Tea Cup Classic competition tightening following Friday’s drama

Richard Dunn

Along with Debbie Albright’s victory in Tea Cup Classic V and the

tightest foursome in event history comes what appears to be renewed vigor

for players not only to compete in the women’s event, but win it.

Only six strokes was the difference between first and fourth place

Friday in the fifth annual celebration of women’s club champions in the

Newport-Mesa community at Newport Beach Country Club.

Albright, focused from the start on her home course, seemed to play

with more confidence as Tea Cup Classic V stretched into the back nine,

where the six-time women’s club champion at Newport Beach made five

straight pars (12 through 16) while hitting every green imaginably.

And, with Albright’s Tea Cup title and continually improving golf

game, she should give three-time Tea Cup champion Marianne Towersey of

Santa Ana Country Club a run for her money every summer, assuming both

maintain their respective reign at their clubs.

Mesa Verde Country Club champion Denise Woodard’s game is also getting

better, while Tea Cup Classic newcomer Olivia Slutzky of Big Canyon

Country Club drew rave reviews with her potential to become a big-time

player.

“I’d love to get ahold of her (and teach her),” a local club pro said.

“The Tea Cup Classic is awesome,” said Slutzky, who recovered nicely

from a rocky start to shoot 3-over 39 on the back nine, where she once

pulled to within two strokes of the lead. “I wish there was a Tea Cup

every month, to play with that kind of pressure.”

While Slutzky was the fourth different Big Canyon representative in

four straight Tea Cup Classics, following Selby Schriber, Sally Holstein

and Colette Taormina, she’s hoping to keep her club title for a long time

and become a top amateur player.

“My goal this year is to make the Mid-Amateur,” said Slutzky, who will

try to qualify Sept. 4 at Chula Vista for the Women’s U.S. Mid-Amateur

Championship in St. Louis this fall, after qualifying for her first

Mid-Amateur championship last year at her home course.

“My long-term goal, of course, is that I would love to have a great

amateur career, to be another Marianne Towersey, to be the person to

beat, and I’m going to work as hard as I can to get there.”

Slutzky, who played in front of family, friends and Big Canyon club

members last year in the Women’s U.S. Mid-Amateur, got a taste of a large

gallery in Tea Cup Classic V.

Slutzky said she was “tense” during the first four holes, “then I

relaxed and everything flew by. By the time I knew it, we were at 16 and

I thought, ‘Wow, this went fast!’ But the first four holes felt like it

took an hour. Maybe it did. Maybe it was two hours.”

While the pace was slow early, it picked up, just as Slutzky’s game

did on the back nine, where she had seven pars and finished within a

stroke of second place.

The estimated gallery of 250 did not make Slutzky nervous. In fact,

she said “it was fun. It makes you really excited to be a golfer.

Hopefully next year I’ll win.”

Prior to tea off Friday in Tea Cup Classic V, folks were talking about

Ben Crenshaw’s appearance at Newport Beach Country Club to play the

course before next year’s Toshiba Senior Classic.

Crenshaw, who will turn 50 on Jan. 11 and become eligible for the

Senior PGA Tour, played the front nine with Newport Beach Country Club

President Jerry Anderson, who was delighted with his morning assignment.

Crenshaw, the 1995 Masters champion, and Fuzzy Zoeller (eligible Nov.

11) will be two of the biggest names to join the Senior Tour in 2002.

Chad Towersey, former Corona del Mar High standout, caddied for his

mother, Marianne, in Tea Cup Classic V.

Chad Towersey will play in the 29th annual Costa Mesa city

championships Saturday and Sunday at Costa Mesa Golf & Country Club.

After the four ladies teed off with beautiful shots in Tea Cup Classic

V, rules official Paul Hahn, the head professional at Newport Beach

Country Club, quipped: “Hey, you’re not going to see four better shots

than that. These gals are good, baby.”

“It seems like the galleries get bigger and better every year,” a lady

in the gallery came up to me and said.

With age comes, perhaps, increased interest, especially with new

players every year (all from Big Canyon), except in the first two Tea Cup

Classics, and the suspense of some truly fine lady golfers battling in an

18-hole stroke-play shootout at four rotating private country clubs

serving as hosts.

But, now, with the men in the Jones Cup, we’re essentially asking the

four clubs to double its hosting load within the four-club rotation.

Santa Ana Country Club, for example, drew No. 2 out of the original

hat when the Daily Pilot started the Tea Cup Classic in 1997 and the club

a year later hosted Tea Cup Classic II.

With the Jones Cup, a pro-am better-ball of partners designed for the

men’s club champions and the club’s head pro or director of golf, it’s an

event that continues to promote club golf champions in the Newport-Mesa

community and allows for each of the four clubs to share in ownership of

the tournament.

Under the same flexibly arranged rotation, SACC would be in line, if

it wishes, to host Tea Cup Classic VI in the summer of 2002. (To Mike

Reehl, SACC Director of Golf: My request letter’s in the mail).