Seniors Lead Blue To Cup Victory

October 12, 1997 - Blue won the most lopsided Concord Cup victory ever here today, amid beautiful sunny skies and intense pressure. Led by stellar senior play and a reversal of last year's alternate shot rout, Blue took the cup back from Red by winning 13 1/2 to 8 1/2.

Blue got out to an early one point lead in the first-ever 18 hole team matches, and then extended its lead by dominating the alternate shot portion 4-1. And on Sunday, Red gave Blue a brief scare on the back nine, but Blue hung on. Blue won 7 of 11 matches on Sunday to complete it sweep of all three portions of the event.

Blue was led by its seniors. Rookie Bill Lamarra starred, winning all three matches without ever playing past the fourteenth hole. It was the best Concord Cup performance in the event's four-year history. Denny Hackett Sr. was not far behind, winning all three of his matches, two in routs. Blue's seniors outpointed Red's 6 to 1, accounting for all the difference between the two teams.

And there are other ways to account for the Blue win. Brett Smith and Charlie Shoop were both impressive for Blue, while Mike Lamarra and Steven Shoop accounted for a total of a half-point between them. And as it did in winning its first cup, Blue overcame an 0-3 performance by Ron George.

Despite Blue's lead, pressure and intensity were abundant. Rookie Ed Smith said it was the most nervous he'd ever felt on the golf course (but won two matches, and lost the other on 18 to rookie David Best). Mike Lamarra couldn't seem to get his ball halfway to the whole on a chip, then a putt at 17 in his opening match. He admitted afterward that he was just too nervous, playing in front of 20 fellow competitors. Ron George (the younger one) choked in all three of his matches, which all reached 18. The worst result of the pressure was that play slowed to an all-time low.

Preparation levels reached all-time highs. Jeff Hackett spent four hours on meetings about pairings on Saturday night, as well as most of the week before the match. "Art" Bres kept detailed notes about each hole, and updated and referred to them often (his notes about holes thirteen through eighteen served him no purpose on Sunday).

The buzz started early Saturday around the hills of Concord. Bob Ligon came out on fire in revenge of his previous year's 0-3 showing. He came out matched with rookie Lou Boudreau against Frank George and Steve Shoop, getting an early chance for revenge against George. He birdied the first hole and never looked back. This match ended at the 10th hole, the most lopsided victory in the history of the Cup.

Several players were shut out of victory, including rookie Ron George Sr., who ran into Blue's senior juggernaut. Both Steve and AC Shoop also stumbled to 0-3 records. Mike Lamarra also left without a victory.

Meanwhile, Jamie Grace extended his undefeated record in singles matches with a victory over Brad Juday. Jon DeAngelis, former owner of a strong record, has begun a Cup slump, losing three of his last four matches. And rookie Dave Marcenkowski won his first ever match against Mark Smith, who hasn't won a singles match since his memorable victory to clinch the 1994 cup.