Bill Ellington first repeat champion at Michigan’s McNabb Cup

Sept. 10, 2019 – Whitehall, Mich.
By MacDuff

It was the 9th playing of The McNabb Cup. There was concern.

From the outset, the August & Ancient Committee of The McNabb Cup were disturbed by reports, unfounded as it turned out, planted by “bad actors” from the Baltic states through social media and other outlets, that contenders for the ninth playing of The Cup were fierce imbibers of Albanian Konjack who enjoyed “bog bathing” during rounds of golf.

One member of The Committee, it is reported, actually rose from the comfortable confines of his great leather chair in the reading room to approach another who viewed this behavior with justifiable alarm. The two conferred, briefly; the first then returned to his seat, resumed his perusal of The Times and the matter was referred to the Secretary who assured The Committee that all would be set right.

Indeed, the letters of invitation were sent on schedule and the Secretary’s briefing with the media put an end to the scurrilous reports of all Konjack and bog nonsense.

The questions quickly turned to whether Messers. John Cova and Scott Staudacher would announce for The Cup?

They had.

Would the great contenders from the WHO (Wyandotte Hickory Organization) again mount a charge for The Cup?

They would.

And would this new challenger, the one-armed wonder from Washington, Mich., Mr. Xander Dobreff, prove a worthy contestant?

He would.

The media went away to write their reports for the great magazines and newspapers, and a growing number for their online journals and sports blogs. The next days and weeks would see a growing number of articles speculating as to this player’s health, that player’s new swing, or the increasing interest in Dobreff’s method of coming through the ball with only his right hand and arm working the club. 

The Secretary could only shake his head.

The quest for the 2019 Cup began on Friday, Sept. 6 with a round at Muskegon Country Club, a beautiful and well-maintained Donald Ross design. The Club and its members are keen to host the annual hickory event and are each year showing a greater interest. Head professional Stephany Pawloski and her assistant, Evan DeGelder, when time permits, come out to play several holes. Mr. DeGelder, a left-hander, set out with borrowed clubs that had him flummoxed during the early going. Despite crisp iron shots, the driver and the timing necessary to master the mysteries of the hickory shaft eluded him. The resultant slices did not deter his determination to figure it out and by the time he had to leave the field, he was striping them.

This year, the field was increased by MCC member Bob Pyka, a tall and engaging man, who turned out in snappy plus-fours, a handsome vest and tie and wondered, loudly, where his fellow members were and why they were not taking advantage of the opportunity to experience the game as it was during the days of the course’s creation by Mr. Ross.

Mr. Pyka and some 21 other hickory players enjoyed a wonderful round played under a heavy Michigan sky that occasionally threatened, but did not fulfill any promise of rain. The three-person team of Messrs. Todd Riker, Bob Bieszka, and Frank Abrahams bested all others in the shamble format employed this day. During the dinner following golf, the three were awarded new copies of The Golf, the pre-eminent publication on golf history, produced by the Golfer Heritage Society, and bi-annually in conjunction with the Society of Hickory Golfers.

That dinner, by the way, was held overlooking Muskegon Lake in the golf club’s restaurant, the Se4sons Gastropub. The perch was acclaimed as the best meal of the night.

As is the custom at The McNabb Cup, the previous year’s Champion is awarded a choice accommodation in the McNabb Cottage itself, which overlooks Lake Michigan from atop a wooded bluff. This year, it was the temporary home for Mr. Gary Trapani. A few others are lodged there and in Mr. Rollo Schmidt’s cottage, next door. Mr. Schmidt has taken up hickory golf over the past few years and is pleased to offer this kindness. Several other participants find lodging just nearby on the White Lake Channel that connects that lake with Lake Michigan. It is a congenial and convenient tradition that helps to mark The Cup, along with the special ambiance that is golf and good company along the grand eastern shores of Lake Michigan.

The air was still under a cloudy Saturday. Not a whisper of wind moved the leaves as the 24 players arrived at the White Lake Golf Club. Spectators, too, had come to see whether the legends of The Cup were true. After the nervous Secretary handed out the scorecards, the players gathered near the practice green and the old White Lake Golf Club clubhouse where they were welcomed and heard the rules of play from Secretary Davis. 

Unfortunately, we must report, two or three players attempted to enter the field without dress ties. They were publicly called out by the Secretary who reminded them they play for the honor of The Cup, in respect of Ms. McNabb, of their fellow competitors, and of the great game itself. Humbled, and with promises of sartorial reform, the offenders retreated to the rear of the group photo.

The players listened to the words of outgoing Capt. Tim Stroshine, witnessed the ceremonial passing of the Captain’s Medal, and the passionate inaugural speech of incoming Capt. Lloyd Slinglend.

 

Touching on tradition and caution, Capt. Slinglend invoked the spirit of the first McNabb Cup Captain, Old Joe; then Ms. Isabelle McNabb, she for whom The Cup is named; and finally bade the players respect the traditions of the game and pay heed to the wisdom that the ball is just a small thing after all. Then he urged everyone to play “Far and True.”

Click here for a video of Captains Stroshine and Slinglend and their speeches.

