Pickering Valley Shotgun Classic (Rescheduled) Preview

Tour Members,

Welcome to 2022 YPGA season! After a blustery and long winter without steady golf, and a postponement for the first time in Tour history, it is an exciting and welcomed (unwelcomed for the WAGs) sight to see our first event approach. This season will certainly bring new changes and new members to the Tour. First, there will be no minor tournaments – only team events and majors. Second, there will be one closest to the pin hole contest and donation to the Exec Cup purse. Third, welcome Anthony Fucinari to the prestigious Tour!

March 12th will be our first event and it will be our YPGA Cup (Ryder Cup) team event. Yes, we know, the weather will likely consist of rain. Thank you for the screenshots and complaints about the weather. Here are the quick details:

Course: Pickering Valley Golf Club

Location: Phoenixville, PA

First Tee Time: 10:30am

Opening remarks by the YPGA Chief Operating Office: 10:10am on practice putting green next to Hole #1. Group shotgun to kick off the Shotgun Classic with beer provided by the YPGA Exec Committee.

Rules: YPGA Winter Rules* in effect; unlimited Shotgun-Mulligans off the tee only. You must do your shotgun prior to hitting the mulligan shot.

Monetary Payment: $10pp to Ed Grambo via Venmo ($5 closest to the pin; $5 to Exec Cup). Due immediately. Pay him.

Closest to the Pin: Hole 16.

Event: Ryder Cup 2-man match play (2 vs 2), best ball net of handicap. Please know what this means so we don’t have to explain.

YPGA Exec Cups: 500 points to each player that wins their match. 250 points if you halve your match.

Driving Range: Yes.

Putting Green: Yes.

Post Round Drinks: Sedona Taphouse (“Serious Food and Hundreds of Craft Beers”), downtown Phoenixville. Immediately after the round.

Groupings

	Hybird Putter Fire	Reach Around
10:30am	Pook/Sabara	Nate/Anthony
10:40am	Meyer/Andy	Musselman/Tag
10:50am	Gerard/Vincent	Carney/Matt Kelly
11:00am	Dave King/Jason	Wayne/Ed
11:10am	Matt Launi	Michael Patitucci

Late scratch: Billy Kelly

*YPGA Winter Rules:

We won’t know the exact condition of the course and it is still winter with drastic changes in the weather. We want people to not be penalized as a result of weather conditions at this time. As a result, we have our version of winter rules:

1. Lift, clean and place: if there is mud on your ball, you may lift, clean and place if the ball is in the fairway. Please don’t utilize this for every single shot.

2. Gimmes: gimmes can be taken if your putt is within a putter’s length of the hole. Does not apply to birdie or eagle putts. No gimmes at all on the last 3 holes (16, 17, 18).

3. Embedded ball: Embedded ball relief can be taken anywhere in the fairway, or first cut. Lift, clean your ball and replace it nearest to original spot.

4. Embedded ball in the rough: Embedded ball relief can be taken in the rough as well, except that you must lift, clean and DROP. You shouldn’t have to hit a plugged ball, but you shouldn’t get a preferred lie either.

5. Embedded ball that can’t be found: Your opponents need to agree that your ball should have been found in order to get a free drop in the general area where the ball was lost. (i.e. likely will only apply if you’re 5-10 yards into the rough and the ball is completely plugged and unfindable; does not apply when you hit the ball 100 yards into the woods)

6. Pooled water: if your ball or stance is in pooled water, find the nearest dry spot, no closer to the hole. Basically, move backwards or to the side to find a dry spot

7. Bunkers: Who knows what condition they will be in. If there’s sand, you hit out of bunker as usual. If your group deems the bunker as “Ground under Repair,” put your ball in the grass behind the bunker.

8. Do I get to move every ball to a preferred lie? No, you don’t. If there’s no mud on the ball and the lie is dry, play it as it lies.

