Thursday’s Senior Best Ball Tournament brought out one of the best formats in club golf: two players, one team score, and the constant pressure of knowing that every hole could be rescued — or ruined — by one swing. In best ball, momentum can turn quickly. One partner stumbles, the other steps in. One team gets hot, another tries to answer. And on May 21, the field delivered a full day of drama, comebacks, red numbers, near-misses, and a dominant winning performance at the top of the board. The fuller overall Senior 2-Man Low Net board listed 20 teams, with Dave Koons and Tim Cole taking the top spot at net 61, nine under par, followed by David Butzman and Randy Gubert at net 63, seven under, and Robert Liedtke and Marc Trapani at net 65, five under. The Champions: Dave Koons and Tim Cole Go Deep The round of the day belonged to Dave Koons and Tim Cole, who turned in a masterful team performance and finished at net 61, a brilliant nine under par on the overall board. Their card had the look of a team that understood the assignment immediately. They went out in 31 net, then came home in 30 net, giving nothing back and keeping the pressure on everyone behind them. The most impressive part was the balance. Dave posted a strong individual 81 gross / 68 net, and Tim added an 88 gross / 74 net, but together they became something much more dangerous. They made their move early with birdies and net birdies on the front, then slammed the door on the back nine with a run that included a net eagle on 11 and more red numbers coming home. In a best ball format, that is championship golf: one partner applying pressure, the other backing him up, and the card never going cold. They did not just win. They separated. Butzman and Gubert: A Serious Chase at Seven Under Finishing second overall, David Butzman and Randy Gubert produced a terrific net 63, seven under par. Their performance was good enough to win most events, and on this day it made them the clear challengers to Koons and Cole. David posted 83 gross / 75 net, while Randy added a sharp 81 gross / 71 net. As a team, they were consistently dangerous, going 32 net on the front and 31 net on the back. They were three under at the turn and then found even more on the back nine, coming home four under. Their closing stretch had real bite, including a net birdie on 17 and a clean finish at 18. This was not a quiet second place. This was a team that forced the winners to keep making scores. Liedtke and Trapani: A Back-Nine Charge to Third Robert Liedtke and Marc Trapani earned third overall with a strong net 65, five under par. Their card had one of the better closing pushes of the tournament. After turning at 34 net, one under, they caught fire on the back with a 31 net, four under. Robert was excellent individually, shooting 82 gross / 68 net, while Marc battled through a tougher individual card but contributed in the team structure when needed. That is exactly what best ball allows: the team is not judged by one player’s bad hole, but by the better score that survives. Liedtke and Trapani used that format well and finished on the podium because of it. Felila Esikia and Joshua Baltor: Fast Start, Strong Finish Felila Esikia and Joshua Baltor finished at net 66, four under par, tying for fourth overall. They came out firing with a net birdie on the first hole and posted 34 net on the front before improving to 32 net on the back. Felila delivered an excellent individual round of 84 gross / 73 net, and Joshua added 88 gross / 76 net. Their team card showed repeated moments of clutch scoring, including net birdies at 1, 4, 10, 12, 14, and 17. They were dangerous all day and kept themselves firmly inside the top group. Manny Casillas and Scott Rehn: Matching Nines, Four Under Also at net 66, Manny Casillas and Scott Rehn put together one of the most balanced team cards in the field: 33 net out, 33 net in. No wild collapse. No back-nine fade. Just steady best-ball scoring from start to finish. Manny shot 93 gross / 79 net, while Scott matched the net number with 87 gross / 79 net. Their team score was built on key net birdies at the right times, including 1, 4, 7, 10, 14, and 15. They stayed organized, avoided prolonged damage, and earned a high finish in a crowded leaderboard. Thaute