Tour Championship Notes:

Tournament Details

• Course: Bella Vista Golf Course

• 1st Round First Tee Time: 7:30 AM

• 2nd Round First Tee Time: 1:03 PM

• White Tees / Slope 126

• Weather: 77 degrees and partly cloudy.

• Attire: The Exec Committee unanimously recommends either pants in the morning or a 1/4 zip to combat the early morning and late afternoon chill in the air.

Groupings and Strokes

7:30 AM Tee Time

Jerry (8)

Pook (13)

Muss (9)

Carney (14)

7:39 AM Tee Time

Tucci (23)

Matt (6)

Vince (15)

Launi (17)

7:48 AM Tee Time

Grambo (18)

Pudd (23)

Meyer (16)

7:57 AM Tee Time

Nate (23)

Tag (23)

Sabara (23)

1:03 PM Tee Time & 1:12 PM Tee Time - Will be reconfigured based on 1st round scores of groups 1 & 2

1:21 PM Tee Time

Grambo (18)

Pudd (23)

Meyer (16)

1:30 PM Tee Time

Nate (23)

Tag (23)

Sabara (23)

Tournament Challenges

Closest to the pin on Hole #14. Winner must par the hole. This will be in play for both rounds.

Tour Raffle

· Each player will receive 1 raffle ticket to start.

· A player can earn additional tickets between both rounds for natural birdies or better:

• Birdie – 1 ticket

• Eagle – 2 tickets

Executive Cup Points at Stake: Click here to review the point system for the Tour Championship as points are awarded for the net lowest score in each round, with increased points awarded to the overall standings since the tournament is 36 holes.

Nate Kraynak Penalty:

Due to his egregious and unconscionable actions of withdrawing at the Lehigh Valley Classic to go home and watch the Eagles game, the Executive Committee has discussed Mr. Kraynak's malfeasance and have unanimously reached an acceptable punishment. Mr. Kraynak will be required to shotgun three (3) alcoholic beverages of his choosing during the time period between the 7:30am tee time and the 7:57am tee time. In addition to the 3 shotguns, Mr. Kraynak will serve as the honorary scorekeeper of the Sabara v. Tag matchup for both rounds.

Tournament Preview Power Rankings presented by Vincent J. Sobocinski

The “Playing for last place” Group

14. Tag

13. Sabara

Arguably the most exciting storyline of the day. Mr. Sabara has earnestly expressed his desire to “not come in last place” and that he’s “tired of losing.” Tag has shown great apathy about this supposed rivalry and instead has focused his energy at the range trying to better his game. These two will be battling it out for the right to say they aren’t the worst golfer on the YPGA tour.

Prediction: With a fair accounting of strokes by Mr. Kraynak and Mr. Sabara’s improved game, he edges “The Commish” and reaches his goal of finishing second to last for the year.

The “What happened this year?” Group

12. Dave King

11. Meyer

10. Grambo

Talk about an underwhelming performance from this group in 2020. With a borderline theft of the Exec Cup in 2019, the new handicap rules have not been kind to Mr. King and he has predictably turned in a sub-par performance this year. “I’m just excited to play.” said Mr. King, “Having kids is hard.” Let’s hope he gets out of the house to get a few practice swings in before Saturday and stocks up on his order of VICE balls.

Mr. Meyer probably wishes he was back at North Hills. Those were the good old days where he was dominating the Tour as a 13 handicap. After a sneaky Destination Championship win in 2019, it appears time has passed Mr. Meyer by and he has steadily declined over the course of 2020. Asked about how he’ll play at the Tour Championship, Mr. Meyer stated, “I’m a blue collar guy doing blue collar things.” Let’s hope his game is more coherent than his quotes.

Mr. Grambo made some major strides heading into the season but it has not resulted in any type of progress when it comes to the overall rankings. Disappointing showings at every Major this year have pushed Mr. Grambo out of contention. While unlikely to hoist any type of trophy this season, Mr. Grambo feels confident, “I have a feeling I’ll be able to 4-putt again on 18 to seal a victory.” Doubtful.

Prediction: While no one in this group has a shot at the overall championship, they could make it interesting on the overall leaderboard. Mr. King will jump out to a fast start but shotguns, bad ankles, and no practice will have him out of contention by 1 PM. Meyer could make some noise with a turnaround in his game. Keeping it consistent throughout the day will be the key; top 5 for Mr. Meyer. Ed surprises everyone and has 2 birdies on the first 18. However, a severe lack of conditioning and his sausage patty diet leaves him unprepared for an 11 hour golf day and he finishes top 10 but out of contention.

The “Just having some fun, maybe winning a major” Group

9. Launi

8. Nate

7. Vince

No shot at pulling Exec Cup hardware but this group has an outside shot to contend for the day.

Mr. Launi is making a reappearance after a horrific 4th of July skateboarding accident. While only his second major of the year, his victory at The Open has kept him afloat in the standings. “I’m just looking to get back out there with the guys. Are Drew and Marino coming?” asked Mr. Launi. The rust will have to be knocked off but if his play is as loud as his outfit, Mr. Launi could turn some heads on Saturday.