Pickering Valley Shotgun Classic Preview

The 2022 iteration of the YPGA Cup has some notable personnel changes. Andy, Meyer and Sabara have been traded to Hybird Putter Fire in exchange for Musselman, Patitucci and Tag. We’ll let the pundits decide who won that trade. However, the great equalizer is the handicap strokes, which Hybird Putter Fire has a plethora of. Let’s take a look at the matchups:

10:30am: Pook/Sabara vs. Nate/Anthony Fucinari

Frat mates Paul Koch and Mike Sabara will team up like they did in their explorer days against old St. Stans/LC pals Nate Kraynak and Anthony Fucinari. Despite shooting an 81 at BBCC, Team PookieBara will have to dig deep and rekindle the camaraderie they enjoyed bobbing for black dildos during their pledging days. Nate will promise to be steady eddy in this foursome and his strokes give him a great advantage. No one really knows where Anthony’s game is at right now so he’s a true wildcard. Sometimes maybe good, sometimes maybe shit! One thing is for sure – half of Anthony’s shotguns will end up down the front of his shirt. This one comes down to the wire, but Nate and Fooch win by one. Slight Edge: Nate and Anthony.

10:40am: Meyer/Andy vs. Mike Musselman/Greg Taglialatela

Chris and Andy will provide a formidable challenge to Mike and Greg in this one, mainly due to the fact that Musselman will need to carry the load. If Greg can sprinkle in 5-6 good holes to win the hole with his 45 strokes, that could ultimately be the difference assuming Muss does his part. Meyer and Andy are simply wildcards in which version shows up. If 81 Andy shows up, it could be a tough day for Muss and Tag. No one knows where Chris’s game is really at right now. We wouldn’t be surprised if Meyer and Andy win by 3, and it wouldn’t surprise us if their peloton performances did not properly prepare them for the undulations and hills at PVGC. EVEN.

10:50am: Vince/Gerard vs. Carney/Matt Kelly

This promises to be the marquee matchup of the afternoon and will be followed closely by our telecast. Vince enters the matchup in fine form, although admittedly less prepared than he was a year ago. He has a new (like, actually new. Not “new” as in he purchased it from Karen off eBay. New as in he actually went to a store that sold golf clubs and purchased a new, unused driver for the first time in his life) Callaway driver and 3-wood. He’s hitting both well as you’d expect but the iron game is still his bugaboo. He features well in a team match play and will complement Gerry well. Offseason knee surgery will have the tour wondering that status of his health as he enters the season. Surely, he worked hard in physical therapy in order to get in shape in time for the start of the YPGA season. Carney and Matt will have little room for error in this matchup and that could be problematic for Carney who is sure to have 3-4 blow up holes, per the usual. Matt will need to not suck like he normally does in order to keep things even until Carney figures out his game for the day. This is an even matchup and could go a lot of different ways, likely ending up in a seesaw battle all the way to the end. Slight Edge: Carney/Matt

11:00am Dave King/Jason vs. Wayne/Ed

On paper, this is an easy win for Wayne and Ed. Jay’s unimpressive performances in Scottsdale has his confidence shaken and he may not be able to pick up where he left off in 2021 when he was casually breaking 80 as a 14 handicap (must be nice). Dave King, though, thrives in team play competition mainly due to his excessive strokes and ability to string together about 9 great holes. Wayne and Ed should ham and egg it all day en route to an easy victory, even though Ed’s game is still a bit shaky at this point in time. However, PVGC offers Ed the chance to blast it wherever and still make par. Even still, Ed and Wayne have enough talent to coast, leaving Jay and Dave confused about how to play the rest of the round. But hey, beats a day in the office. Big Edge: Wayne/Ed

11:10am: Matt Launi v. Michael Patitucci

Michael has taken his golf game up a notch in equipment and price point only by purchasing new irons and hybrids (welcome to the Taylormade family, Michael), and likely a new putter since his current putter is listed on Facebook Marketplace ($30 if anyone needs a 1996 Odyssey putter). Launi has the clear edge in this one as a multiple time major winner and Exec Cup champion. He’s coming off an incredible 2021 campaign and luckily for Mike, he can only go down from there. Our team caught up with Michael Patitucci this week on how he intends to handle Matt Launi and his response: “bring a ton of drugs and alcohol and feed them to Matt as much as possible on the front 9 so that things are even on the back 9.” Great strategy Mike! Edge: Launi