GOLF OPTIONS EXIST right after Thanksgiving with Sequim’s SkyRidge Golf Course and Port Angeles’ Peninsula Golf Club each hosting tournaments on Black Friday, Nov. 29.
SkyRidge will host its annual Post-Turkey Day Tournament, a two-person event, starting at 9:30 a.m. (barring frost).
Men’s players will play a scramble format on the front nine, teeing off from the green tees. The back nine will be a better ball format played from the silver tees.
Women’s players will play from the purple tees for all 18 holes with the initial nine a scramble format and the latter nine better ball.
The cost is $80 per team with a $20 per team honey pot. Range balls, lunch after play and prizes all are included.
Cart seats are $15 per seat.
To get into the game, call SkyRidge at 360-683-3673.
Peninsula’s 28th annual Apple Cup Tournament, a two-person scramble, will tee off at 9:30 a.m. Nov. 29.
The tourney will coincide with the rivalry football game itself, set for a 1 p.m. kickoff that day from Husky Stadium.
Teams can have up to an eight-stroke handicap differential between partners.
The event is $45 for members and $65 for the public.
The 18-hole tournament, gross and net merchandise awards, KP, long drive, appetizers following play and two drink tickets per player are included, plus a square on the game’s football board paid out half in cash and half in golf credits.
To get in the game, visit the pro shop or call 360-457-6501.
Christmas events
A little further down the line, Cedars at Dungeness in Sequim will host a Ho Ho Ho! Holiday Scramble on Dec. 7.
The four-person scramble event will feature Handicap and Callaway divisions and have a 10 a.m. shotgun start.
Entry fees are $65 for the public, $45 for members/employees and include green fees, cart, range balls, a prize and lunch.
Holiday-themed costumes are encouraged.
To register, or for more information, visit the pro shop or call 360-683-6344.
Pre-Christmas tourney
SkyRidge also will hold a Pre-Christmas Tournament on Dec. 14.
The triple-six format will include six holes of scramble play, six of better ball and the final six holes will be aggregate format.
A 9:30 a.m. shotgun start is planned, barring frost.
Entries are $80 per team with a $30 honey pot.
Range balls, prizes and lunch following play are included.
Cart seats are $15.
To register, call 360-683-3673.
Golf claps
A fan’s yell caught Florida golfer Brandon Matthews mid-backswing on a crucial 8-foot birdie putt to extend his Argentine Open playoff with Richard Celia. Matthews missed the putt and missed out on the automatic exemption to the 2020 British Open at Royal St. George’s.
“I gave it a little too much right hand, missed it and turned around and said, ‘Come on guys, seriously?!’ I was obviously frustrated about it,” Matthews told reporters.
Matthews didn’t know that the fan who yelled out was a middle-aged man with Down syndrome, but a tour official explained the situation in the locker room post-match.
And Matthews could have accepted the explanation and moved on.
But Matthews, who grew up in DuPont, Pa., played golf at Temple University and whose mom managed group homes for Goodwill, wanted to meet the man. So an official ushered him back to the course, where Matthews gave the fan a hug, signed a glove and ball, and chatted with him for a few minutes.
“I wanted to make sure he didn’t feel badly about the situation,” Matthews said. “I grew up around people with special needs because of what my mom did when I was kid and have a soft spot in my heart [for people with special needs].”
And Matthews was realistic when asked out about missing out on playing in The Open.
“It’s going to sting, and there are times where I’m going to think about it,” Matthews said. “But at the end of the day, I’m 25 years old and have a long career ahead of me.”
It would be Karmic justice if Matthews could earn himself an Open invitation or even a PGA Tour Card for this display of good sportsmanship.
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Sports reporter Michael Carman can be contacted at 360-417-3525 or mcarman@peninsuladailynews.com.
