8th Annual Recap

Written by Nick Latzke

As the 24 invitees traveled their way to Spicer on Thursday, they were met with treacherous thunderstorms and even a power outage. Fear quickly set in that the tournament was in jeopardy when the horrible news broke; the Head Pro announced Friday closure at the Home course Little Crow (who many have grouped in with The Rose Bowl, Madison Square Garden, Wembley, and Yankee Stadium as the most iconic venues in sports).

The Committee quickly pivoted and connected with the real MVP of the tournament (sorry Stinz) - Cindy at Koronis Hills, and somehow booked about 30 back to back tee times only 12 hours in advance. Just like that, the Spieth was back on.

Dalys Darts 🚬, 8th Annual Best Dressed Team

Space Jam Scramblers 🪐🏀 , Honorable Mention Best Dressed

Day 1 - Round Robin

In the early goings as many expected, Lindy’s Luck came out hot, but then had a cool down stretch in Rounds 2 and 3 which opened the door for last years champs Sean Devine, Matt Galloway and the LA Lippers to climb up the standings after a Day-high 13 points in Round 3. On a more surprising note, the Island Boys (#1 team picked to finish last) strung together 3 solid rounds with the most notable takeaway being the astronomical improvement from Mitch Ebo, and they also found themselves fighting for a Bye.

The highlight of the day came from 3-time MVP Sam Warner, who holed out on #9 from 100 yards to win their Round 2 match. Sam hit a perfect shot, spinning a wedge backwards into the hole, crushing the spirit of his opponents. However, there wasn’t quite enough magic from the Vegas odds favorites, Puff Puff Putt, as they finished the day in the disappointing 5 slot.

Lindy’s Luck showcased their astounding team chemistry in the final 4-man scramble round, where they put together an impressive 5 points (2 more than any other team), to lock themselves into the 1 seed. It took an incredible team effort. On the 2nd hole, rookie Cam Posey hit all three shots, making birdie for the team, kick-starting their run. The heart and soul of their team, Jimmy Farrow, drained a 40-foot eagle putt on the 3rd hole. The crowd went wild! On the 7th hole, after slowing down, Lindy's Luck faced a 10-foot uphill birdie putt to regain momentum. The first three birdie putts were left short... So Harrington, puzzled by his teammates, banged the 10 footer into the back of the hole. On the 18th and final hole, needing a birdie to secure a bye, Mark Lapointe hit a perfect, and I mean perfect, 20-yard chip from a tough lie to a foot from the pin. Lindys luck tapped in for birdie to secure the lead by half a point.

LA Lippers would join Lindy's with a bye in the first round. LA and the Island Boys actually tied in points on day one, but LA won the tiebreaker due to more points in the team scramble. The Island Boys would be the 3 seed, followed by Space Jam Scramblers in the 4 slot, PPP the 5, and Daly’s Darts the 6.

Day 1 Results ⛳

Day 2 - Bracket Play

Against all odds, the Little Crow dried up just enough to open up their doors for players and spectators, as 4 teams arrived bright and early for their first round matchups. Worth noting that the driving range was closed, enhancing the pressure of the opening round.

Quarterfinals

The 3 seed Island Boys had their work cut out for them vs Daly’s Darts as Captain Andrew Weber was a man on an absolute mission. Ultimately, it came down to Hole #9 where the Island Boys prevailed to move on and face the Lippers.

Meanwhile, PPP faced off against Space Jam and their experience proved to be too much for the rookie-filled Space Jam roster. PPP advanced to the semis for another episode of the always highly anticipated Stinz vs Warner rivalry.

Semifinals

Both matches ultimately came down to who could capitalize on Birdie opportunities versus settling for Par. For Lindy's Luck, the Harrington-Farrow pairing went -4 through 7 holes, catching fire at the right time. The top 2 seeds - Lindy’s Luck and LA Lippers lived up to their high rankings and both moved on to the finals to face off for the title.

Puff Puff Putt 💨 , a final 4 team at the 8th Annual Invy

Island Boys 🏝, a final 4 team at the 8th Annual Invy

Last Place Game

The Darts bounced back after the heartbreaker in Round 1, and once again experience prevailed over youth as they took down the Scramblers to avoid the dreaded last place title.

Worth noting that we give big props to David Dolan, Thomas Schutt, Tanner Haines, and Jeremy Nichols as they all handled the loss with pure class and wore the Carver gear and cat ears proudly. If it’s any consolation, the previous last place team’s members Cullen McNeil and Mark LaPointe both ended up in the following year’s championship. Anything can happen on any given year at the Spieth

Space Jam Scramblers 🪐🏀 , The Losers of the 8th Annual Invy

Championship

After playing in 7 Spieths and never once winning, the pressure certainly was flowing through Captain Austin Harrington’s veins at this point. But you never would’ve been able to tell the difference, as he was playing cool, calm, and collected in all facets. The Harrington-Farrow pair came out of the gate birdying the first two holes of the championship match.

Lindy's Luck seemed destined to get this done. MIP Runner-Up Mark Milker LaPointe was clearly motivated all offseason by his last place finish, and looked like a whole new player with the hybrid being his new secret weapon. He hit some incredible drives and hybrids all tournament. That combined with eventual ROY Cam Posey showcasing that maybe experience is overrated, those two would be a dangerous pairing. And add on Mr. 5 Iron Jimmy Farrow, (playing on pure adrenaline with a recently torn Achilles I might add) rounded out a squad that was not going home without a trophy.

The Lippers fought hard, as Cullen McNeil played some phenomenal golf the entire tournament, and the former champs duo, along with Freddy were a worthy opponent. But this was the year of Lindy’s Luck, and they prevailed after only 7 holes. Stinz, in year 8, was finally able to hoist the iconic, moldy, rusty, ebola-filled trophy, which led to an epic celebration for Lindy’s Luck. The boys partied hard.