2014 Phi Alpha Cup Tournament Summary

Monday, May 5th, 2014

“Andys and the Miracles” celebrate after their 2014 Phi Alpha Cup Championship (L to R: Steve Burr, Andy Parker, Todd Balsley, Andy Sands)

TEAM 97 TAKES FIRST LEAD ON FINAL HOLE TO WIN 2014 10TH ANNIVERSARY PHI ALPHA CUP – SHOCKS SPORTING WORLD WITH ASTONISHING COMEBACK VICTORY

May 5, 2014
Draped in ceremony and nostalgia, the 2014 10th Anniversary Phi Alpha Cup also turned out to be the event’s most exciting – and unimaginable – in history. On the hallowed grounds of Castle Bay, the Wilmington, NC, golf course owned by the restaurant chain Medieval Times, Team 97, in improbable fashion, stole the 2014 title from Team 98 in what will forever be known as “The Battle at The Castle.”

Team 98 never trailed during the first 98 holes of the 2014 Cup, only to watch Team 97 take their first lead of the weekend on the 99th and final hole of the tournament – and with it, the 2014 Phi Alpha Cup. Team 98 had a chance to close out the Cup on the penultimate hole of Saturday’s final Captain’s Choice Round, but Dave Johnson’s putt inexplicably lipped out, giving Team 97 new life heading into the final hole.

Team 97 took advantage of their opening, piping their drive to 80 yards and hitting their approach within 15 feet to set up a birdie try to potentially win the event. In dramatic fashion, Team 97 Captain Andy Sands capitalized by calmly knocking in the unlikely right-to-left birdie attempt, giving the 97’s their first lead of the tournament and setting off a wild celebration on the green while Team 98 watched from the fairway.

Team 98 still had a chance to win the Cup with a birdie of their own, and Stirling Bomar gave Team 98 a nice uphill putt to do just that with his approach. Shocked and bewildered as they approached the green – and playing from behind for the first time all weekend – Team 98 analyzed the birdie look from all angles, surrounded by an atmosphere so thick with tension you could cut it with a knife.

Jeff Eaton was the first to putt, putting an almost perfect stroke on the ball, but grazing the side of the cup – and coming within a centimeter of giving Team 98 the title. Brian Wilsey and Stirling Bomar also hit great putts, each effort just missing the hole. 98’s final hope rested with Captain Dave Johnson, who just a few holes earlier, had sunk an improbable putt from off the green and over a ridge to give Team 98, at least at the time, what seemed to be enough breathing room to secure the 2014 title. Standing over the ball in dead silence and with both teams and the gallery holding their collective breaths, Johnson hit his putt with his customary deft touch. Looking on line all the way to the hole, Johnson’s putt came to rest on the edge of the cup, setting off a mix of gasps and cheers as the incredible outcome became final.

The breathtaking win by 97 was truly stunning, given that Team 98 had dominated play the entire weekend until the final few holes of the championship. The 98’s opened the Cup by jumping out to a huge 5-1 lead in Friday morning’s matches at Landfall, highlighted by Stirling Bomar’s Singles win over Team 97’s Andrew Parker. It was Bomar’s second consecutive Singles win after setting the Phi Alpha Cup record for most consecutive Singles losses (9) and most Singles matches played without a win (9).

Team 97 mounted a comeback in Friday’s afternoon matches, but fell short of the 4-0 sweep they needed to halve the overall Day 1 matches. As a result, Team 98 took the all-important Day 1 Tiebreak into Saturday’s Captain’s Choice Round which gave the 98’s the chance to take home the Cup with a halve in Saturday’s Captain’s Choice Round – a halve they just could not obtain.

It was the second straight Phi Alpha Cup title for Team 97, following two straight wins for Team 98. Team 97 Captain Andy Sands took home the Jeffrey J. Eaton MVP Award, becoming the first 3-time winner of that award in Phi Alpha Cup history. Despite the loss, Team 98 swept the other awards with Stirling Bomar winning the Jeffrey B. Cohen Sportsmanship Award and Brian Wilsey taking Winston Black Rookie of the Year honors – the first Rookie of the Year award of Wilsey’s Phi Alpha Cup career.

Reactions from team members were predictably disparate after the matches.

“This is the type of win you dream about as a kid – watching one of your teammates hit a long putt on the final hole to win the Phi Alpha Cup,” said Team 97 member Steve Burr, clad in his double-logo home course gear and having completed one of the most astounding recoveries from the flu in modern medical history after arriving in North Carolina for the Cup. “We hit the big shots it takes to win championships. Period. End of story.”

Burr continued, “Actually, put that period after the part where I said ‘end of story’. I guess I should have said ‘end of story, then period.’ Or how about, ‘We won, they lost. Period.’ Write that.”

Team 98’s Jeff Eaton, understandably incredulous after the loss, was still searching for answers. “It’s not mandatory that the MVP goes to the winning team, so I’m not ready to count this as a loss. I’ve done about all I can do this year.” As the namesake of the Jeffrey J. Eaton MVP Award, Eaton went on to say, “This could be the year I present the trophy to myself. Now we just wait and see.”

Wait, we will. Until 2015.