2011 Phi Alpha Cup Preview

Wednesday, May 4th, 2011

Team 97’s Casual Approach Spurs Team 98 Hopes of Ending a Dynasty

2011 PAIRINGS RELEASED; TEAM 97 GUNNING FOR 3-PEAT

May 4, 2011
With Team 97 (VIEW OFFICIAL SITE) looking for the first 3-peat in Phi Alpha Cup history, Team 98 enters the 2011 edition with a noticeable chip on its collective shoulder. Annoyed and dismayed by all the off-season talk of a Team 97 dynasty, Team 98 has taken the punditry discussions personally and has used the time since the 2010 Cup to quietly and diligently prepare for 2011.

On the other side, Team 97 looks to be entering the 2011 Cup with a large dose of nonchalance in tow. Team Captain Andy Sands has been praised for his general management skills over the past couple of years when he planted Todd Balsley on Team 98 to secure 4 points for Team 97 in 2009, then hired Balsley in an official Team 97 capacity to win 3 points for the 97’s in 2010.

But the mercurial Captain is now being questioned for the relaxed training program he implemented this off-season, which allowed his team to forgo any sort of preparation. With their recent success, all four 97 team members have moved into new, plush residences in the Northeast, with the exception of Andrew Parker who has moved overseas to France. Sands himself took off most of 2010, and his only round in 2011, an Easter weekend charity appearance, was embarrassing by all accounts. Balsley is still recovering from a botched Lasik surgery. Steve Burr’s whereabouts have been largely unknown, searching all off-season for a putt concession from Team 98’s Jeff Eaton. And Parker, quite famously, has taken American-style croissants to France and opened his eponymous bakery, finding little time for training in the process.

The Tournament itself has been forced to undergo changes to its format in 2011 in order to accommodate the Cup’s television contract and avoid conflicts with the NBA Playoffs and Kentucky Derby. The changes forced the Cup Executive Committee to change from a 3-day to a 2-day format, and caused the venue of the Cup to be changed away from St. James Plantation for the first time since 2006. The most substantial change however is the move to close the Phi Alpha Cup with the 4-point Team Scramble instead of the traditional Singles Matches. Organizers designed the 2011 format with the hope of providing more final day drama given the incredible excitement the Scramble has ignited over the years.

So while the format changes and a disparity in preparation between the two teams provide uncertainty around the 2011 event, our experts are able to break it all down:

Friday 1-4 / 2-3 Cumulative Round:
(Sands-Balsley vs. Johnson-Black)
(Parker-Burr vs. Bomar-Eaton)
Since the introduction of the Cumulative Matches in 2007, Team 97 is an incredible 8-0 against Team 98. Known for their gritty teamwork, the Cumulative format just plain suits the 97’s. However, in 2010, Team 98 for the first time figured out how to play successfully in the Cumulative Matches, taking Team 97 down to the wire in both matchups.

This year, the tides turn. Many analysts believe Team 97 simply got lucky in the 2010 Cumulatives, and with the disparity in preparation heading into this year’s Cup, Team 98 looks to have the edge. The only wild card is 98’s “Squabble Squad” of Stirling Bomar and Jeff Eaton who went 5-putt/DNF on 17 and 18 in last year’s match after one of their frequent arguments. However, since Captain Johnson ordered couples counseling for his team as part of his re-invented Team 98 training program, Bomar and Eaton’s relationship has turned rosy, taking 2-man team-building trips one weekend a month over the off-season. Team 98 is focused, and Team 97, like Balsley’s pre-Lasik eyesight, goes blind from the brilliant play.
Team 1998 (2 points)

Friday 1-2 / 3-4 Best Ball:
(Sands-Parker vs. Johnson-Bomar)
(Burr-Balsley vs. Eaton-Black)
The Saturday Best Ball has always favored Team 98, and in 2011, there seems to be no reason for this trend not to continue. Blasted by Team 98 in last year’s Cup, Team 97 would have to find a way to conquer a format that does not favor their team as well as overcome a level of play that has evidently shifted during the off-season. Neither possibility seems likely for a team that has spent more time gallivanting around during the off-season than working on their games.

