2010 Phi Alpha Cup Preview

Wednesday, April 28th, 2010

Off-season team shakeups and renewed rivalries provide compelling storylines for 2010 Cup.

2010 PAIRINGS RELEASED; 98’ers ON THE ROAD TO REDEMPTION

April 28, 2010
Coming off the most lopsided loss in Phi Alpha Cup history, Team 1998 preoccupied themselves this off-season with personnel changes, a regimented training program and a lot of soul-searching. Back for Team 98 after a one-year suspension is Stirling Bomar, inserted back into his old 2-seed slot by Captain Dave Johnson. On paper this should raise the firepower quotient for Team 98, and it reunites the members of the team that pulled off the shocking upset of Team 97 in 2008. And while these factors all seem to bode well for Team 98, no one has seen the bombastic Bomar play in over a year, and experts question whether he will be ready to step back onto the big stage of the Phi Alpha Cup or will instead revert to some of the erratic play that has plagued much of his PAC career, especially in Sunday Singles matches (view story).

On the other hand, Team 97 (VIEW OFFICIAL SITE) enters the 2010 edition of the PAC a bit frazzled and unorganized. Without notice, and only two weeks before opening ceremonies, 97 team member Chandler Willett sent Captain Andy Sands a text message saying he would be retiring (see story), sending Team 97 scrambling to fill their roster. The 97’s ultimately tapped Todd Balsley, who is rumored to be off his playing weight and prior skill level given the short notice and insufficient preparation time left by Willett’s untimely departure.

So while this is perhaps the most unpredictable Phi Alpha Cup to be staged in its 6 year history, our experts with the insight and knowledge make sense of it all below:

Friday 1-4 / 2-3 Cumulative Round:
(Sands-Balsley vs. Johnson-Black)
(Parker-Burr vs. Bomar-Eaton)
In each of the past 3 competitions, Team 97 has raced out to a 2-0 lead in the Friday matches, leaving the 98’ers playing the role of comeback kids. Given the roster shakeups on both sides, this year’s matchups offer a different dynamic and quite possibly a different outcome.

With the readjustments in Team 97’s lineup, gone now is the undefeated team of Andy Sands and Steve Burr. Todd Balsley will step in with Sands to face the team of Dave Johnson and Winston Black, who are hungry for their first win ever in the Cumulative format. As mentioned previously, Balsley is not coming in tournament-ready, which can prove fatal on a stage such as this. 98’s Black has put in a year of hard work with his swing coach at Thunder Road Driving Range in Dallas and is rumored to be playing the best golf of his career. Per usual, Sands and Johnson play to a draw, and given the Cumulative format, this match becomes Balsley v. Black. It’s a preview for this pair’s Sunday Singles showdown, and the disparity in prep work will be evident. Balsley has enough endurance to finish out the round, but Black shines, and Team 98 gets their first Friday point in Phi Alpha Cup history.

The second match of the day pairs Team 97’s Andrew Parker (View Player Profile) and Steve Burr – both undefeated in PAC Cumulative play – against Team 98’s Stirling Bomar and Jeff Eaton. Parker and Burr’s games were tailor made for this format as evidenced by their record in these matches, and the two display a natural chemistry on the course together. This is Bomar’s first match back after serving his suspension, so don’t look for him to be knocking down pins with all the distractions that will come along with his much talked about return. Eaton is known to be easily distracted (View Story: “The Call That Lost The Cup”), and so pairing Eaton with Bomar in this initial round match does not look good on paper. Bomar and Eaton were also rumored to have sparred when they were paired up in 2008, so this doesn’t look good on bermuda grass either. To quote Bomar, “It’s not a good look.” Point to Team 97.
Team 1997 (1 point); Team 1998 (1 point)

Saturday 1-2 / 3-4 Best Ball:
(Sands-Parker vs. Johnson-Bomar)
(Burr-Balsley vs. Eaton-Black)
Leading off Day 2 is possibly the most anticipated team match in the entire tournament. The return of Stirling Bomar to Team 98 means that the Sands-Parker / Johnson-Bomar Best Ball rivalry will be renewed. This series is dead even at 1-1-1, with the last match between the two teams in 2008 being halved. The big question mark here again is Bomar and whether his year layoff will negatively affect his play. Historically, Bomar’s Saturday play has been linked to the degree of his antics Friday night at the Champions Dinner and Players Banquet, but not in the way you would think. Generally, the more destructive his behavior, the better he plays. However, in recent years, Bomar has toned down his John Daly-like behavior (see photos), and this does not bode well for Team 98. Sands and Parker come into this year’s PAC playing solid golf, and pounce on Bomar’s less than stellar performance. Point to 97.