What can we say, for someone who packed it up and simply left at the last Major he probably doesn’t have enough heart to contend. Maybe he really wanted to watch the Eagles or maybe he had nightmares about his disaster of a putt on the playoff hole at the Open. One thing we know is that Mr. Kraynak will be required to shotgun three beers. “While I don’t necessarily agree, I’ve accepted the decision and I’m happy to shotgun three beers as a makeup for my actions. I admit that I let my team down and acknowledge that the Exec Committee has once again made a reasonable and fair ruling,” acknowledged Mr. Kraynak.

Inconsistent. That’s the name of the game for Mr. Sobocinski. With a career-best round at the Del Val sandwiched between two awful outings at The Open and Lehigh Valley Classic, no one know which player will show up. The former Exec Cup champion and two-time major winner or the guy who went from a slice to a hook in one season. “If I’m on my game, I think I can string 19-20 good holes together.” said Mr. Sobocinski. Probably not enough but he could be nipping at the leaders heels come Saturday afternoon.

Prediction: Mr. Launi can’t shake off the rust and Mr. Kraynak is unable to string any shots together after crushing beers and playing with Mr. Taglialatela and Mr. Sabara. They both finish outside the top 7. Mr. Sobocinski starts off strong, implodes in the middle, and brings it back together for an admirable top 5 finish.

The “Could it happen?” Group

6. Matt

5. Tucci

The best golfer on The Tour has had some pretty bad showings this year but he still finds himself in semi-contention. If Mr. Kelly can play to his potential he could make a run and card his strongest finish ever. Asked about his odds, Mr. Kelly stated “I’m feeling good. Gonna go out and play my best. Wish my brother was gonna be there though.” We all wish he was going to be there but he has a kid now and once you have a kid...well....we know where this is going.

The worst dressed player on Tour is in contention. He also refuses to pay for The Grint,, but that hasn’t slowed down Mr. Patitucci’s season. While he missed the first Major of the year, Mr. Patitucci has had two strong back-to-back showings and feels poised for a run at The Cup. “I’m ready to go and feel good. I’m going to swing out my shoes all day and hope it works.” Mr. Patitucci continued, ” Putting doesn’t matter that much.” Potential dark horse candidate who will be hanging around all day. Wouldn’t be surprised if we saw him hoisting a trophy.

Prediction: Mr. Patitucci hits 20 good drives, but can’t hold up for 36 holes as he doesn't know how to use any other club in his bag, but keeps it interesting throughout the day. Keeps his strong showings alive with a top-4 finish. Mr. Kelly breaks through and finally plays to his potential, top-3.

The “Contenders” Group

4. Carney

3. Margiotti

2. Pook

1. Musselman

It’s been a strange year but that hasn’t stopped this group from turning in solid performances to put them at the top of the standings heading into our final tournament. Mr. Carney has improved his finishes in each of the past 3 Majors and believes this trend will continue. Asked recently about his chances at the Tour Championship, Mr. Carney responded “I’m supremely confident and believe I’m better than everyone out there. I have no doubt that the thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours I’ve spent playing golf this year will finally pay off." The big question is will Mr. Carney’s driver hold up. It’s been the most inconsistent part of his game all year. Can he hold it together for 36 holes?

Newcomer Mr. Margiotti looks to top off his rookie campaign as a major winner and Exec Cup Champion. This would be a banner rookie year for Mr. Margiotti with a major championship and an Exec Cup win. Sources have indicated that his constant griping about handicap revisions is wearing thin. A source close to the Exec Committee shared that, “The Committee thinks Mr. Margiotti should focus on not fluffing shots around the green and spend less time whining about his handicap. Let his game do the talking.” We’ll see how “Doctor” Jerry plays with the added pressure of a Tour Championship.

It seems that marriage has actually helped Mr. Pook’s game. Coming off his Allentown victory, Mr. Pook is feeling very, very confident in his chances to be the 2020 Executive Cup Champion. Last week Mr. Pook was overheard saying, “It’s my tournament to lose.” Big confidence. All that post-nuptial meat smoking happening in South Philly is putting a lot of wind in his sails. Let’s see if it helps keep his game in order. 36 holes in one day may be asking too much from Mr. Pook.

Armed with an official YPGA golf bag, Mr. Musselman has fully committed to the lifestyle of the YPGA. Will some good play at Whistling Straits translate into solid scores at Bella Vista? Our prognostication team thinks that it will. Asked about his chances, Mr. Musselman stated, “I’m just looking to have fun and smoke more cigs than either Mr. Kelly or Mr. Launi.” Admirable goal.

Prediction: Mr. Musselman goes low and takes the Exec Cup. Mr. Pook has too many mental errors, is exhausted from 11 hours of golf, and can’t hold off a solid day from Mr. Musselman. Mr. Margiotti can’t go low enough to take the Cup and finishes out of contention. Mr. Carney’s driver falls apart and ends another disappointing year as a major-less Executive Committee member. Three top-4 finishers in this grouping with one of them falling outside the top 8.