The El Rancho Chico Golf Club recently held its highly anticipated End-of-the-Year Player-of-the-Year Tournament at Bidwell, celebrating the top golfers of the season. On March 10, 2024, Travis Shute emerged as the Player-of-the-Year in the white tee men’s division, while Ben Heerema claimed the title in the yellow tee senior division. Both players distinguished themselves by accumulating the most points throughout the year in the monthly Player-of-the-Year point tournaments.
The final tournament featured the top 20 point leaders, inclusive of ties, from both divisions. To enhance participation, the club offered additional monetary incentives for payouts, as well as prizes for gross and net skins and closest to the pin contests.
In the white tee division, Shute secured his victory with a total of 2,900 points, narrowly finishing just 25 points ahead of Miles Tegarden. The competition was fierce, with only 750 points separating the top ten players, showcasing a highly competitive season. Following Shute and Tegarden in the standings were notable golfers including Shawn Anderson, Adam Almand, Steve Vance, Jimmy Smith, Matt Long, Russell Olvay, Dan Evaro, Duke Warren, and Rio Gates.
In contrast, the yellow tee senior division saw Heerema dominate, winning by an impressive margin of 1,025 points against Jeff Nedved. The top finishers in this division included Nedved, Pat Goodwin, Ed Anderson, Lloyd Hightower, George Laver, Tod Kimmelshue, Rich Lash, Vic Mitchell, and Lane Bates.
Gates also made headlines by achieving the overall low gross in the white tee flight with a score of 77. Teagarden captured the overall low net with a score of 69, nearly overtaking Shute for the Player-of-the-Year title. Other notable performances in the net category included Evaro with a 70, Shute who was tied for third with a card-off score of 74, and Vance also finishing with 74.
Heerema set a high standard in the yellow tee flight, taking the overall low gross with a score of 71. Bates led the net category with a score of 67, followed by Goodwin at 69, Kimmelshue with 71, and Heerema again with a score of 73, which was determined by a card-off.
The tournament featured several contests, including skins competitions. In the white tee flight, Evaro won three skins, with Almand, Ferguson, Gates, and Woolf each securing additional skins. The yellow tee flight saw Dennis Lundy and Heerema each winning two skins, while Goodwin and Bates also contributed to the total.
The closest to the pin contest in the white tee flight highlighted several players: Nedved at hole 2, Bates at hole 4, and a tie between Nedved and Kimmelshue at hole 7. For the yellow tee flight, Todd Martin, Almand, and Gates were among those excelling in this category.
In a separate tournament, the Bidwell Women’s Golf Club hosted a “TOE” game for its weekly competition. The first flight low gross was claimed by Kelly MacKinnon with a score of 87. In this game, participants scored based on holes beginning with the letters T, O, and E. The winners in the first flight were Becky Callas with a score of 37 and Betty Linzy at 39.5.
For the second flight, Tina Dunlap had the low gross with a score of 97, while Susan Pease and Cindy Bell topped the game scores. The third flight low gross was achieved by Linda Mowell with a score of 116, and Eileen Brownell won the game with 42.5.
The Chico-Paradise SIR’s Golf Club also organized a 4-Man Scramble Tournament at Bidwell, attracting a significant turnout of 52 players. The tournament’s top team comprised Greg (Henry) Brown, Jeff Day, AJ Haggard, and Don Krysakowski, finishing with a score of 62.6. The event rewarded five places, with other notable teams including those led by Dennis Bruggman and Mike Hull at 63.7.
The closest to the pin contest results in this tournament featured exceptional performances by Alex Van Patten, Ken Baker, and Mike Lim, among others.
While the weather proved challenging with damp and foggy conditions, the camaraderie and friendly atmosphere within the clubhouse provided a warm retreat for players from the Table Mountain, Canyon Oaks, and Butte Creek ladies’ clubs, who were unable to hold their weekly tournaments.
As the golf season wraps up, the outstanding performances of Shute, Heerema, and others set the stage for an exciting next year at the El Rancho Chico Golf Club.
