After a short recess, the Tampa Disc Slingers' Beta season has come to a close. The Championship was held at the infamous course of Limona on a beautiful afternoon day. The 4 finalists were present and ready for battle:
#1 Vinny Piperato
#2 Dan Harvey
#3 Will Parson
#4 Joe Mangrum
The championship started on a rough note when 6 bogeys were recorded after the first 2 holes. Will and Joe were able to capture an early 1 stroke lead due to the turmoil. Once the group arrived at hole 3, they got settled in and began putting away pars. The competition remained thick through the first few holes.
After 5 holes:
Will Parson +1
Joe Mangrum +1
Dan Harvey +2
Vinny Piperato +2
The doors were blown open shortly after when 1 man remained solid with a birdie and 3 more pars, while the remaining 3 began to lose their grip on their stellar performances. Holes 6-9 played host to a combined 6 bogeys and 2 double-bogeys. After the front 9 holes, the club's finest began to seperate from one another.
After 9 holes:
Vinny Piperato +1
Will Parson +4
Joe Mangrum +4
Dan Harvey +6
Vinny was able to keep the pressure in the early stages of the back 9 with 4 more pars. Feeling the urgency to keep up with the leader, the rest of the members were able to hang on and take the championship down to the final few holes.
After 15 holes:
Vinny Piperato +3
Dan Harvey +6
Will Parson +6
Joe Mangrum +7
With only 3 holes to go, the game now seems out of reach as Vinny maintains a 3 stroke lead over the pack. At this point, did anyone believe that they had a shot at climbing back into the competition? Hole 16 and 17 gives everyone problems as 6 more bogeys and 2 pars were recorded. Vinny bogeys on both holes and prodcues a glimmer of hope in the eyes of the competition.
After 17 holes:
Vinny Piperato +5
Dan Harvey +7
Will Parson +8
Joe Mangrum +8
With only 1 hole left and a 2-stroke lead, Vinny feels confident taking home the crown... until his tee shot is launched into the woods. The others produce good tee shots, giving them a fighting chance at the cost of Vinny's mistake. Vinny tries to rebound with a beautiful shot out of the woods, but a branch snags it out of the air and keeps the disc near the entrance to the woods. During this time, Dan and Will are playing solid by getting near the basket in 2 shots. Joe, unfortunately, is unable to capitalize and produces problems of his own. Joe wraps up with a double bogey on 18 and is unable to capture the crown. Vinny, now trying to par from 120 feet away, is finally able to produce a good shot and gets within 20 feet from the basket. Dan wraps up with a par. Will gets a bogey, knocking him out of running. Now it is up to Vinny. All he needs to do is sink a 20-foot shot. He shoots, and falls short of the basket. Vinny double-bogeys the 18th and is forced into a playoff with Dan for the Championship crown.
After regulation 18 holes:
Vinny Piperato +7
Dan Harvey +7
Will Parson +9 (Eliminated)
Joe Mangrum +10 (Eliminated)
A coin flip determined who will get to choose the hole to play for this 1-hole playoff. Dan won the toss and chose hole 14, a hole that both both inviduals were able to par. Vinny took the first tee shot, which hit the perfect angle around the tree line. He landed less than 40 feet from the basket. Now it's up to Dan to keep pace. He shoots, and it bears right toward the brush pile, 100 feet from the basket. Dan takes his second shot, which lands about 30 feet to right of the basket. Vinny takes his second shot, and it lands right underneath the basket. With a par secured by Vinny, it is now up to Dan to sink a tough shot to force anoter playoff hole. He shoots, it heads straight for the basket... and the shot is over the top and past the basket. Vinny "the chin" Piperato takes home the crown and the club's #1 rank.
There are questions still needing to be answered about the future of the Tampa Disc Slingers. Will there be another season that the club will host? Will Vinny be able to defend his title on a larger scale of competition? Will the club collapse, or will it rebuild and become stronger? Only time will provide these questions for us. There is a group of competitors, the UCF Disc Knights, that await our answers.
