MVCC breaks through

BY JOHN REGER

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SANTA ANA — Though Madelaine Campbell has won Mesa Verde Country Club’s women’s championship three consecutive years, she has never made as important a shot as she did Wednesday in the 10th annual Jones Cup.

Campbell holed out from 92 yards on the 18th hole for eagle to break a tie with Big Canyon Country Club and lead MVCC to its third Jones Cup victory.

The team, which consisted of head professional Tom Sargent, Campbell, men’s club champion Preston Murray, member Bryan Rolfe and assistant professional Mark McDonough, finished at 14-under par, three shots better than six-time champion Big Canyon Country Club.

MVCC previously won the event in 2000 and 2006.

For 17 holes Campbell had been purposely avoiding that distance for a shot to the green because she chose to carry an extra fairway wood because she wanted the extra weapon.

So Campbell took the pitching wedge out of the bag and for 17 holes the strategy worked. But at the 18th she was faced with a shot that was perfect for her wedge.

“I had to punch a 9-iron,” Campbell said. “I was saying to my caddy I hope I can get this close.”

Her caddy was Natalie King, who has been MVCC women’s champion six times.

“She told me to just commit to the shot,” Campbell said. “When I hit it I knew it was a good shot.”

How good though, she wouldn’t find out until she walked to the green and saw her four male teammates bowing in appreciative unison for winning the event.

“I didn’t know it was in until I walked up to the hole,” Campbell said. “I thought I had hit it close, but I had no idea it was in.”

This is the second time Mesa Verde has used last hole heroics to win the annual competition between Newport Beach Country Club, Big Canyon Country Club and Santa Ana Country Club.

In the inaugural competition in 2000 the team was a stroke down going into the 18th hole at Newport Beach Country Club when Sargent hit a 57-degree wedge flop shot to three feet from the hole to secure a birdie and a one-stroke victory.

This year’s victory was almost as improbable. The team was two strokes behind Big Canyon when it arrived at the ninth hole.

“We lost a shot on No. 2 and that really hurt us on the front,” Rolfe said. “We caught fire on 9 and 10 and that really turned things around.”

The team went from two down to a stroke up after making two birdies on the ninth hole in the two-best ball format. Then on No. 10 Rolfe made a tap-in birdie and Murray chipped in for eagle from 30 yards away for a five-shot swing.

The team was at 11-under by the 13th hole, but again gave a shot away on a par-three when only one member was able to par No. 14.

They got it back to 11-under with a birdie on 15, but Big Canyon had tied them with a birdie on the final hole.

There were several convertible birdie putts for MVCC, but they couldn’t capitalize on them and reached the final hole still tied with Big Canyon, the members watching on the 18th.

Three of the five team members hit their tee shots in the sand and were forced to lay up on the par-five.

Sargent and Campbell hit the fairway and while Sargent nearly reached the green in two, Campbell’s second shot came to rest less than 100 yards from the hole.

While Sargent and McDonough were facing long birdie putts to avoid a playoff, Campbell took the pressure off when her shot one-hopped into the cup. Sargent made a 15-footer for the team to reach 14-under.

“The key was the par 5s,” Rolfe said. “We really took advantage of them.”