Golf: Making the turn & Chip Shots – Sheriff Mike Neustrom Open this Friday at Wetlands

Dan McDonald, Daily Advertiser, May 9, 2012

The Acadiana Cup is returning to the area, making its quadrennial visit in October and bringing golfers from throughout the Francophone world to south Louisiana.

And this year, players who have never taken part in the international golf and cultural exchange have the opportunity to get involved with this year’s event. The Acadiana Cup committee is actively looking for players to make up the 65-player host team that will take on a similar delegation from France, Belgium and Canada in the Ryder Cup-style competition.

"Fourteen years ago this was a small affair, with a couple dozen players taking part," said Acadiana Cup chairman and Team Acadiana captain Buddy Guillory. "We’d have golf and then we’d have small parties and activities. Now we’ve got 200 people involved in a major tourism event."

And this year’s event is even more complex than the previous four times the foreign delegation has visited Acadiana (1998, 2000, 2003, 2008). In those years, all the activities were held in the immediate area, but this year Cup activities and play will extend across south Louisiana from New Orleans to Lake Charles.

"Many of our visitors have been here multiple times," Guillory said, "and they expressed the desire to see other areas and play other courses. Plus, most of them fly into New Orleans when they arrive. The headquarters and many of the activities are always going to be in Acadiana, but we’re giving them the opportunity to see more of Louisiana."

This year’s Cup activities will begin in New Orleans, with the opening ceremonies on Monday, Oct. 8, on the Riverboat Natchez after a practice round that day at Audubon Park. The first of three days of golfing competition is set for Tuesday, Oct. 9, at the stern TPC Louisiana course before a travel and free day on Wednesday.

Golfing activities pick up again on Thursday with the second competitive round at Lake Charles’ Gray Plantation, and the final round of the event is set on Friday, Oct. 12, at The Wetlands. Closing ceremonies are that Friday evening at the Lafayette Hilton, just in time for the visitors to enjoy the activities of Festivals Acadiens which begins that Friday night. Guillory said the dates were chosen in order to include Festivals Acadiens in the visitors’ itinerary since it fits with the French spirit of the entire competition.

The golf events are supplemented all week by social activities for golfers and non-golfers (one-third of the international delegation doesn’t play golf), and that includes a number of in-home gatherings where locals will host the visitors in their homes on Wednesday night.

Last year’s event was held on a "neutral" site in Spain, where the European group took a narrow one-point win. Next year’s Acadiana Cup has already been scheduled for Sept. 14-22 in Namur, Belgium.

"It should be a great week, especially for our international visitors," Guillory said. "From the time they get off the plane, everything’s taken care of. We even take their clubs when they arrive, and the next time they see them is on the backs of their carts."

The format includes best-ball on Tuesday, two-person scramble on Thursday and singles matches on Friday. Matches use full handicap indexes, assuring an equal level of competition, and attempts are made to match players of similar handicaps. One point is given for a win and a half-point for a tie in the Ryder Cup scoring, with the winning group taking possession of the Cup trophy for the following year.

One of Guillory’s major tasks is getting local players to take on the 65-player international team. For its "road" matches, the local delegation numbers between 25 and 30 golfers, but more than twice as many are needed to fill this year’s Acadiana team.

The only requirements for playing are an established handicap (available at virtually every club through the Louisiana Golf Association’s computer system) and a commitment to play in all three competitive rounds. Other activities are optional but add to the fun of the event.

"After our regular playing group, the first priority will be for players who commit to play all three days," Guillory said. "That helps with the consistency of the competition and hopefully will get more players involved with the Cup."

Cost of participating in all three rounds at TPC, Gray Plantation and The Wetlands is $315 including all fees, carts, meals and a cocktail hour following play. Players may travel themselves or travel by the group buses (at a nominal fee), and social activities are also open to all players at an additional cost. Golfers and non-golfers are invited to participate, and the ability to speak French is an asset but by no means a requirement.

Individuals wishing to play in the Acadiana Cup or receive more information on Cup activities may contact Guillory at buddygil@bellsouth.net.

"Obviously the golf is important," Guillory said, "but people who have been involved with the Acadiana Cup have made some lifelong friendships through this. We want to give as many people as we can that same opportunity."