Capt. Slinglend, with the grace and dignity that only he can summon, then drove off the 2019 playing of The A&A McNabb Cup.

We mentioned spectators. The 2019 Cup was visited by a gallery from Dimondale, Mich., near Lansing. Mr. and Mrs. Michael Baldwin were among those who joined the growing throng that always gathers when The McNabb Cup is played. The Baldwins had chosen to follow the threesome of Messrs. John Cova, Tim Stroshine (2014 Champion), and Bill Ellington (2016 Champion). They were amply rewarded for their astute selection.

“We witnessed many long straight drives, excellent chip shots on to the greens, amazing shots out of the rough and a lot of barely missed long putts as well as Tim’s 15+ footer,” said Mr. Baldwin to a reporter. 

So memorable, so striking is the play of McNabb Cup competitors, that Mr. Baldwin was moved to remark to one of the cadre of on-course reporters: “I’m even more motivated now to continue to hone the basic skills required to consider myself a golfer.”

Speaking for Mrs. Baldwin, who, perhaps, was too overcome to respond, he added “Christy enjoyed the competitive play and the period correct clothing as well. One of the first things she mentioned was how many folks greeted us and even thanked us for being in the gallery.”

Indeed, a gallery at The McNabb Cup is a thing for which deep gratitude is hardly sufficient.

It was a tough match under Stableford scoring (one point for bogey, two for par, three for birdie, and four for eagle) on the 1916 Tom Bendelow design. The long first, the demanding tough second with its mysterious green, and the curious unfairness of the 14th brought low many hopes this day. Mr. Larry Pinchback, who has campaigned many years for the glory that only a McNabb victory can bring, once again saw his hopes dashed, having been one of numerous victims claimed by both the first and 14th holes. Still, a truer competitor one cannot find.

More than half the field brought home scores in the 30s, with several near 40. Good solid scores, all. Mr. Dobreff, who plays with one arm, his left having been injured in a car collision, was one who carded a 37. (It must be mentioned that Mr. Dobreff’s handicap before the tournament was listed as 9. In fact, as he pled before The Committee’s Secretary, it should have been 17. This was verified by the SoHG and the A&A Committee approved the change.) 

Only three players would break the 40 barrier. Mr. Scott Staudacher was the first, with a 40. This might have been his year had it not been for an untimely bogey at the difficult second and surprising bogies on both of the easy par threes on the back nine. Mr. Bill Tucholski’s card was held to 41, undone by a bogey on the narrow 4th, a par 4 with a much discussed tree only 20 yards or so from the right side of green that blocks all but those who manage to skirt large trees on the far left; and by a bogey on the straightforward 18th. This particular blemish left those in the media tent shaking their heads with some money changing hands.

So it was that Mr. Bill Ellington, the 2016 victor, became the first repeat Champion in the long history of The McNabb Cup. The only two bogies on his card were offset by a net eagle on the 11th (a hole much in need of improvement as a lovely pond fronting the green has been diminished by an unsightly growth of reeds), and a steady string of birdies. He finished with 46 points.

(In response to media inquires, The Committee promised a measured look into Mr. Ellington’s “reported” handicap. “We expect to find no evidence of tampering,” said Secretary Davis. And none were, we can report. Aspersions of this nature are are frowned upon by the A&A Committee.)

Mr. Ellington was a happy victor, saying, as he held aloft The Cup, “This is an honor that outshines all that has gone before. I thank my friends, my colleagues, fellow competitors and The Committee for the privilege of this victory.”

And, not to be overlooked, Bill’s contributory dish of cheesy potatoes is highly popular and much lauded.

Mr. Todd Riker’s 12-year-old son, Peter, who accompanied his father on the day, was awarded a medal as the official caddy of the 2019 McNabb Cup. The young man’s visage at receiving this great honor spoke volumes, for he was speechless.

Following golf, the entire field repaired to the McNabb Cottage for dinner, drinks, stories, and songs well into the evening. Mr. Rollo Schmidt graciously furnished ribs and chicken for the hungry multitude. With much hilarity and no dearth of learned conversation or drink, the players and their guests enjoyed a night of good fun and good cheer. (Michigan narrowly beat Army.) Some clubs were sold and traded, some new Bellhaven Scottish ales tested and all found favor. 

Yes, there was corn hole competition, we might add. Messrs. Ellington and Trapani retired undefeated from the field, but the team of Schmidt and Davis finished the night with a slim victory over Staudacher and Mr. Dan Riley.

Finally, we are happy to report, some $215 was donated and sent to the American Red Cross for the hard-hit Bahamas in the wake of devastation left by Hurricane Dorian. 

The 2020 A&A McNabb Cup is scheduled for the first week after Labor Day, Sept. 11-12.

The 2019 A&A McNabb Cup
First Place – Bill Ellington, 46
Second Place – Xander Dobreff, 39
Third Place – Dan Riley, 37

Low Gross
First Place – Bill Tucholski, 79*
Second Place – Scott Staudacher, 79
Third Place – Todd Riker, 81
* scorecard playoff

(The McNabb Cup followed SoHG scoring protocols such that a player could medal in one category only.)