and Wilson: A Back-Nine Surge Bradley Thaute and Rick Wilson finished at net 67, three under par, and their card told the story of a team that found its best golf late. After an even-par front nine, they came alive on the back with a 32 net, three under. Bradley was particularly strong individually, shooting 83 gross / 72 net, including a very sharp 39 on the back nine. Rick Wilson added support with an 88 gross / 81 net, and together they made enough noise coming home to climb into the upper tier of the field. Canepa and Kmak: Precision and Partnership Also at net 67, Joseph Canepa and Thomas Kmak put together a smart, efficient team round. Joseph posted 85 gross / 75 net, while Thomas turned in one of the lower individual gross rounds of the day with a 79 gross / 76 net. Their front nine was especially strong, a 33 net, two under, sparked by scoring on holes 2, 5, 7, and 8. The back nine was steadier than spectacular at 34 net, but it was enough to keep them three under for the day. In a field this tight, that kind of early scoring mattered. Four Teams at 68: The Logjam at Two Under The leaderboard got crowded at net 68, where several teams finished two under and proved how little separated the middle of the pack from the contenders. Keith Schumacher and Ken Witsoe were one of those teams. Keith shot 82 gross / 73 net, and Ken added 83 gross / 73 net. Their partnership was impressively even, and they played the back nine in 33 net, two under. They gave themselves chances and finished with a solid red number. Steve Rush and Michael Brosnan also reached net 68. Steve posted 88 gross / 74 net, and Michael added 93 gross / 79 net. Their round was steady across both sides, with 34 net on the front and 34 net on the back. They never had the explosive run needed to challenge the top three, but they stayed under par and in the fight. Greg Carey and Joseph Hovan matched the same number at net 68. Greg shot 85 gross / 77 net, while Joseph added a strong 80 gross / 74 net. Their front nine was outstanding at 32 net, three under, but the back nine played tougher at 36 net. Still, that early push gave them a very respectable finish. Jim Toth and Bob Whitaker also landed at net 68. Jim posted 87 gross / 77 net, and Bob added 94 gross / 81 net. Their front nine was electric: 32 net, three under. Like Carey and Hovan, they gave some back coming home, but their early charge kept them in red figures for the day. Abayon and Bogenhuber: One Under and Still Dangerous James Abayon and Alfred "Bogie" Bogenhuber finished at net 69, one under par. Their round was a tale of two sides. The front nine played difficult at 36 net, one over, but they responded with a much stronger 33 net on the back. James shot 87 gross / 74 net, while Alfred added 84 gross / 73 net. Alfred’s 39 on the back nine helped fuel the late move, and the team finished with a net birdie on 18 to close under par. That is a strong way to leave the course. Sanzeri and Rueda: A Fighting 69 Skip Sanzeri and Steve Rueda also finished at net 69, one under par. Their scorecard had one of the better back-nine turnarounds among the under-par teams. After a 36 net front, they came home in 33 net, two under. Skip shot 89 gross / 77 net, improving sharply on the back with a 42 after a tougher front nine. Steve added 91 gross / 77 net, and the team found critical scoring on the back nine, including a net eagle on 11 and net birdies at 13 and 15. The only real sting came at 18, where a closing net double kept them from moving higher. Still, the finish showed fight and momentum. Klein and Parcell: Red Numbers Despite a Rough Opening Art Klein and Frank Parcell rounded out the group at net 69, one under. Their round deserves credit because the start could have derailed them. The team opened with bogey and double bogey on the first two holes, quickly falling behind the pace. But they responded. Art shot 82 gross / 73 net, and Frank posted 91 gross / 77 net. Together, they clawed back with enough birdies to get under par, including key scoring at holes 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 14, and 18. That is a resilient team round. Even-Par Teams: Lopez/Kim, Goodman/Jacky, and Cioni/White Three teams finished at net 70, even par, and each had its own story. Marc Lopez and