"Making the Turn" appears each Wednesday. Clubs, courses and individuals with information about local golf events may email Dan McDonald, editorial director at Golfballs.com, at danmcdonald@cox.net, FAX to (337) 857-8763 or call (337) 857-8754 and leave a message with phone number. Listen to the "Making the Turn" radio show each Wednesday from 8-9 a.m. on ESPN -Sports Radio 1420.

BOYS PREPS:

Area high schools posted solid performances in the recent boys’ state championship tournaments, with three locals finishing as runners-up in their divisions and five teams finishing in the top five. The area also boasted an individual state ch

ESA was one of those runners-up with a 506 score trailing only Weston (495) in the Division VI meet at Links on the Bayou in Alexandria. Along with Como, Sam Foti was seventh (87-80"”167), Jordan Kyles 20th (96-93"”189) and Evan Bramlett 27th (107-102"”209).
Ascension Episcopal finished second in the Division V (Class A) meet also at Links on the Bayou with a 651 score trialing Cedar Creek (578). AES scores were Michael Case in 15th (75-83"”158), Jesse Leonard tied for 16th (80-81"”161), Skye Mejia tied for 20th (85-79"”164), Joseph Fruge 22nd (81-87"”168) and Dylan Domingue 35th (92-91"”183). Opelousas Catholic was third (674) and Westminster sixth (720) in that event, and Jack Tolson of Westminster finished third individually at 74-73"”147. Other top locals included Nick Hollier of Vermilion Catholic (5th, 77-71"”148), Bret Senette of Hanson (tie 9th, 74-77"”151), Jamison Thomassee of OC (13th, 80-74"”154), Joshua Wilson of VC (14th, 77-78"”155), Lucas West of St. Edmund (tie 18th, 84-79"”163) and Ryan Hackett of OC (tie 23rd, 84-85"”169).
Notre Dame was the other state runner-up in the Division III (3A) meet at Beaver Creek in Zachary at 613 behind Loyola Prep’s 575 total. Kyle Camp (4th, 69-75"”144), JohnDavid Nickel (tie 5th, 82-73"”155) and Jordan Owels (11th, 81-78"”159) led the Pioneers while Cory Johnson of Rayne tied for 12th at 81-79"”160.
St. Thomas More finished fifth in the Division II (4A) meet at Oak Wing behind the 167 of Tyler Toyston, the 172 of Dakota Simon and the 178 of Seth Forestier for 18th, 23rd and 29th places respectively. No local teams qualified for the Division I (5A) meet which was played on only one day at Copper Mill in Zachary because of rain, but Comeaux’s Ryan Desormeaux had a solid tie for fourth in the one-round event with a one-under 71.

THEY WON: The area did claim a state prep title this year, though, as St. Thomas More’s girls team took Division I (Classes 4A-5A) top honors by a narrow one-stroke margin over Mandeville in the two-day state event at Alexandria Country Club last week. STM had a 351 total, while Teurlings Catholic finished fifth as a team at 380.
Individually, Lauren Aillet finished fourth at 85-88"”173 and Danielle Perez tied for sixth at 92-86"”178 to lead STM to the title, while Hillary Washington of Teurlings (8th, 89-92"”181), Emily Pellerin of New Iberia (10th, 94-89"”183) and Leigh Ortego of STM (11th, 102-88"”190) all had high individual finishes.
SHERIFF GOLF: The Sheriff Mike Neustrom Open is this Friday at The Wetlands. The tournament helps raise funds for several charities in the Acadiana area, including helping to finance the Sheriff Office’s summer youth golf program scheduled for June at The Wetlands and Hebert Municipal.
The four-person scramble has a $150 entry fee per player including food and drink and has shotgun start times at both 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. Sponsorships are available from $150 to $750, and information and entries are available from Amy Daigle at 236-5657 ext. 31, Ken Franques at 207-4288, Keith Sibille at 236-3999, Jim Edney at 236-5889 and Jules Broussard at 236-5678.

