Tea Cup Classic: Denise Woodard

Richard Dunn

COSTA MESA - Owning the club championship has its perks, whether

you’re invited to exclusive golf tournaments or awarded a specially

marked parking space at the club.

For Denise Woodard of Mesa Verde Country Club, staying close to par

means grinding not on the golf course but behind the counter at Mail

Boxes Etc. in Costa Mesa, which, if it played in a Tea Cup Classic for

mailbox stores, would win easily.

“We’ve gone to No. 1 in Orange County in mail boxes and No. 1 in

Orange County in shipping,” said a proud Woodard, who owns the specialty

store, which she opened on Aug. 8, 1997, one week after the inaugural Tea

Cup Classic.

“I’m so busy,” Woodard added. “The store’s growing faster than I can

handle.”

Woodard, who has managed to play a little more golf this year despite

her entrepreneurial success, has achieved better scores in 2001 and

lowered her handicap from 9 to 4.

“Don’t ask me how that happened,” Woodard quipped. “It’s just lucky.”

The proprietor of the busiest Mail Boxes Etc. in Orange County, and

the only grandmother and full-time working woman in Tea Cup Classic V,

Woodard captured her sixth straight Mesa Verde title this year, carding a

77-78-77-83--315 and winning by 27 shots, believed to be the largest

margin of victory in club history for women.

Led by Woodard’s big triumph at Mesa Verde, the four Tea Cup

participants enjoyed an average margin of victory this year at their

respective clubs by 24.25 strokes.

And, on Friday in Tea Cup Classic V at Newport Beach Country Club at 1

p.m., Woodard will square off against Debbie Albright (the Newport Beach

winner by 19 shots), Marianne Towersey (Santa Ana Country Club’s

conqueror by 25 strokes) and Olivia Slutzky (champion at Big Canyon

Country Club by 26 shots).

“I’m going up against three of the best golfers around, but I’m not

worried,” Woodard said. “If I can just hang around, that’s good. I don’t

go around with any aspirations of actually beating these girls ... if

nothing else, I can always bring up the rear.”

Towersey, who has won three straight Tea Cup Classics, has played

against Woodard recently in Women’s Southern California Golf Association

Team Play and said, “Denise is playing very well.”

Woodard, of course, hates to admit her golf game has improved. “That’s

like the kiss of death, isn’t it?” she said.

Once too embarrassed about her golf game to join the women’s club at

Mesa Verde, Woodard this year finished ahead of Sue Jane Chi, Natalie

King and Debbie Brown in the Mesa Verde women’s club championship.

In addition, Woodard tied King for Mesa Verde’s all-time lead in club

titles with six. King, who won titles from 1982 to ‘95, continues to be

one of Mesa Verde’s top players.

Woodard improved her four-round total by 20 strokes from last year

(335) to this year.

Like Albright and Towersey, Woodard earned a spot in the Tea Cup

Classic for the fifth consecutive year.

Last year in Tea Cup Classic IV at Big Canyon Country Club, Woodard

battled home-course favorite Colette Taormina for third place and edged

her out by a stroke on the tough, hilly layout, where Towersey and

Albright both shot 4-over 76, before Towersey won in a playoff.

In Tea Cup Classic III on her home course, Woodard enjoyed her best

finish in the hometown event (second), shooting an 82 and nearly sinking

a 30-foot birdie putt on Mesa Verde’s par-3 No. 12.

Woodard started playing golf after meeting her husband, Ted, about 14

years ago at a bowling alley in Las Vegas. Ted Woodard was a member at

Mesa Verde for several years and encouraged Denise to play golf.

Previously, softball and bowling were Woodard’s sports of choice,

after growing up as a Hemet farm girl who would clean horse corrals for

fun.