Seacoast Christian Golf Club Outing

The Crossings at Carlsbad GC,  November 5, 2010

Championship Final Round - 2010 Seacoast Cup Championship

The 2010 Seacoast Cup Playoff Season is now down to it's last match, as the Top 12 have been now narrowed to 2 players, Bret Heman and Kent Coylendall who both have survived the Wild Card, Quarter Finals, Semi-Final rounds, to get an invitation today's 2010 Championship match.     Below are the match ups and the results of their match play competitions.

Pre Match Notes:

The weather was cool and clear as the players checked into the pro shop and got their tokens for the range.  Both Kent Coykendall and Bret Herman arrived early to warm up their swings and loosen up.  After warming up their iron shots on the range, they both rolled putts for 15 minutes to get a feel for the greens.  Both players elected not to give any pre match comments as they were both so focused on what was at hand.  

Kent Coykendall has been the “Cinderella Story” of our Seacoast Cup playoff season.  He was the 14^th seeded player in our Seacoast Points System and due to the inability of 2 players (Denny Sbararo and Andy Trees) to participate in the playoffs, Kent gladly accepted the invitation to become the 12^th player to enter into the 2010 Seacoast Match Play Championship Bracket.  Since the “Wild Card” rounds in early September, Kent has successfully eliminated highly regarded match play opponents to get himself into position to contend in the championship finals.  His winning streak this year has gained him much confidence in his game and today he will need all the physical and mental edge to play against the defending champion, Bret Herman.

Bret Herman has been unbeaten in all of his playoff match play events in the past 2 years.  He has elevated his game to a new level where many a player in our Seacoast field have fallen off their game as they faced Bret, who has great length off the tee, and solid iron play.  Bret rarely makes multiple mistakes during his round, and his recovering abilities will keep Kent’s game in check today.  Bret’s putting sense is sound and it will be a dual on the greens as both players have talent to be on the greens in regulation on every hole.  Bret’s confidence level has been high, but he knows that he is facing the “Cinderella” kid, who has nothing to lose today. 

Championship Finals Match Play Score Card – note for match play, since Bret Herman has a slightly lower monthly index than Kent Coykendall, Bret will be giving Kent 1 stroke during the round.  Play will be from the blue tee box at 6365 yards.

Hole 1 - (par 4 / 416 yards)  Both players arrived on the tee for their designated 7:40a tee time.  It was determined that Bret Herman would take honors and be first to tee off.  The pressure of being in the finals once again was manifested  in Bret's first shot as he hit to the right and long and his ball ended up in the fairway bunker.   Kent took a deep breath and calmly placed his opening shot down the middle of the fairway which left him a routine mid iron shot to the green.  Bret tried to recover from the bunker and hoped to land his ball on the green but he came up short by 15 yards.   Kent skillfully placed his second shot onto the green in regulation setting up for a long birdie putt.  Bret left his third short for a lengthy putt which he missed for a tap in bogey.  Kent calmly two putted out for par and took a 1 up lead.

Hole 2 - (par 4 / 344 yards)  Kent now felt a warmth of confidence as he realized he had an early lead and all he needed to do is keep the pressure on Bret.  Kent’s tee shot left him a long iron to the green.  Bret realized he had to put his game in gear and hit a lengthy drive off the tee leaving him a pitching wedge to the green.  Watching Kent’s 2^nd shot miss the green , Bret knew he had to get up and down as the door was now open.  He carefully put his next shot within 15 feet of the cup.  Kent was unsuccessful in getting his 3^rd shot close to the cup and he missed his par saving putt.  Bret easily 2 putted for his par and the match was ALL Square.’

Hole 3 - (par 4/ 380 yards)  Both players now realized that the "game was on" and that any mistakes by either player would be a door opening to loosing the hole.  Both players got decent drives off the tee, but failed to make the green in regulation.  But both players displayed great control over their short games and were both able to get up and down to par out, leaving the match still tied at All Square.