SENIOR MEN: The Lafayette Senior Men’s Golf Association held its monthly event April 29 at Hebert Municipal and had its largest field in recent history with 40 players forming 10 four-man teams. From that big group, the team of Dennis Castille, Francis Knight, Larry Markham and Sidney Thibodeaux took top honors with a plus-20 score.
The team of Bill Angelle, Charles Begnaud, Pat Broussard and Terry Clement and the team of James Delcambre, Ernest Roger, Tony Romero and Mike Trahan finished tied for second at plus-18, while Carl Mastro, Mel Patin, Harris Theriot and Doug Truesdale finished fourth at plus-10. Murphy Delhomme’s plus-9 score was the low round not on a winning team, while Sanford Suire (sixth hole, three feet) and Lawson Rouley (12th hole, 23 inches) took closest to the hole honors.
Information on joining the LSMGA is available at the Hebert course or by contacting Tony Romero at tonylaasa@bellsouth.net.

LGA CLUB TEAM: Two players with local ties were on the winning team and three area teams finished among the top six at the Louisiana Golf Association’s Club Team Championship held recently at Koasati Pines in Kinder.
Brothers Andrew and Jason Noto, both members of the UL golf team, were part of the winning Riverlands Golf & Country Club team that finished at 416 and four shots ahead of Oak Wing for the team title. Andrew Noto posted a stellar four-under 67 in the final round, one of only three sub-par rounds, whle Jason had an even-par 71 for the team’s top two scores.
Hebert Municipal, the only team from a "muni" ever to win the Club Team title, finished third at 428 with a three-under 68 from Todd Weber and 71’s from James "T-Boy" Hamilton and Ted Weber in the first round and a pair of 71’s from Thad Weber and David Duhon in the final round.
Squirrel Run finished fifth at 436 with a 69 and 70 from Jimmy Picard and Jay Smith in the first round and back-to-back 70’s from Scott Shea, while the La. South Amateur Golf Tour team finished sixth at 437 with a 67 from Britt Guillory and 70’s from David T. Duhon and William Loftin. Oakbourne finished ninth at 447 with a 69 from Joey Wancewicz and Le Triomphe was 11th at 459 with a 68 from Paul Broussard and a 69 from Ron Hardin.

USSSA PLAY: The USSSA Golf Junior Tour returns to action Saturday-Sunday, May 26-27, in the Swashbuckler Classic at The National Golf Club in Westlake. The event is open to boys and girls age 9-18 with the 12-14 and 15-18 age groups playing 36 holes and the 9-11 age group playing 18 holes (nine daily).
Entry fee is $160 for the two older age groups and $80 for the youngest group, with each player receiving tee gifts and a commemorative T-shirt. Players must be USSSA registered, and entries are available online at www.usssa.com with a May 23 entry deadline. More information is available from Robert Boudreaux at (337) 278-8431.

ARROWHEAD: The Arrowhead Junior Golf Tour comes to Baton Rouge Saturday-Sunday, May 19-20, in the Oaks at Sherwood Junior Classic. The two-day, 36-hole event is open to players age 11-18 and deadline for entering is May 16. Information is available online at www.arrowheadjgt.com or at (318) 402-2446.
The Arrowhead tour will also stage the Audi AJGT Match Play Championship in Mandeville May 29-31.

ACES: Aaron Robin of Lafayette used an 8-iron and a Titleist Pro V 1 ball to hole out on the 128-yard third hole at Les Vieux Chenes on April 30. The 65-year-old posted his sixth career ace while playing in a group with O. C. Guillot, Albert Broussard, Bob Planski and Dan LaPointe.
Bryan Guidry of Lafayette used a pitching wedge and a Nike ball to post a hole-in-one on the 125-yard fourth hole at The Wetlands on May 3. Guidry was in a group that included Kerry Bertrand and J. T. Curtis.

LAGNIAPPE: The Louisiana USSSA will be hosting the state Junior High Golf Championships on Saturday at Les Vieux Chenes. Junior high teams from across the state will be participating "» Two locals were part of McNeese’s squad that finished 10th in the Southland Conference championships at Stonebridge Ranch in McKinney, Texas. Mick Huffman of Maurice tied for 37th with a three-round 239 total while Lafayette’s Corey Halsell carded a 252 score to finish 49th. MSU had 317-313 scores in the first two rounds but ballooned to a 335 in the final round "» The monthly Vieux Chenes Men’s Senior Golf Association tournament is Thursday at 8 a.m. at Les Vieux Chenes, with all senior players invited to join and participate. Information is available at the club or by calling 837-1159 "» The Lafayette Hockey Association holds its fund-raiser tournament Monday, May 21, at Les Vieux Chenes, and that course will also host the annual Toussaint Golf Association Tournament on Saturday-Sunday, May 26-27.