In the second Best Ball match, former bitter rivals Steve Burr and Todd Balsley team up for the first time ever against Team 98’s Jeff Eaton and Tres Black. Eaton and Black have historically played better than their seeds might suggest, demonstrating a real team chemistry in Best Ball play. Couple this with the lack of chemistry on the 97 side, and add in the fact that Burr and Balsley’s games are not cut out for the Best Ball format. The end result for Team 97 is similar to what happens when Tiger Woods tries to back out of his driveway. A real mess. Although somewhat competitive on paper, this one is a blowout. 98 wins in a rout.
Team 1997 (1 point); Team 1998 (1 point)

Saturday Scramble: It’s one of those famous sporting factoids: In the history of the Phi Alpha Cup, no team has ever lost the Saturday Scramble and gone on to win the PAC title. Last year saw Team 97 capture their first Scramble, and they did so in convincing fashion. However, the 97ers have lost their all-important lead off man in Willett, and word out of the 97 camp is that they still haven’t settled on a lineup and might not do so until they see what they are getting out of newcomer Balsley in the first two matches. Team 98 with Bomar in their lineup has never lost the Saturday Scramble – their only blemish being a halved match with Team 97 in 2007. And while Team 97 comes off of last year’s Scramble rout full of confidence, the team still sputtered on the back 9 as they have done in every Phi Alpha Cup to date. In addition, these are two different teams facing off in 2010, and the advantage goes to Team 98. Team 97 comes out strong, but comes back down to earth in the end. Team 98 captures the all-important 2 points in the Saturday Scramble.
Team 1998 (2 points)

Sands/Johnson Sunday Singles: This used to be one of the most competitive rivalries in golf. After Sands edged out Johnson with a 78 in the 2005 Post-PAC Captains Exhibition, Sands inexplicably reconstructed his swing just 2 days before the 2006 PAC. The result over the past few years has been disastrous, as he has continued to battle the changes in his swing mechanics and a series of injuries, including the infamous torn hip labrum he suffered in 2008 – an injury that drastically limited his practice sessions over the past 2 years. However, Sands is finally seeing the spoils of his hard work, and his game is once again looking sharp. Johnson has countered over the past year with a move to the suburbs, closer to his home course where he has been able to hone his skills even more in a determined effort to help captain Team 98 back to victory after last year’s embarrassing defeat. Sands has never demonstrated an ability to play well on Sunday, which most experts agree is partly due to the rigors of playing in his home state and the demands on his time from press and fans, sometimes lasting late into the evenings. So while Sands makes it close, the well-rested Johnson edges this match out again and sets an example for the rest of his team to follow in their matches. Point 98.
Team 1998 (1 point)

Parker/Bomar Sunday Singles: Background… anecdote… whatever. Read this.
Team 1997 (1 point)

Burr/Eaton Sunday Singles: Before there was Willett-Eaton there was Burr-Eaton. Before there was “The Call That Lost The Cup” (view story), there was “The Match That Never Ended”. While no one has determined the true winner of that dogfight at Eaton’s home course Wee Burn between Burr and Eaton, we will all get to see the highly anticipated rematch on the Phi Alpha Cup stage. The bitterness that exists between these two former rivals explains why many golfing fans are calling this showdown the best matchup of the 2010 Phi Alpha Cup. Eaton has shown vast improvement in Singles play since his incredible meltdown against Willett in 2007, and this is Burr’s first time playing in the Sunday lead paring. And while Burr’s insistence on prepping for the PAC in New Jersey limits his practice time, Eaton has been headquartered for the past year in Houston (view story) with an eye on the elusive MVP award he so desperately wants to claim. So while MVP may escape Eaton once again in 2010, his experience in tough Sunday Singles matches is enough to secure a year’s worth of bragging. Point to 98.
Team 1998 (1 point)

Balsley/Black Sunday Singles: This could be the highest scoring match in Phi Alpha Cup history – depending on how many “X’s” get logged on the scorecard. Anything could happen here folks – including a scoring controversy or a match-ending golf cart accident. (This reporter has almost flown off an exit ramp and has spun out during a routine U-turn with Balsley behind the wheel, so the safe bet is on Black should the latter occur.) But seriously folks, they might finish this one under the lights. And that is what makes this matchup so compelling. Balsley has a flare for the dramatic, including an 186 yard hole out in a 1999 event, but has not filled his schedule with as many events in recent years and is by all accounts, under-performing as of late because of it. Black insists his work over the past year is paying dividends in his Par 3 Sunday Morning Nassau Choose-’em League, but has still yet to prove he can win a Sunday Singles match, going winless during his PAC career. Balsley will need an upset from Sands or Burr, and unless that happens, this match is meaningless anyway. Reporters have deadlines to hit, and this one is called. Match halved.
Team 1997 (½ point); Team 1998 (½ point)

FINAL SCORE: 6½ – 3½; TEAM 1998 WINS 2010 PHI ALPHA CUP