The El Rancho Chico Golf Club concluded its End-of-the-Year Player-of-the-Year Tournament on October 1, 2023, at Bidwell, celebrating the achievements of its top players. Travis Shute emerged as the Player-of-the-Year in the white tee men’s division, while Ben Heerema took the title in the yellow tee senior division. Both players accumulated the highest points throughout the year in the monthly Player-of-the-Year tournaments.
The final tournament featured the top 20 point leaders and ties from both divisions, with the club enhancing the prize pool to encourage participation. In the white tee division, Shute topped the standings with 2,900 points, narrowly surpassing Miles Tegarden by just 25 points. The competition was fierce, as the total point spread among the top ten players was only 750 points, highlighting the close nature of the race for the title. The remaining top contenders included Shawn Anderson, Adam Almand, Steve Vance, Jimmy Smith, Matt Long, Russell Olvay, Dan Evaro, Duke Warren, and Rio Gates.
In contrast, Heerema dominated the yellow tee senior division, winning by a substantial margin of 1,025 points over Jeff Nedved. The top finishers in this category included Nedved, Pat Goodwin, Ed Anderson, Lloyd Hightower, George Laver, Tod Kimmelshue, Rich Lash, Vic Mitchell, and Lane Bates.
Gates distinguished himself as the overall low gross winner in the white tee flight, finishing with a score of 77. Tegarden achieved the overall low net with a score of 69, coming close to overtaking Shute for the Player-of-the-Year title. Additional golf shop credit was awarded to Evaro with a net score of 70, Shute with a score of 74 (card-off), and Anderson and Vance, who both scored 74 (card-off).
In the yellow tee flight, Nedved secured the overall low gross with a score of 71, while Bates led the net category with a score of 67. Other notable finishers included Goodwin with a score of 69, Kimmelshue with 71, and Heerema with 73 (card-off).
The tournament also featured skins competitions, with Evaro winning 3 skins in the white tee flight, alongside contributions from Almand, Ferguson, Gates, and Barry Woolf. In the yellow tee flight, Lundy and Heerema each secured 2 skins.
The closest to the pin contests highlighted several players, with notable performances from Nedved and Bates in the white tee flight and Todd Martin and Almand in the yellow tee flight.
Additionally, the Bidwell Women’s Golf Club held a “TOE” game during their weekly tournament, where scores on holes beginning with the letters T, O, and E were counted. In the first flight, Kelly MacKinnon achieved low gross with a score of 87, while Becky Callas and Betty Linzy excelled in the game category.
The Chico-Paradise SIR’s Golf Club recently organized a four-man scramble tournament at Bidwell, attracting 52 players. The team of Greg (Henry) Brown, Jeff Day, AJ Haggard, and Don Krysakowski took first place with a score of 62.6. The second position was a tie between two teams, each with a score of 63.7.
Despite the damp and foggy weather impacting participation at Table Mountain, Canyon Oaks, and Butte Creek ladies’ tournaments, the welcoming atmosphere in the clubhouse provided a comforting alternative for players.
This year’s tournaments at El Rancho Chico Golf Club demonstrated not only the competitive spirit of its members but also the camaraderie that defines the golfing community.
