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2004 Draft • 2004 Match Results • View 2004 Slideshow
Hunt History
2004 - Coupin vs. Robinson
ARTICLES
Team Coupin Triumphs in Classic Hunt Shootout
The schoolboy rivalry that began on the playgrounds of Oakland, CA in 1969 continued at Landmark Golf Club in the Coachella Valley during the 7th Annual Desert Hunt Invitational. In one of the most closely contested matches in the history of the tournament, Team Coupin prevailed over Team Robinson by a single point. The tournament was held in mild but very windy conditions from May 19th to May 22nd. Captain Coupin, who finished 1-3-0 overall, did a masterful job of pairing his team members and anticipating the pairings of Team Robinson. "Paul recognized that Eric was the best fit for my game and he kept us paired for three consecutive rounds. There is no question that this strategy assisted in my success this year," said Steve Woodhead. The pairing of Rudney and Woodhead proved to be deadly. Rudney went 4-0-0 and Woodhead finished 3-1-0.
The first day Two Ball matches resulted in Team Coupin taking a 3 to 2 lead. Victories for Team Coupin included Breedlove/Smith over Mullen/Robinson (4&2), Dunphy/Griggs over Connors/Slovensky (3&2) and Del Fante/Rudney over Ireland/Macy (1up). The Del Fante/Rudney vs. Ireland/Macy match set the tone for what would result in several very close matches throughout the tournament. "Matt and I knew going in that we would have to play our best to beat Eric and Bruce. They are such a strong team; we knew we could not afford to make any mistakes. Unfortunately, a few missed putts ultimately cost us a chance at victory" said Jim Ireland. Levey/Moudry defeated Coupin/Woodhead (2&1) and Butner/Hoff defeated Bigelow/Larson (3&2) for Team Robinson.
Team Robinson, led by Captain Robinson (2-2-0), made a charge in the afternoon during the first of two consecutive Four Ball matches, winning 3 of the 5 competitions to pull even with Team Coupin. The team of Ireland/Connors held off Bigelow/Smith for a 1up victory, followed by Levey/Slovensky over Breedlove/Dunphy (2&1) and Robinson/Hoff over Del Fante/Larson (1up). Three of the matches were determined on the last hole. "Team Robinson was determined to make up the lost ground from the morning matches" explained Ces Butner. "We knew we had to step it up since no team has ever come back from a first day deficit to win the Hunt." Victories for Team Coupin came from Coupin/Griggs over Moudry/Mullen (5&4) and Rudney/Woodhead over Butner/Macy (1up).
The third round started off strong for Team Robinson as Hoff/Moudry easily defeated Bigelow/Coupin (4&3). "I was thrilled to finally have an opportunity to play with Tom," noted Chris Hoff. "He is such a solid player that he can often carry a match. I knew if I contributed just a little we stood a good chance of winning."
Team Coupin came back strong with the formidable team of Rudney/Woodhead defeating Butner/Robinson (3&2). In what many thought would be the match of the day, Del Fante/Griggs went to battle with Ireland/Levey. The two teams matched shots all day long. The match was even going into the 18th hole. Reg put an approach shot into the water and was out of the hole. Bruce played it safe and recorded a bogey net par. Bill missed a long downhill for the win and a short putt for the push. This left Jim to make his putt (which was longer than Bill's) to halve the hole and the match. Jim came through in the clutch. Slovensky/Macy played great to record a win against a determined Breedlove/Larson team (2&1) and Dunphy/Smith easily won against Connors/Mullen (5&4). "I like our chances going into tomorrow," said Reg Griggs. "The guys are playing great. If we get some favorable pairings we'll be tough to beat."
The pressure and excitement entering the final round of competition was intense. This year marked the first time that an overall match was tied going into the final day. And there were some very interesting match ups. Team Coupin was excited when they learned that their Number 1 draft pick, Eric Rudney, would be paired against Team Robinson's Number 1 draft pick, Tom Moudry. As it turns out, this pairing worked out well for Team Coupin as Moudry couldn't overcome Rudney's steady play and lost (4&2). Long time friends and former roommates Woodhead and Macy faced off with Woodhead prevailing (3&2). Captain Robinson survived a lackluster performance by both players and defeated fellow Captain Coupin (2&1). Ces Butner gained his first Singles victory and bragging right at Sequoyah CC with his victory over Spencer Larson (4&3). After the match Ces was heard referring to Spencer as SIMBA (Spence Is My Bitch-A). Griggs and Ireland had a classic "A" player duel that came down to the final hole, and a bit of good fortune for one player, and ended with an All Square result. Consistent with the closeness of the overall match, the next four matches were split evenly with Team Coupin victorious in two matches Del Fante vs. Connors (6&4) and Breedlove vs. Slovensky (3&2), and Team Robinson earning two points with Mullen's defeat of Bigelow (2&1) and Levey's tough win over Dunphy (3&2).
With the outcome of the team match still in doubt, only the Hoff vs. Smith match remained on the course. Both players had performed wonderfully all day (and throughout the tournament) as the match approached the last three holes. Chris found himself 2 down with 3 to play but was receiving stokes on the tough Skins South 10th hole and the 11th hole. A slightly pulled tee shot by Chris and a clutch chip shot by Derek led to a half. Knowing he had to win the 11th to keep the match alive, Chris stepped up to match Derek's tee shot and win the hole on a great chip shot and one putt. All eyes were on this pair as they approached the final hole, the difficult Par 3 13th. By virtue of his victory on the last hole, Chris had honors at the tee box. He knew he had to win the hole to tie his match and the overall match. Chris would admit after the match, "I would have rather gone second so I would know what I needed to get done." Chris put his tee shot in the left green side bunker. Derek followed with one of the most clutch shots in Desert Hunt history - a perfect high draw that landed 12 feet from the pin. There were no miracles on this day for Team Robinson as Chris' bunker shot found another bunker. Team Coupin had earned its victory. "Chris gave me a great match and I really had to battle him to gain the win", said Derek. "I can't describe the feeling of excitement and joy knowing that my Singles Match victory ultimately made the difference in the Tournament."
In addition to the aforementioned Rudney and Woodhead, there were many players on Team Coupin who enjoyed successful tournaments, including Smith (3-1-0), Griggs (2-0-2), Del Fante (2-1-1), Breedlove (2-2-0) and Dunphy (2-2-0).
Team Robinson had its share of player success as Levey (3-0-1) and Hoff (3-1-0) played well in every match. Butner (2-2-0), Ireland (1-1-2), Moudry (2-2-0), Robinson (2-2-0) and Slovensky (2-2-0) also played well.
In recognition of their outstanding play and overall contributions to their team's success, Reg Griggs and Ces Butner were selected to serve as Team Captains for 2005.
Congratulations to the Team Coupin, the 2004 Desert Hunt Invitational champions, and Team Robinson for a well played, hard fought battle that gave us the most exciting and closely contested Desert Hunt to date.
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