This year's Lucky 13 was a memorable one. It started on Friday with a wet, cold, and windy doubles competition. As mentioned in a previous post there were 11 teams (6 pro and 5 am) that braved the nasty conditions. Jef Salkil & Billy Pendegrass took 1st in Am and the father son duos made up of the Presnell's and the Anderson's tied for 1st in Pro. Great job again, and you are all troopers for playing in that weather.

Saturday morning when I woke up and stepped outside it was colder than all the ice bowls this year. I'm pretty sure I whimpered a little about having to head out. All the precipitation was gone from Friday, but what was lacked in rain was more than made up for in wind. Half way through the 1st round I asked about how fast the winds were blowing. When it was looked up on the smart phone, apparently the people who take care of this were in another part of the country as they claimed the winds were 16 mph (I call bull crap)!

The wind is always a "thing" in Republic, but this wind was brutal. Never did it let up. Either it blew hard or harder. It shifted in directions from hole to hole causing mental melt down by many (me included). Seeing even a top player like Devan Owens struggle and verbally say that the course and conditions were tough and hearing him say, "I have no idea what to do here" multiple times was a bit of relief realizing it wasn't just me.

The pro division was a very tight race from beginning to end. Only two strokes separated 1st and 8th after the 1st round. The "hot" round was shared by Andrew Presnell and Drew Frost in The Intermediate Division (crazy good Drew). There was a bit of a surprise as Devan was 3 strokes back and last on the second card. In the second round Devan made some great birdies and minimized some of the mistakes he made in the first round. Having a 15' foot head win putt after a booming drive on 18 was a highlight, but his putt that face masked was less than desirable. That putt would have been the difference had Andrew's disc not found the concrete drainage ditch that was OB. Andrew's poor luck does not take away from his stellar and consistent play. Great job to Devan and Andrew for their 1st and 2nd place finishes! Congrats guys!

Tara Why was the only pro woman player. I'll try harder to get some more pro women for you to battle girl. Thanks for playing and enjoy your winnings!

The advanced Division was taken down by the young gun from Camdenton, River Flagg. He was down by a stroke to Joplin's Andrew Jinks and up by one over Jonathan Cook after the first round. Toby Rector made a come back and Alonzo's pair of consistent 55's were enough to get into the top 3. River shot a 53 allowing him a comfortable 5 stroke win (his score matched that of the 5th place pros). Very impressive River! Congratulations to River in the win and both Toby and Alonzo on your comebacks.

The Advanced women's division featured Sandy Leech, Christine West, and Mariah Flagg. The day was owned by Sandy as she took a three stroke lead over Christine and then picked up two more in the second round giving her a 5 stroke victory. Thank you girls for playing, and I hope we can continue to get more ladies playing! Congratulations Sandy!!

Advanced Masters was a good match up especially in the top two spots. JD went in with a one stroke lead over "The Preacher" Nick DeRosa. Nick's consistent play (what he has become known for) proved to be enough to claim the title with a pair of 59's. Great job Preacher!

The Intermediate field was dominated by Drew "the Dominator" Frost! As mentioned earlier, he tied the hot round with a 49! Great stuff kid!! The real battle in this division was between the one and only Bud Man (Brad Hilton) and the Westside Bomber (Blaise Horseman). Despite a 2 stroke lead by Brad, Blaise battled back only to give it up in the last 4 holes. Good battle boys, and a big shout out and Congratulations for Drew's dominating play!

The Intermediate Women's division was also a battle between Staci Healey and Michelle Goldsberry. Staci took the lead in the first round by two and added one more to her lead in the second round. If I know Michelle, this will make her want to play in the next one. Great job Staci!!

I did not hear a lot about the Recreational division, but judging by the scores, Sam Rowland won in a convincing manner. Both his rounds were the best in the field as he cruised to a four stroke win over Jeff S. Rounding out the top four were Zach Pirwitz in third and Ray Renner in 4th. Congratulations to all of you!

Our only Junior was Blake Pendegrass. He played all 36 holes and played with the big boys. He also happened to be the big winner in the EDGE raffle as he took home the Innova Discatcher Sport basket. This kid was all smiles when Chris Thompson's beautiful daughter drew his number. The basket couldn't have went to a better person! Congratulations Blake and thanks for playing despite a lack of competition. You will be competing in Rec in no time.

Before I conclude I want to thank everyone who has been a part of this Lucky 13 event! Jared Keeling (The head of the Parks and Rec) for installing the course and continued support of this tournament. The countless sponsors that continue through the years we couldn't do it with out you. Above all the players who despite some nasty weather continue to fill up this event! You guys Roc, Buzz, Bard, or whatever you throw!!

Last, $600 was raised in out first EDGE supported event! That is a huge kick off for the year! Thanks for supporting the future of our sport!!

See you soon!