Several Duos Tame Coyote Springs to Earn SNGA Tour Titles
The teams of Grant McKay-Kevin McEvoy (Championship), Dave Koch-Gordon Schiring (Senior), John Kelley-Patrick Woerner (Silver) and Dave Golder-Robert Golden (Net) won titles at the 2023 SNGA Tour’s Four-Ball Stableford tournament. The event was held Sept. 21, 2023, at Coyote Springs Golf Club.–by Bill Bowman, Las Vegas Golf Insider
The format saw teammates play their own ball. The tournament used a modified Stableford scoring system with a double eagle worth seven points, an eagle worth five points, a birdie worth three points, a par worth two points, a bogey worth one point and a double bogey or worse worth zero points.
Championship
Grant McKay and Kevin McEvoy put four birdies on the scorecard over the first nine holes and went on to post a one-point victory.
For the round, the duo had six birdies, including a birdie by each on the first two holes, and put points on the scorecard over every hole.
“We hung in there very well,” said McKay. “We got off to a really good start and kept the ball in front of us all day. We just tried to stay patient.”
Overall, McKay said the head-to-head battle with runnerups Daren Johnson and Brett Sodetz kept both teams focused.
“Daren and Brett were on a roll for awhile,” McKay said. “It was a good battle. We ended up making a birdie on 16 where we got up and down and that got us into a good position with the lead. It was kind of the turning point in the round and helped us finish strong.”
McKay added it wasn’t always the birdies that were the key.
“We had a lot of good looks but we also scrambled well,” he said. “We made a lot of putts we needed to make and those let us keep the momentum.”
It was the first time McKay and McEvoy had teamed up in an event.
“I really thought our games complemented each other,” McKay said. “Kevin drove it very well and that gave me a lot of freedom. It worked out well for us.”
Championship
McKay-McEvoy, 39 points
Johnson-Sodetz, 38
Mitchell-Lemay, 36
Senior
David Koch’s first-hole birdie was the only one the team of Koch-Gordon Schiring put on the scorecard but they added 12 pars to the equation and came away with a three-point victory.
“Birdies were tough out there with the wind,” Koch said. “We had a lot of defensive putts. I think each of us only three-putted once so that was good.”
Koch said the team play was a challenge.
“We weren’t exactly helping each other out,” he said with a laugh. “I think we only hit the same green twice so we were doing a lot of scrambling.”
But in the end, he said they both had clutch putts.
“We were definitely struggling to make pars but we knocked in a lot of putts when we really needed them,” he said.
He said the duo has played a lot of golf together, but never as teammates.
“This was a lot of fun,” Koch said. “Gordon is great to play with. He’s kicked back and plays well. It really worked out well.”
In the end, Koch said the first-hole birdie wound up being crucial.
“The wind was blowing like crazy,” he said. “I threw a wedge out there and it stopped close…about six feet away.”
Senior
Schiring-Koch, 31 points
Miller-Andrews, 28
Gankhang-Fox, 26
Silver
Patrick Woerner and John Kelley were four-under-par through the first five holes and cruised to a six-point win in the Silver Division.
Kelley birdied the first hole while Woerner had a birdie on the fourth hole and an eagle on the fifth hole to get the team off to a hot start.
“We had five birdies and an eagle…that’s pretty good,” Woerner said. “John hit it to about four feet on the first hole and rolled in the putt and then I birdied the fourth and eagled the fifth. That was a great start for us.”
Woerner said there were a couple of lulls in the play that could have cost the team.
“We were hitting it close but we kind of went to sleep in the middle of the round and didn’t make anything,” he said. “I birdied 10 and 11 and then we went to sleep again until John rolled in about a 25-footer on 17. That was a real nice birdie for us.”
It was the duo’s first time teeing it up as a team.
“We’ve played a lot in non-tournaments but this was the first time in an event like this,” Woerner said. “We were comfortable playing together.”
He said the conditions made their score that much more impressive.
“It was tough out there,” he said. “We just played solid and didn’t make many mistakes. With the great start we had, we just tried to play smart golf.”
Silver
Woerner-Kelley, 39 points
Rogers-Dopheide, 33
Merback-Walker, 32
Net
Dave Golder and Robert Golden each put a net eagle on the scorecard in winning the Net title.
For the round, the duo had the two net eagles to go along with three net birdies and two natural birdies in posting a two-point victory.
“We didn’t have any zeros (for a double bogey or worse) and in this format that’s a big thing,” Golden said.
Golden’s net eagle came on the fourth hole, the No. 1 handicap hole. “I hit an eight-iron from a fairway bunker and it ended up five or six feet from the hole. I made the putt for birdie and net eagle. Dave made a nice 15-foot putt for his net eagle on the 11th hole.”
While Golder won twice in SNGA play in 2022, it’s been awhile for Golden.
“I haven’t won since 2018 so it was nice to win again,” he said. “We’ve been great buddies for a lot of years and play a lot of golf together but this was the first time we’ve won as a team. We’ve been close…a second and a fourth…but it’s nice to get that win.”
Net
Golder-Golden, 44 points
Sisley-Appellof, 42
Pion-Park, 41
