Golf days of August

BRYCE ALDERTON

The second week in August is shaping up to be quite the golfing

spectacle in the Newport-Mesa community.

On back-to-back days -- August 11 and 12 -- the golfing lens will

zoom in on Newport Beach Country Club and Big Canyon Country Club,

respectively, for the annual Jones Cup and Tea Cup Classic

tournaments -- events that celebrate golf in this community.

Never in five years have the tournaments been held on consecutive

days, let alone the same week.

The Jones Cup is a better-ball of partners format that pits the

men’s club champion -- or an alternate -- from each of the four

Newport-Mesa private courses with a golf staff professional.

A Big Canyon team has claimed the last three Jones Cup, with

Director of Golf Bob Lovejoy and amateur Will Tipton edging Mesa

Verde’s Tom Sargent and Steve Rhorer by a stroke in last year’s

event.

Tipton won his second consecutive men’s club title in October

while Dave Irwin claimed the Mesa Verde crown back in August.

Both are eligible to compete in Jones Cup V, which makes a return

to the site of the first tournament in 2000.

This year’s NBCC men’s champion will be crowned June 13, after 72

holes of stroke play. Jeff Bloom is the defending champion, but Bruce

Bearer competed in last year’s Jones Cup because Bloom was out of

town.

Santa Ana Country Club will award its men’s champion June 19

following five days of competition. Boyd Martin will shoot for his

seventh club crown.

Marianne Towersey, winner of 20 women’s club titles at Santa Ana,

will vie for her sixth Tea Cup Classic title in eight tries and third

in a row.

The winningest female golfer in Newport-Mesa history will join

Mesa Verde’s Akemi Khaiat and winners from Big Canyon and Newport

Beach.

Khaiat claimed her third straight Mesa Verde women’s title with a

wire-to-wire victory against four competitors.

Khaiat’s 13-over-par, four-round total (71-73-78-75 -- 297) gave

her a 37-stroke margin of victory.

Linda Schwartz (80-87-84-83 -- 334) posted her best finish in

tournament history in placing second. Her first-round 80 was the

lowest score among all players except Khaiat, who finished second to

Towersey in last year’s Tea Cup at Mesa Verde.

Sue Jane Chi finished third (339) while six-time club champion

Denise Woodard (340) and Debbie Brown (362) rounded out the top five.