Jul. 15—The defending champions had their backs against the wall heading into Tuesday’s final round of a tightly contested 58th annual Tribune Cup women’s golf tournament at Clarkston’s Red Wolf Golf Club.
Nevertheless, the six representatives of Lewiston Golf and Country Club remained undaunted.
“We had them where we wanted them: overconfident,” LGCC team captain Marcy Spilker said of her rivals from Clarkston’s Quail Ridge Golf Course.
Trailing by three points through the first two installments of the three-part match-play event, the LGCC team overcame both mildly adverse weather and the slight starting deficit as it surged to a cumulative total of 63 points. Quail Ridge finished with 58 points, while Red Wolf was third at 41.
Red Wolf captain Helen Henry handled hosting duties and made the final results announcement over a champagne toast during a genial post-tournament luncheon in the clubhouse.
“It doesn’t matter what team you’re from — we’re all best of friends,” Henry said. “That’s what matters: we have fun.”
Still in it
Teeing off in the morning, participants navigated the course in groups of three featuring one representative of each team. Under the match-play format of the Tribune Cup, players earned points by outperforming their opponents on a majority of holes, rather than necessarily completing the overall course in fewer strokes.
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“I love match play,” LGCC’s Kim Eimers said. “You can have a bad hole and still be in it.”
Light rain in the morning and persistent winds created difficulties and sometimes carried balls astray, but many felt the weather was overall more pleasant to play in than the pounding sun and intense heat under blue skies which often characterizes the Tribune Cup.
LGCC players competed in pink checkered polo shirts, while Quail Ridge sported white-and-green dotted tops. Red Wolf followed no specific uniform or dress code, choosing instead to be “rebellious,” as some attendees put it.
Quail Ridge and Lewiston Golf and Country Club had each taken a turn to host one round of the Tribune Cup over the last two months, accruing scores of 44 and 41 respectively while Red Wolf sat at 23. On Tuesday, LGCC put up 22 points in its push to the overall victory, Red Wolf scored 18 and Clarkston added 14.
Propel-ing to victory
Spilker supplied each of her teammates with a bottle of Propel sports drink for electrolytes, which they credited for their winning stamina. Eimers led the champions on the course with a perfect score of six points, attributing her success to strong long game play.
“I hit the ball well,” said Eimers, a veteran who has played the Tribune Cup for decades since starting out as a member of then-participant Grangeville Golf and Country Club. “I didn’t putt really well, but I hit the ball well. It put me in position to be able to be up there and miss a few putts and still be okay.”
Spilker put up another 4 1/2 points. Lewis-Clark State women’s golf alum Carlee Rhodes — who could sometimes be seen wearing a red LC windbreaker to “represent,” as she put it — contributed four points, as did Tammy Baldus.
Julie Fisher, a former Lewiston girls basketball coach and the mother of Lewis-Clark State men’s hoops signee Royce Fisher, was the rookie on LGCC’s team this year.
“Go in, you dirty dog,” Fisher exclaimed early on as a putt lost momentum on a slight uphill ridge, ultimately curving to the left of Hole 8.
In spite of any frustrations, she would prove that her competitive drive extends across sports, adding another 3 1/2 points on the day.
For Quail Ridge, Colleen Schilling had a perfect six of her own — calling it her “claim to fame” — while Wendy Rimmelspacher scored five. Kim Thiel, Shanna Caba and Sheila Wooley led Red Wolf with 4 1/2 points apiece.
All players queried on the matter expressed their intent to return and add further chapters to the friendly rivalry.
“Next year’s threepeat,” Spilker declared.
Tuesday’s scores — Lewiston Golf and Country Club 22; Red Wolf 18; Quail Ridge 14.
Cumulative scores — Lewiston Golf and Country Club 63; Quail Ridge 58; Red Wolf 41.
Wendt may be contacted at (208) 848-2268, or cwendt@lmtribune.com.
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