Hole 4 -  (par 3/ 195 yard)  Sensing the pressure of putting a long iron shot onto the green from 195 yards, both players were unable to execute decent shots and missed the green. Kent’s tee shot pulled left into the out of bounds area and he had to tee up a second shot..  Bret missed the green as well but he was able to at least play his first ball to settle for a bogey.  Kent unfortunately was not able to recover and his first major mistake of the day gave Bret a win on the hole and a 1 Up lead in the match.

Hole 5 – (par 5/ 567 yards) Both players negotiated this hole to perfection as both of them parred the hole and no blood was drawn.  Bret maintains the 1 up lead.

Hole 6 – (par 4/ 430 yards)  This being the #1 handicapped hole, Kent realized he had the edge on this hole as he receives a stroke.  Bret sensed that he needed to play this hole perfectly or else Kent would walk away with a win.   Bret decided to press and put the pressure on Kent and so he took out his driver in an attempt to put a long drive right in play.  Unfortunately, his drive put him further back than he planned for, and the difficulty of getting up and down prevented Bret from scrambling for his par and by the end of the hole, Bret penciled in a double bogey on the scorecard.  Kent was ready to take full use of his stroke (but really didn’t need it) and tapped out for a bogey (net par) to win the hole and take the match to All Square once again.

Hole 7 -  (par 5/ 546 yards) Bret now realized that his opponent was super tough.  Kent was on his game today, and didn’t seem to make multiple mistakes which would open up any doors for Bret to step into and get a winning hole.  Bret decided to take another approach and instead of pressing he would lay back and wait for Kent to make a mistake.  With this, Bret opted to go for a straight sure shot with his 5 wood off the tee rather than risk the long errant shot with his driver.  Bret’s shot was perfect off the tee, while Kent blasted his drive down the middle of the fairway.  Both players played it safe and laid up their 2^nd shots waiting for their opponent to make the first blunder.  Kent was 130 yards out and played his 3^rd shot to the green but somehow hit his approach shot short…but miraculously, his ball skipped out of the water and jumped onto the green.  Bret couldn’t believe his eyes as he was sure Kent’s ball was headed to the bottom of the water hazard.  With this Bret stepped up to his 120 yard shot to the green and hit it short just like Kent’s, but the result was quite different….Bret’s ball didn’t jump out of the water..but sank to the bottom.  Bret tried to recover with his 5^th shot to the green and was able to save bogey, but Kent was too tough and calmly putted out for par….taking a 1 Up lead.

Hole 8 – (par 4 / 289 yards)  Kent felt the momentum of the game now shifted into his favor with this 1 up lead.  Bret was feeling the wrath of the “Cinderella” man who seemed to be gaining all the momentum of the match.  Bret contemplated blasted his drive to the green to make a statement, but he elected to play it safe and not let Kent gain any more momentum by making an errant shot.  Both players laid up with long irons leaving themselves a short iron shot to the green.  Kent perfectly got his second shot onto the green in regulation, putting the pressure back on Bret.  Bret again realized the importance of his next shot and how much he had to match Kent’s shot to the green.  But the pressure again got to Bret and his shot feel short into the shrubs.  Bret almost saved par with a chip shot but, Kent easily tapped out for par giving him now a 2 up lead.

Hole 9 – (par 3/ 113 yards) Both players hit their short iron shots to the green. It came down to who could make their birdie putt for the win.  Bret made a valiant effort to hole out but his downhill putt rolled past the cup for the tap in par.  Kent lined up his putt and skillfully picked the right line and drained his putt to make birdie !  This gave him a 3 up lead after 9 holes.

Hole 10 – (par 4/ 319 yards) The match was now down to nine holes left, and Kent felt he had some control of the match.  He knew Bret had not been playing to his full potential, and that perhaps Bret’s game was going to wake up on the back nine. With this, Kent reminded himself that he had to stick to his game plan..."fairways and greens."  With that Kent flawlessly got up and down and walked away with a par. Bret again found himself scrambling and was not able to make the par putt drop.  His short game was not on track and now he was down 4. 

