By BEN FONG/For the Sentinel
EGG HARBOR TOWNSHIP — With the regular season nearing its conclusion, the Thursday Ocean City Senior Golf League continues to provide plenty of excitement as players jockey for position heading into the playoffs.
Week 16 at Harbor Pines Golf Course Aug. 27 featured several outstanding rounds, including a spectacular net 64, along with a number of closely contested matches in both flights.
In the A Flight, Phil Gaffney continued his strong play by posting a net 67 against Garth Moyle’s 74. Gaffney followed his solid round with an 8-4 match-play victory, earning all 4 available points.
Jim Shippen and Bob Pierce battled through an exceptionally close scorecard comparison, with both golfers posting net 68s. Their match-play competition was equally tight, ending in a tie and giving each player 2 points.
The low round of the day belonged to John Blady, who fired an outstanding net 64 against Pete McInerney’s 66. The two battled to a tie in match play, with Blady earning 3 points and McInerney 1.
Frank Mancini also enjoyed a strong performance, shooting a net 73 against Mike Bogdash’s 80. Mancini won match play 9-5 to collect all 4 points.
Ben Fong and Jim Hoagland turned in identical net scores of 71. Hoagland, however, prevailed in match play by a 7-6 margin, earning 3 points while Fong received 1.
In the B Flight, Dominic Scalfaro posted a net 67 in a scorecard comparison with Tom Szkaradnik, who recorded a net 71. Scalfaro also won the match-play portion 7-4 to earn all 4 points.
Sam Malandra and Tom Visco had one of the week’s closest contests. Visco posted the lower net score, 70 to Malandra’s 73, but Malandra came back to win match play 7-5. The split earned each golfer 2 points.
Mike Janel continued his strong play with a net 69 against Tony D’Ottavio’s 74. Janel won match play 9-5 to sweep all 4 points.
Joe Sheridan also earned a 4-point victory, shooting a net 70 against Tom Szkaradnik’s 71 and winning the match-play comparison 8-6.
Janel later had his scorecard compared with Larry Zucker. Janel’s net 69 was well ahead of Zucker’s 82, and Janel dominated the match-play scoring 12-3.
The birdie count was impressive once again. Phil Gaffney birdied Hole 13, while Garth Moyle birdied Hole 15. John Blady added a birdie on Hole 13, and Tony D’Ottavio birdied Hole 1. Frank Mancini and Tom Szkaradnik each birdied Hole 2, while Ben Fong birdied Hole 14 and Jim Hoagland added a birdie on Hole 13.
With Week 16 in the books, only a few weeks remain before the league moves into its postseason. The combination of stroke-play and match-play points continues to make every week important, and the competition for playoff positions in both flights is reaching its peak. With golfers continuing to produce low scores and close matches, the final weeks of the regular season should provide plenty of drama.
Golfers interested in joining the league may contact Al Malatesta at malatesta9088@gmail.com, John Blady at john@swimusa.com, or Ben Fong at ben.fongmeister@gmail.com for additional information.