Cheol Kim posted a steady 70. Marc had a difficult individual day at 94 gross / 86 net, but Cheol delivered a strong 85 gross / 75 net to help stabilize the team. Their scorecard was balanced, with 35 net on each side, and they finished exactly level. Jeffrey Goodman and Jerome Jacky also finished at net 70. Both players shot 90 gross, with Jeffrey at 77 net and Jerome at 80 net. Their front nine was slightly better at 34 net, one under, and although the back nine pushed them back to even, they had several highlight holes, including net birdies at 3, 7, 14, 16, and 18. Joe Cioni and Artie White had one of the most dramatic splits of the tournament. They went out in a sensational 31 net, four under par, and for a while they looked like a team that might threaten the leaders. Joe posted 85 gross / 72 net, while Artie added 88 gross / 82 net. But the back nine was a different story. A 39 net coming home erased the early fireworks and left them at even par. Still, that front nine was one of the best stretches of the day. Shaffer and Evans: One Over, Still Competitive Mike Shaffer and Bret Evans finished at net 71, one over par. Michael shot 85 gross / 78 net, while Bret added 84 gross / 74 net. Their card had enough good moments to keep them involved, including net birdies on holes 1, 7, 12, and 14, but the team could not quite string together the sustained run needed to stay under par. It was a respectable performance in a format where a few missed opportunities can be the difference between top five and middle of the board. Reyes and Shaw: Late Battle to 73 Frank Reyes and Larry Shaw finished at net 73, three over par. Frank carried a strong individual contribution with 87 gross / 77 net, while Larry battled through 104 gross / 90 net. Their team score was 37 net on the front and 36 net on the back. They had bright spots, including net birdies on holes 4, 8, 10, 12, and 16, but the card also had enough bogeys to keep them from moving into red numbers. They stayed competitive and kept fighting through the finish. Hildebrand and Fontaine: A Tough Day, But a Strong Partnership Stephen Hildebrand and Levi Fontaine finished at net 76, six over par. Stephen posted 104 gross / 90 net, while Levi had the stronger individual card with 93 gross / 79 net. Their round was a grind: 39 net on the front and 37 net on the back. But even on a difficult day, they found moments — especially at holes 5 and 14, where they produced net birdies. In a best ball tournament, not every team gets the scoring wave. Sometimes the course wins. But Hildebrand and Fontaine stayed in it and completed the battle. Final Overall Standings Place Team Net To Par 1 Dave Koons + Tim Cole 61 -9 2 David Butzman + Randy Gubert 63 -7 3 Robert Liedtke + Marc Trapani 65 -5 4 Felila Esikia + Joshua Baltor 66 -4 5 Manny Casillas + Scott Rehn 66 -4 6 Bradley Thaute + Rick Wilson 67 -3 7 Joseph Canepa + Thomas Kmak 67 -3 8 Keith Schumacher + Ken Witsoe 68 -2 9 Steve Rush + Michael Brosnan 68 -2 10 Greg Carey + Joseph Hovan 68 -2 11 Jim Toth + Bob Whitaker 68 -2 12 James Abayon + Alfred Bogenhuber 69 -1 13 Skip Sanzeri + Steve Rueda 69 -1 14 Art Klein + Frank Parcell 69 -1 15 Marc Lopez + Cheol Kim 70 E 16 Jeffrey Goodman + Jerome Jacky 70 E 17 Joe Cioni + Artie White 70 E 18 Michael Shaffer + Bret Evans 71 +1 19 Frank Reyes + Larry Shaw 73 +3 20 Stephen Hildebrand + Levi Fontaine 76 +6 Closing Note The May 21 Senior Best Ball was a reminder of why team golf has its own kind of pressure. In stroke play, a bad hole belongs to one player. In best ball, a bad hole becomes a question: can your partner save you? On Thursday, some teams saved each other brilliantly. Some caught fire early. Some charged late. Some fought simply to keep the card together. At the top, Dave Koons and Tim Cole were the class of the field, combining for a brilliant winning score. David Butzman and Randy Gubert gave chase with a round that would have won on many days. Robert Liedtke and Marc Trapani stormed home to secure third. Behind them came a crowded leaderboard full of strong teams, comeback stories, and enough red numbers to make the day feel competitive from top to bottom. It was senior golf with strategy, pressure, partnership, and drama — exactly what a best ball tournament is supposed to be.