Hole 11 – (par 4/ 374 yards) Kent’s tee shot once again found the fairway.  Bret his tee shot sailed very long and rolled into the center midway bunker.  Both Kent and Bret hit their approach shots into the green side bunkers and then it became a contest as to who had a better sand shot recovery, short game. Bret’s sand shot made the green, but still left him a long way from the hole.  Kent didn’t fair so well but managed to save bogey by two putting.  Kent finally opened the door for Bret, but unfortunately, Bret’s putter didn’t cooperate as he struggled to get up and down from the bunker and even three putted for a double bogey, giving Kent an even bigger lead at 5 up.

Hole 12 -  (par 4 / 447 yards)  Bret now felt the match was slipping away.  If only he would have capitalized and won the last hole when Kent bogied, the match would only be 3 up instead of 5 up.  Bret knew he had to dig deep if he wanted to make a run.  Bret unfortunately paid the price with his inability to win the last hole and now he had to make something happen or else his run to defend his championship trophy would be over.  Kent applied more pressure by sending his drive down the middle of the fairway.  Bret tried to concentrate on getting his ball far down the fairway so he would have a short iron to the green.  Instead…his drive was duffed and landed only a few yards off the women’s tees in the brush.  Kent didn’t know what to say….Bret’s game was falling apart…and there were no words that could be exchanged…Bret found his ball, but had to take a penalty stroke.  Kent now felt, that Bret’s game was totally dismantled and now he could relax.  After winning the hole, Kent knew it was just a matter of a few more holes and the match would be done.  He was now 6 up with 6 to go. 

Hole 13 – (par 4 / 330 yards)  Kent knew he just had to win or tie one more hole and it would be all over for Bret.  What a relief…but, Bret didn’t want to go easy.  For some reason, Bret had to show he had some game left and after putting a good drive to good use, he proceeded to win the hole with a nice tap in par.  Kent kind of laid up his drive, but missed the green and his three putt double bogey sent the match to another hole.  Kent told himself…”just one more sound hole and I will win this thing.”

Hole 14 -  (par 3 / 125 yards)  Kent’s tee shot came up short a few feet off the green, while Bret placed a laser iron only 10 feet from the hole.  Kent was able to nicely place his second shot 10 feet from the cup which he skillfully navigated to save par with a solid putt.  Now it was up to Bret to either force another hole or call it a day.  Bret carefully lined up his putt, and envisioned the pathway for a birdie win of the hole…but unfortunately, his putt stopped 2 inches from the cup and his necessary birdie attempt ended up in a par.  This gave Kent the needed 6 and 5 score to win the match.  Bret’s comeback was too late and his hopes to defend his Championship title came to an end.  Both players congratulated each other and shook hands. Kent realized that Bret’s game just didn’t get into gear and that by playing steady golf, he was able to conquer and take down the 2009 Champion.  The two continued to play out the rest of the round, and Kent was happy to win when he did on the 14^th hole, as Bret’s game finally woke up as Bret played solid for the remaining holes.

In the post match interview room Bret Herman said,  “This just wasn’t my day.  All day I found myself scrambling just to keep pace with Kent  My driving off the tee let me down during my match.  Nothing seemed to go my way after Kent got a decent lead.  He did not make many mistakes at all and all the mistakes I did, he really capitalized on them.  Kent played very well today and I am honored to hand over my trophy to him.  Coming back from being the lowest seed in the competition, beating everyone that he faced in the playoffs, giving me my first loss in tournament play is a real exciting story for him.  I played the best I could today, but Kent performed at his personal best and he deserved the win.   I am excited for him...congratulations!

Kent had a big smile on his face and the look of relief as we asked him how he felt after winning today.  “ I really am so relieved at my win today.  I knew Bret had all the potential to taking me down today. He has been so successful these past two years in match play...actually never losing a match, and he had his sights on not letting me spoil his winning record today.  Our first 6 holes were a good old fashion “shoot out” as we exchanged wins but nobody took hold of the match until I went on a winning streak.  Holes 7 through 12 were tough but I put on “grinding equipment” and was able to win 6 in a roll which really helped my cause today.   Bret wasn’t able to match my shots and my ability to win a string of holes put him in a deep canyon which he found hard climb out of.  Fortunately, I was able to keep enough pressure on him on the 14^th hole and end the match.  I’m thrilled to win the 2010 Seacoast Championship !

