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Eagles ignite two days of great golf
GENE O. MORRIS
McCook Gazette
HERITAGE HILLS -- Heritage Hills Board of Director president Nick Nothnagel set an example for all who play the Heritage Hills Golf Course, recording two eagles on opening day to lead his team to the First Flight championship in the 2016 Member-Guest Tournament at McCook's acclaimed 25-year-old links style course.
Nothnagel, a 2003 graduate of McCook High School, teamed with Jeremy Walter, a 2001 MHS graduate, to record a two-day total of seven points to win by a wide margin over the second place team, Joe Townsley and Eric Stewart, who compiled a two-day total of minus-8; and the third place team of Taylor Quigley and Jarod Albers, who had a two-day total of minus-9 points.
The two-person tournament, contested Saturday and Sunday at Heritage Hills, used a modified Stableford scoring system, with eight points awarded for each eagle, four points for each birdie, two points for each par; one point for each bogey; and zero points for double bogey and worse scores.
The team of Jim Frease and David Guthrie, both 1987 graduates of Republican Valley High School, captured the second flight title for the second straight year, combining for a two-day total of plus one point.
With strong play the second day, Frease and Guthrie netted one point each as the R.V. pair edged Bill Graves of McCook and Tyler Long of Chadron, who finished the two-day tournament even in points in the second flight.
The third place finisher in the second flight was the team of Mark Fletcher from McCook and Santosh Varma, from Destin, Florida, with a two-day total of minus 2 points.
Santosh was one of two golfers attracted to play in McCook because of their friendship with Ed and Susie Townsley, who met Santosh and Mark Heroian, Ed Townsley's teammate, while working in the oil business in Nigeria.
The Heroians now live in Oklahoma and the Townsleys have retired to a home at Heritage Hills.
The 15 teams of two -- 30 golfers in total -- played both days in cool and ocacsional rain.
In a shootout following the first day of play Saturday afternoon, the team of Nothnagel-Walter captured the first flight championship and the team of Graves-Long won the second flight title. The second place teams in the shootout were Quigley and Albers in the first flight and Neil Gohl and Scott Spohn in the Second Flight.
The PGA professional at Heritage Hills, Bobby Gaulke, served as tournament director and Kirk Kilpatrick, a former Heritage Hills board member, was the tournament chairman.
The tournament also attracted golfers from Omaha, Lincoln and other cities in Nebraska, Iowa and Oklahoma.
The next event on the Heritage Hills tournament schedule is the Coppermill-Loop Scramble, scheduled to take place Saturday, August 27.
More results from Member-Guest:
First Flight
1. Nothnagel-Walter, +7
2. J. Townsley-Stewart -8
3. Quigley-Albers, -9
4. Smith-Homann, -12
5. Kilpatrick-McKillip, -14
6 (tie) Morell-Wallen-T. Graves-Strombeck, -23
6. (tie) Townsley-Heroian, -23
Second flight
1. Frease-Guthrie, +1
2.B. Graves-Long, Even
3. Fletcher-Santosh, -2
4. Rambali-Long, -4
5. Gohl-Spohn, -6
6. Bunger-Newcomb, -8
7. Gull-Hoxsey, -9
8. Hazlitt-Hazlitt, -32.