Cup match is June 24 at Cider Ridge where the two team leaders will go head-to-head and home-course advantage shifts to the Oxford players.

“Of all the teams here you have to be happy being Cider Ridge,” Spott said. “To be two points shy of us but then playing us at their place is something that worked out well for them. But, boy, if we go there and play well at their place, you have to like where we’re headed after that.”

Jackson Johnson (R) rolls a putt from the fringe on the 16th green Saturday. Waiting their turn to putt are Anniston Country Club’s Bob Kennamer (L) and Johnson’s Cane Creek teammate Janson Wilborn.

EA SPORTS TODAY CHALLENGE CUP
Match Results

Anniston CC 9, Cane Creek 3

Jake Spott-Brian Woodfin (ACC) def. John Michael Russell-Landon Straub, 3-0.
Lance Evans-Eric Stringer (ACC) halves with Chip Howell-Tim Turner, 1.5-1.5
John Carrozza-Bob Kennamer (ACC) def. Janson Wilborn-Jackson Johnson, 2-1.
Bob Orchid-Don Whitlow (ACC) def. Bo Savage-Dennis Moyer, 2.5-0.5

Cider Ridge 7, Silver Lakes 5

Jordan Evans-Zach Contris (SL) def. Doug Wert-Nate Pearce, 2-1.
Frank Toland-Landon Winfrey (CR) def. Alan Darnall-Bobby Luttrell, 3-0.
Jake Goggans-Mark Lee (CR) def. Tyler Davis-Dillon Davis, 3-0.
Tim MacTaggart-Dr. Ted Klimasewski (SL) def. John Gasser-Ted Martin, 3-0.

Points Standings

Anniston CC — 12
Cider Ridge GC — 10
Silver Lakes — 5
Cane Creek GC — 3