By BEN FONG/For the Sentinel
EGG HARBOR TOWNSHIP — Week 2 of the Thursday Ocean City Senior Golf League season at Harbor Pines Golf Club May 14 featured another round of competitive play, highlighted by several impressive net scores and continued strong performances from early-season contenders in both the A and B Flights.
In A Flight action, Guy Hackney followed up his solid opening week with one of the best rounds of the day, carding an outstanding net 64 while matching cards with Frank Mancini, who posted a strong net 67 of his own. Hackney narrowly claimed the match play portion 5 holes to 4, earning all 4 points.
Bob Pierce continued to build momentum after his Week 1 victory. Matching cards against Joe Dempsey, Pierce fired a net 70 compared to Dempsey’s 77 and secured the match play win 8-5.
Pierce stayed hot in a second matchup against Ron Venturi, again posting a net 70 against Venturi’s 76. Pierce added another convincing match play victory, 7-3, to collect 4 points on the day.
Mike Smith faced Hackney in another competitive A Flight pairing. Hackney’s net 64 topped Smith’s solid net 73, but the two golfers finished even in match play. Hackney earned 3 points while Smith collected 1 point.
Ben Fong and Pete McInerney battled to one of the closest contests of the week. Fong edged McInerney in stroke play with a net 72 to 74 advantage, while the pair finished even in match play. Fong earned 3 points and McInerney added 1 point.
In B Flight competition, Tom Szkaradnik opened with a strong showing against Tony D’Ottavio, posting a net 77 versus D’Ottavio’s 82. Szkaradnik controlled match play 10-5 to sweep all 4 points.
Tom Gahr continued his strong early-season play while matching cards with Szkaradnik. Gahr carded an excellent net 72 against Szkaradnik’s 77 and claimed match play by an 8-5 margin to earn all 4 points.
Another closely contested B Flight matchup saw Glenn Levin square off against Dominic Scalfaro. Scalfaro posted a net 72 against Levin’s 76, but Levin edged the match play competition 7-6. The split results earned each golfer 2 points.
Among the week’s notable moments, McInerney recorded a birdie on Hole 11, while Dominic Scalfaro delivered one of the finest shots of the day on the par-3 third hole, finishing just 14.5 inches from the cup.
Two weeks into the season, several players are already beginning to separate themselves in the standings as the league’s combination of stroke play and match play continues to produce tight competition throughout both divisions.