Congratulations to Kent Coykendall !  You are our 2010 Seacoast Cup Winner !!

The Consolation Match – Fitzgerald vs. Grow  the battle for 3rd Place– these two met the day before at The Crossings to accommodate their schedules.  The match was tight and swung back and forth all the way through the 15^th hole.  Then Lee Fitzgerald scored an important par over Bill Grow’s bogey on the 16^th hole to take a 2 up lead.  Then on #17 (par 3),   Bill opened the door by not making it to the green off the tee and also by not getting up and down to save bogey.  Lee, skillfully saved his bogey to end the match with 3 and 1 score. 

3rd Place Winner - Lee Fitzgerald

4th Place Winner - Bill Grow

Post game comments:   Bill Grow – “it was a tough battle, but Lee beat me in the end and did it in style.  I tried to match him all the way but I must of ran out of steam.  I hate to make excuses,  but I had a hard time seeing the ball for the first few holes, but somehow I managed the rest of the match…I’m going to have to get my eyes checked.   Lee is tough in match play and I can see why he made it to the end.  He is a deserving winner !” 

Lee Fitzgerald said, “ Bill is a steller player.  He wouldn’t go down easy.  Today’s battle was the battle of the bogey players.  We were even and back and forth most of the way.  Then towards the end I got a few breaks and the next thing I realized that I won the match on 17.  Either one of us could have won this one today.  I really had fun competing with Bill.  He’s a worthy opponent and I can see why he has made it to the play offs all these years. 

Note:  Bill Grow did go see an opthamologist  a few days after the match, and it was determined that he had a detached retina which would cause a definite blurring of his vision.  Last week he had laser surgery to repair the tear and he is now ready to go at it on the links once again.

Players Bracket -–In addition to the top 12 players squaring off to determine our 2010 Seacoast Cup Champion over the next few events, a "“layer'’ Bracket"”match play competition also got underway.  All players who are not competing in the Championship Bracket, are welcomed to participate to compete in "“atch play"”format in the "“layer'’ Bracket."” Below are the guidelines and rules for this bracket.

Player’s Bracket Overview and Rules 

1.     Player’s Bracket is the playing format for those players who are not competing in the Seacoast Championship Bracket.  Each week players in this bracket will be competing in “match play” competition.  Points will be earned for wins and participation.  Only players who are not in the “Championship Bracket” may participate in the “Players Bracket” to earn points.  A player who loses a match in the Championship bracket may participate in the Player’s bracket in the next round.  Points for the loss in the Championship Bracket will be given to the player equal to the amount allocated for that previous round.   As the playoffs progress towards the end of the year, each event will have a higher value in points.  The player with the most points at the end of the Championship Round will be declared the winner of the Player’s bracket. 

2.     Before each round, the tournament committee will rank participating players according to: points earned and monthly index.  Players will then be matched up in order to compete in match play for the next rounds given points.  Players without an official index may participate, but will be assigned an index for the round.  If there are an uneven amount of players so that a player is without a match opponent, the tournament committee may assign another player from the “Championship” bracket for competition sake, or a blind draw will be utilized from the field.

Points Table

Player’s Brackett Winner – Frank Sung – congratulations to Frank for rising to the occasion and having a flawless winning record in match play in our playoff season.  Frank battled Bob Newby for the top position in the “Player’s Brackett” and successfully beat the 2007 Seacoast Cup Champion .  Frank was our 26^th seeded player in our regular season points system, but he stepped up his game these past few months and turned on the after burners to take top honor in our “Player’s Brackett” and accumulated a total of 16 points.  In second place we have Michael Gibbs who earned 14 points with a 2 – 1 record in post season match play.  It was a fun run for those players who were no longer part of the “Seacoast Cup Championship 2010” and it gave them the experience to hopefully make it to the top 12 next year to contend for the big championship cup.

Sept 3 - Wild Card Matches  / Rancho Bernardo Inn

Sept 17 - Quarter Final Matches / Arrowood GC

Oct 1 - Semi Finals Matches / Encinitas Ranch GC

Nov 5 - Championship Final / The Crossings at Carlsbad

Dec 3 - Breakfast of Champions / President's Cup

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