Team MCC surges into lead in H-55 Cup

McMinnville Country Club is halfway home when it comes to ripping away the H55 Cup from WillowBrook Golf Club.

Powered by a dominant opening day on its home course, MCC built a 9.5-3.5 advantage Saturday in the first Highway 55 Cup competition since 2021. The boys in blue won nine matches outright, halved another and will take a six-point lead into Sunday's finale in Manchester as they try to bring the trophy back to McMinnville for the first time in years.

The foundation of the lead was built by many of the same names that have helped shape MCC golf for decades.

Bill Locke and Bill Rogers set the tone in the opening match, rolling to a 6-and-4 victory over Jim Medler and Kirk Pender. The longtime MCC standouts built a five-hole advantage early and never looked back, closing the match by the 14th green.

"We were getting it done while most of our team was still sleeping," joked Locke afterward.

Quick starts became a theme throughout the morning. Tucker Lynn and Mark Seymour birdied the opening hole and won four of the first five en route to a 4-and-3 victory. Ethan Campbell and John Kidd never trailed in their match either, securing a 2-up victory with a birdie on the 18th hole.

Bryan Matheny and Jamie Stinson continued MCC's strong play in one of the day's most impressive performances. After falling behind early and making the turn all square, the duo took control on the back nine. Birdies on Nos. 11 and 13 helped them build separation before a par on No. 15 sealed a 3-and-2 victory over Robbie Miller and Hayden Proffitt.

"It was steady golf - no mistakes," said Matheny about the closing push. "We made a lot of clutch putts to put the pressure on."

Saturday's format was best ball, meaning all four golfers played their own ball while each team counted its best individual score on every hole. The setup led to several dramatic swings throughout the day.

One of the closest matches came when Zack Molloy and Pieter van Vuuren battled WillowBrook's Keith Byars and Will Stern to a draw. WillowBrook held a two-hole advantage at the turn before a key MCC birdie on No. 14 pulled the teams even, where they remained through the finish.

When it came to chaos, Karl Huff and Ricky Minton were the kings of a back-and-forth battle. It was trading haymakers and momentum the whole 18, with Huff and Minton striking first on No. 2 before losing the next two holes. Huff and Minton followed by winning three of the next four holes to go from 1-down to 2-up, only to see Malone and Prater win both holes that sandwiched the turn to even things up with eight to play.

It came down to being good on the Par-3s for Huff and Minton, as they were able to play even par on No. 14 and No. 17 to win 2-and-1.

Greg Brock and Larry Willmore had to withstand one of the hottest stretches of golf produced by WillowBrook all day. David Dunlap, no stranger to McMinnville's course or the tennis courts, fired a 1-under round through seven holes to give his side an early edge, but Brock and Willmore stayed within striking distance before winning four holes between Nos. 13 and 17 to claim another point for MCC.

WillowBrook's biggest victory came from Jeff Coole and Billy Dunlap, who shot 3-under on the front nine and defeated Brad Brock and Buck Brock 4-and-3.

Bracton Womack and Jeff Houck also picked up a point for WillowBrook. Womack delivered the decisive blow with a 25-foot birdie putt on No. 17 after matching a birdie by Clayton Myers on the previous hole.

"I made a birdie on 16 to tie the hole after Clayton made one before me, then I made a 25-foot birdie putt to go up," said Womack.

One half of the reigning Spring Fling champions, Womack knows WillowBrook faces an uphill climb Sunday, but he isn't conceding anything.

"It's going to take a lot, but I think we can put some pressure on them," said Womack.

Another Spring Fling champion helped MCC answer.

Fresh off winning the Spring Fling alongside Womack just one week ago, Nick Stern teamed with Mark Hitchcock to earn one of MCC's biggest victories of the day. The duo raced out to a three-hole lead behind three birdies in four holes before surviving a challenge from David Burris and Jacob Prater.

The pivotal moment came on No. 10. Burris stuck an approach shot inside 10 feet with a chance to gain momentum, only to watch Stern answer by draining a 30-plus-foot birdie putt of his own.

"Man that putt was huge. It kept our confidence up for sure," said Stern. "We had a couple more big ones coming in. We never backed down that's for sure. For tomorrow, we just have to keep this train rolling and hope the weather stays out of the way again."

WillowBrook's John Collins and Samuel Prater provided one final reminder that the Cup is far from decided. Trailing by two holes with five to play, the duo stormed back to stun Andrew Brock and John Wilson on the final green, using birdies on Nos. 14 and 18 to steal a crucial point.

MCC answered with strong finishes elsewhere.

Michelle Dodson and Vicky Benedict cruised to an 8-and-6 victory in the final pairing of the day, while Matt Cotten and Casey Talbert controlled the back nine to earn a 1-up win over Michael Jones and Ryan Perry.

Now the focus shifts to Manchester. Be on the lookout for tee times for Sunday on the WCSA and the Warren County Way.