Johnson and Bomar have a 2-1-1 record against Sands and Parker, and the Sands/Parker high points during the series came at a time when Bomar was at his most unstable, both on and off the course. In addition, Sands and Parker played lights out in the 2010 match, yet were never competitive. Expect to see more domination from Team 98 in this one.

In the nightcap, 98’s Eaton and Black look to back up last year’s cakewalk over 97’s Burr and Balsley. Eaton and Black have been training together all Spring at 98’s Texas camp, which doesn’t bode well for a Burr/Balsley upset this year. Balsley will be looking to a Cup veteran in Burr who has an abysmal Best Ball record, but even post-Lasik, won’t see a thing. Another point to 98.
Team 1998 (2 points)

Sands/Johnson Singles: Johnson deserves credit for moving himself and his team down South for the off-season to prepare for the Cup, but for this match, Johnson could have just as well prepared by stuffing his face in Parker’s croissant kitchen. The 97’s are likely being blown out at this point, with all fingers pointing at Sands. Don’t be surprised if only one horse finishes this race – Sands is likely halfway back to Manhattan by now.
Team 1998 (1 point)

Parker/Bomar Singles: Parker has moved to France, opened an American-style croissant bakery, will be coming straight off a red-eye flight from Europe and is playing some of the worst golf of his career. Then again, there’s this.
Team 1997 (1 point)

Burr/Eaton Singles: The longstanding Eaton-Burr rivalry was re-lit in 2010 and was met with great anticipation, only for Eaton to take early control of the match and never let Burr back in. Tempers flared early on the 2nd hole when Eaton was hesitant to concede a putt to Burr of similar length to one that Burr conceded to Eaton on the 1st. Burr ended up missing the putt and losing the hole, adding to the bad blood between the two that has accumulated over the lifetime of their rivalry. At this point in his career, Eaton’s Texas residence and new playing facility has allowed him to elevate his game to the point where he is talking more about the elusive MVP title (See Past Winners) than his match with Burr (2007 MVP). We’ll see the usual fireworks here, but mostly duds out of the Burr bag.
Team 1998 (1 point)

Balsley/Black Singles: Although you won’t be able to catch this match on the network coverage, our friends at Golf Channel 3 (GC3) will get the chance to cover this beauty as they did in 2010. While there wasn’t much reporting available on last year’s match, many golf insiders say that Black’s dedication to improving his game over the past couple of years made all the difference in his victory over Balsley. Now considered a Cup veteran and crowd favorite, Black’s confidence is brimming heading into 2011. Compare that to Balsley, who had off-season surgery, has not had the opportunity to train and is still dogged by the “saboteur” accusations hurled at him in the press by Team 98 last year. In case you miss the scroll at the bottom of the screen during network coverage, we’ll tell you how it ends. Point 98.
Team 1998 (1 point)

Saturday Scramble: It’s a sports factoid that stands the test of time. No team has ever lost the Saturday Scramble and gone on to win the Phi Alpha Cup. Team 97 is coming off one of the most stunning come from behind victories in last year’s Scramble, making birdie on 5 of the last 7 holes, to squeak out the pivotal victory and take the Cup. Team 97 would need similar heroics to pull out this year’s Scramble, however, if the Friday matches go as expected, this match could be meaningless anyway. To add insult to injury, rumors are swirling around the Tournament Center this week that 98’s Johnson might even sit out the Scramble, making room for Team 98 Permanent First Alternate Jeff Cohen. The move would effectively reduce Team 98 to a 3-man team since Cohen must remain an alternate. It won’t matter though. Team 98 hot dog’s their way to a Scramble victory, but this Cup was decided the moment they tee’d ’em up on Friday.
Team 1998 (4 points)

FINAL SCORE: 11 – 1; TEAM 1998 WINS 2011 PHI ALPHA CUP