3rd Annual Willow Creek Walkabout
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Michael Belchik June 16, 2019 at 4:48pm
Under sparkling blue skies, 19 intrepid competitors pitted themselves against the brutal beast of Ammon Ranch on a hot Saturday afternoon in June. After an early start at Steelhead, the competitors braced themselves, made the trek to Ammon Ranch and the drama built. The weather was perfect, the payout was 100.00% and the fun quality was also 100.00%. Ammon played a bit shaggy, but was very playable in my opinion. The lakes were beautiful and the pond lilies in bloom on the upper lake (Lake Ram).
Chago Santiago June 14, 2019 at 3:36pm
Hey Mike! What time does this get started at the Steelhead? Do you reckon my Civic will be able to get to Ammon Ranch these days?
Stephen D.
June 14, 2019 at 10:15pm
I think we need to be at Steelhead by 8am, but, I don't know. Good question.
Michael Belchik
June 16, 2019 at 4:43pm
My apologies for not seeing this sooner, and it was great to see you all.
Winning the very competitive Rec division was none other than Stefan Sandoval straight outta Junction City with Gray Ham, Santiago and Sean Boi rounding out the field.
After a brief detour all the way to the Ranch by mistake in the morning, Nick (Will) Arnette showed up and his game showed up too. His fellow competitors agreed to allow him late entry because he was actually at Steelhead early but mistakenly thought the Ranch would be the venue. Leading wire-to-w ... more
After a brief detour all the way to the Ranch by mistake in the morning, Nick (Will) Arnette showed up and his game showed up too. His fellow competitors agreed to allow him late entry because he was actually at Steelhead early but mistakenly thought the Ranch would be the venue. Leading wire-to-wire, Nick made the best of his competitors' sportsmanship and won going away by six strokes. Rounding out the cash winners were Evan G. and local rising star Colin Mason.
In MP40 (pro Masters), the field took shape with Conan agreeing to jump to pro so they could round out a foursome of competitors. Hailing from Weaverville, Conan made the best of the situation by climbing into cash a single stroke ahead of Wes W and taking home $60 cash. Winning the division handi ... more
In MP40 (pro Masters), the field took shape with Conan agreeing to jump to pro so they could round out a foursome of competitors. Hailing from Weaverville, Conan made the best of the situation by climbing into cash a single stroke ahead of Wes W and taking home $60 cash. Winning the division handily, and even leading all players after round one was Jorey McComas, taking home $100 for his efforts. It was truly a sportsman game out there between these fine competitors.
In men's Open, the play was very competitive and close all day long. After the first round at Steelhead, local lefty Jesse Williams was clinging to a single stroke lead over 54 year old journeyman pro and Tournament Director, yours truly, Mike Belchik. Kelly Kraft was in the mix too, only ano ... more
In men's Open, the play was very competitive and close all day long. After the first round at Steelhead, local lefty Jesse Williams was clinging to a single stroke lead over 54 year old journeyman pro and Tournament Director, yours truly, Mike Belchik. Kelly Kraft was in the mix too, only another stroke back. At Ammon Ranch, the scores stayed close the entire way. Kelly started the fireworks by banging a 190 foot upshot EAGLE on Mule Train (hanging tone par 5). Belchik answered with birdies on 11, 13, 14, and 15, only to be matched stroke for stroke by Kelly. Jesse found his power game late, birdieing the difficult hole 16 and 17 to place himself back in the game. Although Cameron's game wasn't where he wanted it to be, Cameron was a true gentleman and never got down. The game went to the wire with Mike and Jesse picking up some later birdies. On the final hole, Jesse's birdie putt missed by a hair, and the disc plopped OB into the water. The bogey putt was made to match Belchik and Kraft's birdie efforts and the end result was an exciting 3 man sudden-life playoff! And sudden life it was. On the first extra hole, Mike Belchik pured a 210 ft upshot straight into the top-dead-center of the post for a walk-off eagle and the win.
Every competitor there deserves commendation for putting their heart into their game and for how their spirit showed through. I'd like to make it a goal to at least double the number of players next year. If you have any suggestions on format changes or any way to generate more players, please let me know. See you all at the 4th Annual Willow Creek Walkabout in June 2020!