Joseph Deraney overcomes rough start, takes Stocker Cup lead
Joe Deraney leads the Stocker Cup after firing 68 at
The Preserve Golf Club in Carmel
CARMEL, California (Oct. 20, 2016) -- Starting at No.
10 at The Preserve Golf Club can be a bit challenging,
with a ten minute drive from the clubhouse often
shortening warm up sessions before a player is quite
ready. The tee shot on the short par-4 is relatively
benign, but miss right and you'll soon see the
appropriately-positioned spotter hunting down your ball
to speed up play.
For Joe Deraney a missed tee shot right on No. 10
resulted in a double-bogey. Silence followed, as neither
Deraney (Nashville, TN) or his B player partner Drew
Kitchen (San Francisco) wanted to break the ice.
"I knew what he was thinking," said Deraney. "'I just
bogeyed my first hole and beat my partner.'"
Maybe that thought was motivation, as the seasoned
mid-am golfer with two big titles under his belt in 2016
went 6-under from that point forward, posting one of
the most unlikely rounds of 68 you'll see, especially at
a course that can challenge even the best Mid-Ams.
Deraney, ranked No. 7 in the
AmateurGolf.com Mid-Am rankings, will try to
capture another big title, after winning both the Lupton
Invitational (Tennessee) and the Timuquana Cup
(Florida) earlier this season.
A total of seven players broke par on a beautiful
California fall day that found the recently-remodeled
course in top condition. Just a stroke back of Deraney
at 69 is Gene Elliott, the Iowa standout who is also
enjoying an excellent season. Elliott sparked his round
with a holed third shot from 90 yards for eagle on the
par-5 4th hole, and could have tied Deraney had he
converted a short birdie try on the last hole.
2013 champion John Sawin is one of three players to
have posted 2-under 70. Sawin is coming off a recent
runner-up finish at another Mid-Am "major" - the
Crump Cup at Pine Valley (yes, top Mid-Ams have it
good). Andy McCabe of Dallas was the lowest of the
first-timers; he is tied with Sawin and second year
player Charles Waddell of Chicago.
Twice-defending champion Brady Exber posted 75, and
after the round joked about the course setup today
(with three new "back-back" tees). "I think George
[Kelley, the tournament chairman] doesn't want to see
an old guy win it again this year.
Knowing Exber, he is bound to be in the thick of things
come Saturday.
NOTABLE
In addition to Elliott's eagle on No. 4, Brad Wilder's
partner Nick Feczko holed his second shot on No. 7 for
an eagle 2 and a net score of 1.
ABOUT THE
Stocker Cup
The Stocker Cup was founded in 1991 to
honor
the
memory of Peter Stocker. Peter and his
partners Bill
Harlan and John Montgomery founded San
Francisco's
Pacific Union Company, a highly successful
real
estate
development company. The firm initiated the
development of The Santa Lucia Preserve, a
20,000
acre residential and golf community located
above
Carmel. Meandering through the winding road
to
The
Preserve's centerpiece -- the top-100 rated
golf
course -- has been described as "driving
through a California postcard." The Stocker
Cup
was played from 1991 to 1999 at Pebble
Beach
and
its
surrounding golf courses, before moving to
the
Tom
Fazio and Sandy Tatum designed Preserve
G.C.
In
the
words of former USGA President Tatum:
"Peter
Stocker was the quintessential amateur golfer.
He
loved golf with a passion. He would have
loved
this
tournament."
FORMAT:
54-hole individual
competition
with
a
simultaneous best-ball event, similar to the
AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. Invited Mid-
Amateur
players are either paired with a single digit
amateur
or
can propose their own partner to be
introduced
and
invited by the Committee.
View Complete Tournament Information