Gray Beats Blue in Cup
August 26, 2009
WEATHERFORD, Okla. -- The Second Annual Blue-Gray Cup was played Saturday at Prairie West Golf Course in Weatherford under perfect weather conditions. The Blue-Gray Cup is a fundraising golf match which a team of former SWOSU golfers competing against the current SWOSU golf team in a Ryder Cup match play format.
The event featured grads from the 1980's, 1990's and 2000 on the Gray team, while the SWOSU golf team has three seniors and seven underclassmen. SWOSU player Brad Leeper was unable to compete as he has qualified for the U.S. Amateur and was preparing for it.
The first match featured alums Aaron Kauk and Greg Jones against Justin Andes and Rob Bennett. This match was halved as only two holes were halved all day. The Blue jumped out to a 4-up lead, but the Gray won the next seven holes to go 3-up. The Blue was not out yet through, as they came back and squared the match by making birdie on 18.
The next match was an up-and-down match as alums Duane Foust and Shawn Scott played against Kahle Young and Jordan Hudson. This match bounced both ways as the Gray chipped in on hole 13 then built a 2-up lead after being down to finally win the match 2 and 1.
In the third match alums Matt Jett and Bret Matlock went up against Greg Simmons and Brad Dickson. The Gray birdied hole 2 and never lost the lead as they won three consecutive holes to build on their lead. They eventually closed out the match victorious at 5 & 3.
The fourth match was the feature match as alums Jim Petree, Jr. and Rod Moody took on Mike Elafros and Dakota Brown. The Blue team built a lead, but the Gray simply would not go away as Moody birdied hole 15 to keep the match alive. Then, Elafros chipped in on 16 only to see Petree sink a 20 foot birdie putt a few moments later, again to keep the match alive. On hole 17, and 2-up, Elafros chipped in again to close out the match 3 & 1 for the Blue team. At this point the score of the Cup is Gray 2 ½ and Blue 1 ½.
The final match of the day was a singles match with Shannon Friday taking on Ben Claussen. Again, an up-and-down match as Friday took a 1-up lead on hole 17, essentially clinching the Cup for the Gray. Claussen did not bow down as he birdied 18 to halve the match and make the Cup close at a final score of 3-2, in favor of the Gray.
"The event was a tremendous success," SWOSU Coach Mark Lumpkin said. "Our alums our vital to the growth of the golf program here at SWOSU. They offer a number of experiences and have a wide range of contacts that allow us to recruit from a vast, large area. I know the players really enjoyed the experience. It allowed us to build an even stronger relationship with our best supporters."
"The old guys, we still love to compete and truly had a great time getting to know these kids and playing the match. Of course we enjoy winning, but the real point is we're here to help this program grow and become more competitive at this level. I think the kids recognize that and appreciate our support. They are a good group of young men and have enormous potential," said Matt Jett, captain of the Gray team.