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By Russ Christ, special for GolfArizona.com  Prescott, Ariz. (October 9, 1999) —When asked to explain the dominance of the club pros, who, with a 53-19 thrashing of their amateur counterparts, won for the 15th straight time in the Goldwater Cup matches, this time at Hassayampa Golf Club in Prescott, 89-year-old Bob Goldwater Sr. summed it up best."Years ago when we first started (1961) there were not many golf clubs in Phoenix-- there were not as many professionals and the amateurs won often. But today, with so many professionals in the state, they do have an advantage. A professional is supposed to be a better golfer." Goldwater, the father of the Phoenix Open and a three-time Arizona Amateur champion, is one of the most venerable names in Arizona golf. The friendships and relationships that evolve from the competition are more important than the score for the competitors, said Goldwater, who reminisced about playing off of "cottonseed" greens when Hassayampa was a nine-hole course in the 1920s and 30s. With the win the clubs pros upped their overall lead in the series to 26-13. Kathy Wilkes, the executive director of the Southwest Section PGA, who predicted the professionals would play well in singles play on Saturday, was right on the mark: the pros won 29.5 of the 36 total points. Bob Romero from Gainey Ranch Golf Club, a playing captain both days, made five birdies and an eagle in his match against Tucson’s Jeff Peterson. His match was typical, but Romero was quick to dismiss the score, instead choosing to say how much all the players enjoyed representing their team. "Both teams are honored to be here and each team has pride and is trying to win, but just making the team is what means most to the players," said Romero, before accepting the championship trophy. In a down-to-the-wire finish, the Senior amateur team nearly knocked off the clubs pros, losing 27.5 to 26.5. Ed Smith, who just competed in the USGA Senior Amateur, and Joe Huber, the top finisher among 55 PGA pros this summer in the PGA Seniors Championship, represented the 12th and final match. Smith needed to win all three points to give the amateurs back-to-back wins in the tournament, but Huber earned a half point by winning the 18th hole, lagging a four-foot putt for bogey. Bill Brafford, who birdied five holes, and Herb Weber earned three points apiece to lead the amateurs. "This is an outstanding event and we all really enjoyed representing our team and coming up here to play," said Brafford. The senior club pros now lead the series 15-8-2 overall. Although his team was tied with the club pros at nine after the first matches on Friday morning and had heightened expectations about a possible upset, Robert (Doc) Graves, an honorary captain for the AGA, said the tournament is great for golf. "This event promotes good sportsmanship between both organizations and ties us closer together. That’s very important for golf in Arizona." Related links: |
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