‘Sarge’ goes out on top, Mesa Verde wins Jones Cup in his finale

After a dramatic win, Tom Sargent said his pivotal second shot on the par-four No. 17 wasn’t as difficult as it appeared. The Mesa Verde Country Club head professional certainly made it look easy.

It was part of a storybook-type finish for Sargent, known as “Sarge,” who is retiring after 22 years at Mesa Verde and played in all 18 Jones Cup events — the only player to do so.

He won the first Jones Cup at Newport Beach Country Club and closed out his career with the victory at Mesa Verde in the tournament that features five local country clubs: Big Canyon, Newport Beach, Santa Ana and Shady Canyon.

It was a repeat win for Mesa Verde, which won its sixth Jones Cup. Sargent’s birdie on No. 17 helped Mesa Verde (9-under-par 63) to a two-stroke win against Shady Canyon (-7). Big Canyon (-5) came in third, followed by Santa Ana (-2) and Newport Beach (+3).

“It’s nice to win the first one, and it’s nice to win my last one, because this is it for me,” Sargent said. He then added in a playful tone: “I’m still kind of angry about the 12 we didn’t win.”

Sargent was about 180 feet from the hole on No. 17, off the fairway to the left, and a big tree branch was in his path. But Sargent smacked his shot low enough to avoid the branch and, upon landing, the ball hit the fringe of the bunker and popped onto the green, about 5 feet from the cup.

“It just shows it was kind of meant to be for him,” said Ryan Gale, a teammate and MVCC men’s club champion. “He asked about the read on his birdie putt. I just said hammer it in the hole. He just laughed and put it in center cup. I’m glad he was the one that made the birdie. He deserved that win.”

Sargent displayed a fist pump after sinking in the birdie. It was similar to what he did after he rolled in a birdie putt from about 35 feet out on No. 5.

He ended his round with a par on the par-three No. 18, where members of the Shady Canyon team sat just outside the green. Playing in the two best-ball format, MVCC needed at least a bogey to secure the win. Mitch Allenspach, the MVCC senior men’s champion, also made par to ensure the two-stroke win.

Kim Izzi, the MVCC ladies champion, and the club pro Mike Fergin contributed to the victory.

“The win last year was great, but this being his last year playing with us was better, and he played lights out,” Gale said. “From the third hole on he carried us. We really wanted to win for him. All the other teams knew that but they weren’t going to lay down for us. We knew we had to play well. To win for Sarge and to see him put us on top over the last few holes I’ll never forget that.”

Jones Cup organizers had already planned a special trophy presentation for Sargent after the event. The award, which was a crystal cup, could use an addition to the engraving, as it listed MVCC’s Jones Cup championships, 2000, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2016. Add 2017.

Mesa Verde had a strong showing on the front nine, going seven-under, as the final group. The highlight for MVCC came on No. 4, where Gale chipped in for eagle. Meanwhile, Shady Canyon was at -6 through 13 holes.

But Shady Canyon nailed two birdies on No. 14 to grab the lead by one stroke. Shady Canyon was up to -9 through 17 holes but two bogeys on the par-three No. 18 with the tricky green moved it back down to -7.

A large gallery, made up of mostly MVCC members, followed the MVCC team throughout its round. The MVCC team members appeared to be having fun during the Jones Cup.

Before the event, Sargent told the Daily Pilot that MVCC would not be the favorite even though it was on its home course. After the Jones Cup, he joked about whose course it was.

“We were not the home team,” Sargent joked after receiving his special Jones Cup award. “Many of you think we are but actually Shady Canyon is the home team. They had 32 practice rounds out here. In the bag room we have the area where Brian [Gunson, the Shady Canyon head pro,] sleeps.”

Joking aside, the Jones Cup has been a meaningful event for Sargent and MVCC. The club cut out photos from the Daily Pilot displaying its win and posted it on the walls of the locker room. MVCC will need to make room for Sargent’s final victory.

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Twitter: @SteveVirgen