A Tampa Disc Slinger Champion Has Emerged
After a short recess, the Tampa Disc Slingers' Beta season has come to a close. The Championship was held at the infamous course of Limona on a beautiful afternoon day. The 4 finalists were present and ready for battle:
#1 Vinny Piperato
#2 Dan Harvey
#3 Will Parson
#4 Joe Mangrum
The championship started on a rough note when 6 bogeys were recorded after the first 2 holes. Will and Joe were able to capture an early 1 stroke lead due to the turmoil. Once the group arrived at hole 3, they got settled in and began putting away pars. The competition remained thick through the first few holes.
After 5 holes:
Will Parson +1
Joe Mangrum +1
Dan Harvey +2
Vinny Piperato +2
The doors were blown open shortly after when 1 man remained solid with a birdie and 3 more pars, while the remaining 3 began to lose their grip on their stellar performances. Holes 6-9 played host to a combined 6 bogeys and 2 double-bogeys. After the front 9 holes, the club's finest began to seperate from one another.
After 9 holes:
Vinny Piperato +1
Will Parson +4
Joe Mangrum +4
Dan Harvey +6
Vinny was able to keep the pressure in the early stages of the back 9 with 4 more pars. Feeling the urgency to keep up with the leader, the rest of the members were able to hang on and take the championship down to the final few holes.
After 15 holes:
Vinny Piperato +3
Dan Harvey +6
Will Parson +6
Joe Mangrum +7
With only 3 holes to go, the game now seems out of reach as Vinny maintains a 3 stroke lead over the pack. At this point, did anyone believe that they had a shot at climbing back into the competition? Hole 16 and 17 gives everyone problems as 6 more bogeys and 2 pars were recorded. Vinny bogeys on both holes and prodcues a glimmer of hope in the eyes of the competition.
After 17 holes:
Vinny Piperato +5
Dan Harvey +7
Will Parson +8
Joe Mangrum +8
With only 1 hole left and a 2-stroke lead, Vinny feels confident taking home the crown... until his tee shot is launched into the woods. The others produce good tee shots, giving them a fighting chance at the cost of Vinny's mistake. Vinny tries to rebound with a beautiful shot out of the woods, but a branch snags it out of the air and keeps the disc near the entrance to the woods. During this time, Dan and Will are playing solid by getting near the basket in 2 shots. Joe, unfortunately, is unable to capitalize and produces problems of his own. Joe wraps up with a double bogey on 18 and is unable to capture the crown. Vinny, now trying to par from 120 feet away, is finally able to produce a good shot and gets within 20 feet from the basket. Dan wraps up with a par. Will gets a bogey, knocking him out of running. Now it is up to Vinny. All he needs to do is sink a 20-foot shot. He shoots, and falls short of the basket. Vinny double-bogeys the 18th and is forced into a playoff with Dan for the Championship crown.
After regulation 18 holes:
Vinny Piperato +7
Dan Harvey +7
Will Parson +9 (Eliminated)
Joe Mangrum +10 (Eliminated)
A coin flip determined who will get to choose the hole to play for this 1-hole playoff. Dan won the toss and chose hole 14, a hole that both both inviduals were able to par. Vinny took the first tee shot, which hit the perfect angle around the tree line. He landed less than 40 feet from the basket. Now it's up to Dan to keep pace. He shoots, and it bears right toward the brush pile, 100 feet from the basket. Dan takes his second shot, which lands about 30 feet to right of the basket. Vinny takes his second shot, and it lands right underneath the basket. With a par secured by Vinny, it is now up to Dan to sink a tough shot to force anoter playoff hole. He shoots, it heads straight for the basket... and the shot is over the top and past the basket. Vinny "the chin" Piperato takes home the crown and the club's #1 rank.
There are questions still needing to be answered about the future of the Tampa Disc Slingers. Will there be another season that the club will host? Will Vinny be able to defend his title on a larger scale of competition? Will the club collapse, or will it rebuild and become stronger? Only time will provide these questions for us. There is a group of competitors, the UCF Disc Knights, that await our answers.