NBCC comes oh so close

NEWPORT BEACH — The Newport Beach Country Club needed Rich Ortega to sink an eight-foot birdie putt on the 18th to even the score at 11 under. It reluctantly dropped in.

Ortega’s putt gave his team a chance to win the ninth annual Jones Cup Tuesday, but the NBCC quintet missed that opportunity and was left seeking a playoff. NBCC needed two birdies, but just got one.

Team captain Paul Hahn made a slippery six footer for par to force a three-team playoff in the two-best-ball format. Like a true pro, he stepped up to the putt and drained it.

NBCC, the tournament host, competed in a 15-player playoff and had the momentum of a roaring crowd. The other players had just watched the NBCC quintet sink some huge putts and knew NBCC was capable of anything at this point.

The playoff, which also included Big Canyon and Santa Ana, was a sudden-death shootout on the 18th hole with every player playing at once and officially becoming the first fifteensome in Jones Cup history. The large group made for a wild finish. With so many players on the hole, it gave every player enough time to set their shot and play ready golf at the same time. With the sun setting, it became a rapid fire hole with some big shots from each country club.

NBCC’s Joe Staford, Hahn, and Ortega all reached the green in three and were putting for much needed birdies. Returning champs, Big Canyon Country Club, had two eagle opportunities and put the pressure on every other player that made it on.

Hahn had NBCC’s first putt for birdie from 40 feet, but came up a little short. Next was previous hero Ortega from a little closer. He had the same line as Hahn but couldn’t quite pull it around and left it up to Joe Staford. With an upright putting style, Staford smoothed one over but narrowly missed putting NBCC out of contention.

Big Canyon’s Will Tipton ended up sinking an eagle and Bob Lovejoy sank a birdie to win and NBCC tied for second with Santa Ana Country Club.

“We left a few out there,” said Rick Johnson about the putts. “But we definitely let them know we are contenders now. We made it to the playoff and put a convincing effort in.”

With the tournament at its home course and the fact that NBCC’s only Jones Cup win was when it was the host in 2004, the team came out with confidence and an early lead. Making two birdies on both the second and third holes, they set a fast pace early.

But it wasn’t that easy throughout.

“The greens are like Toshiba,” Hahn said. “We know the reads but the speed is a little faster and it’s breaking a little less.”

Both Johnson and Ortega missed birdie putts on 17 that on any other day would have went in and would have given NBCC the lead going into the 18th.

They had stayed at the top of the leader board all day riding the birdie machine Johnson (six birdies) and getting some key holes out of Albright and Staford.

Staford had actually put in a huge birdie putt on 15 to take the lead. His putting was consistent throughout considering he had been practicing at a challenging new Pechanga course all week in preparation for the tournament, he said.

But Debbie Albright was the true story of the day for NBCC. Just last summer Albright was diagnosed with cancer and had been undergoing chemotherapy in past months. Now in good health, her performance and competitive drive were so strong and steadfast that no one considered the fatigue aspect.

“I started feeling tired on the 16th but my strategy was to just stay with some pars and I played pretty good,” Albright said.

She played better than “good.” With a birdie on the second hole and numerous scorecard-saving par putts, she had the NBCC faithful saying she was carrying the team and she put together a truly inspiring round.

It was a historic and long afternoon at the Newport Beach Country Club, but its hosts put on a show that will go down in history as being a part of the best Jones Cup ever.

MARK RATTO may be reached at (714) 966-4616.