By BEN FONG/For the Sentinel
EGG HARBOR TOWNSHIP — The race toward the playoffs continued to intensify in Week 8 of the Thursday Ocean City Senior Golf League as players produced another week of exceptional scoring at Harbor Pines Golf Club.
Low rounds, dominant match play victories, and a rare eagle highlighted another memorable Thursday morning June 25.
Leading the way in A Flight was Ben Fong, who turned in the lowest round of the week with a superb net 64 against Bob Pierce’s net 72. Fong backed up the outstanding score by winning match play 8-4, sweeping all 4 available points.
Jim Shippen continued his steady climb in the standings with a net 70 against Joe Dempsey’s 78. Shippen controlled match play 6-2 to earn all 4 points.
Pete McInerney also enjoyed an excellent round, posting a net 68 matching cards against Bob Pierce’s 72. McInerney captured match play by a 7-5 margin to collect all 4 points.
One of the week’s best head-to-head battles featured Mike Smith and Garth Moyle. Smith carded a solid net 70, but Moyle answered with an outstanding net 65 before claiming match play 7-5 to sweep all 4 points.
Jim Hoagland earned a 4-point victory after posting a net 69. His opponent, Dave Farrell, was forced to forfeit, awarding Hoagland the full point total.
Ron Venturi also received a 4-point victory after shooting a net 75 while matching cards with Farrell, who was unable to compete.
In B Flight action, Joe Sheridan continued his impressive season by firing an excellent net 65 against Sam Malandra’s 78. Sheridan controlled match play 8-4 to earn all 4 points.
Tom Szkaradnik and Rick Schultz battled through one of the week’s closest contests. Szkaradnik edged Schultz in stroke play with a net 78 to 79 advantage, but Schultz answered with a decisive 10-6 match play victory. The split results earned each golfer 2 points.
Mike Janel narrowly defeated Tom Visco in another competitive pairing. Janel’s net 78 topped Visco’s 79, and he added an 8-5 match play victory to sweep all 4 points.
Glenn Levin closed out the B Flight action with a strong performance, posting a net 73 against Mike Coffman’s 80. Levin secured the match play portion 6-5 to collect all 4 points.
Week 8 also featured several memorable highlights around Harbor Pines. Ben Fong birdied Hole 15, Bob Pierce birdied Hole 3, Phil Gaffney added a birdie on Hole 12, Mike Coffman recorded a birdie on Hole 11, and Glenn Levin birdied Hole 8.
The shot-making performance of the week, however, belonged to Frank Mancini, who recorded an incredible four birdies on Holes 4, 6, 12, and 18 despite not being part of this week’s featured matchups. Equally impressive was Tom Szkaradnik, whose eagle on the par-5 sixth hole was one of the season’s rarest accomplishments and a fitting exclamation point to another outstanding week of golf.
With eight weeks completed, the competition in both the A Flight and B Flight remains remarkably close. Consistently low scores and tightly contested match play have kept the standings fluid, setting the stage for what promises to be an exciting second half of the season as golfers battle for coveted playoff positions.
Golfers interested in joining the league may contact Al Malatesta (malatesta9088@gmail.com), John Blady (john@swimusa.com), or Ben Fong (ben.fongmeister@gmail.com) for additional information.
