Local golfers fare well in tourney

MEEKER I The tournament is set early in the season, but with the largest purse of the year, the Marvine Ranch two-man, best-ball tournament draws the largest and most competitive field.

Eighty golfers were divided by handicap into four flights and although many in the field were from other courses, local golfers were represented well, including the Coryell brothers, who won one of the flights in the two-day event.
Andy and Pat Coryell shot a two-over-par 70 Saturday to lead the third flight and, although they added two strokes Sunday, they easily won by four shots. David Jeffers and Red Wooley of Glenwood Springs finished with the second best gross score while locals Brandan Banducci and Ted Relihan tied with Meeker members Jeff Asselin and Dave Henderson for first place net honors in the third flight.
Meeker was also represented in the championship flight on the net side. Erik Brown and Lex Collins have finished in the money for the past 20 years. When they teamed up for the annual two-man best ball tourney this year, they continued their streak. Brown and Collins tied for the best net score with J.C. Watt and his partner, Dave Fiscus. Watt and Fiscus had the second best gross score, one shot behind champions Mark Barlau and Kirk Blazyk, but they shared first-place net honors and gave former champions and last year’s runners-up, Doug Choate and Joe Elliott, second place again.
Choate and Elliot were ahead of Barlau and Blazyk and Brown and Collins by one shot after the first 18 holes, but they added five shots on Sunday while Barlau and Balzyk took two off to win.
Marvine Ranch manager Bobby Castaldo teamed up with John Cota and finished with the second best gross score (144) in the second flight. Roland and Roger Gauthier of Glenwood Springs won the second flight with a gross score of 138.
Locals Pat Hughes and Bill deVergie led the second flight after the first day, shooting an even par 68. However, they finished tied for the best net score with Rifle’s John Savage and Earl Cherry.
Meeker golfer Randy Hall teamed up with Grand Junction’s Wayne Murray to easily win the fourth flight by nine shots. Ted Jessup and Wendell Goad finished second with a gross score of 159. Meeker’s Gary Stewart and his son, Grant, took first place net honors with a net score of 118, one shot better than Meeker’s Greg Ackerman and Don McPherson.