Big Canyon reaps little good fortune

COSTA MESA — Narrowly. Slightly. Barely.

All words that describe the margin by which the five-person Big Canyon Country Club team missed birdie putts throughout its 18 holes of golf at the Jones Cup at the Mesa Verde Country Club on Thursday.

Big Canyon entered the tournament having won four of the first five Jones Cup events, but left with a score of two-under, in the two best-ball scoring format. The score left Big Canyon in last place behind Mesa Verde, Newport Beach Country Club and Santa Ana Country Club.

The end came in fitting fashion on a day full of the like. Mike Carpenter, the Big Canyon men’s representative, lined up a birdie putt on the par-three 18th hole. He struck it but the ball stopped on the lip and, once again, Big Canyon settled for par.

“All you can do is put a good stroke on it and hope it goes in,” said Carpenter, who participated in his first Jones Cup. “Sometimes the puts go in and sometimes they don’t. We gave ourselves a lot of chances. You just have to make birdies.”

Big Canyon senior club champion Warren Caves attributed the countless near-misses to playing on a new course with different greens.

“I didn’t make as many putts as I would have liked,” said Caves, who was also playing in his first Jones Cup. “We had a lot of trouble reading the greens. When you’re not used to greens, you have trouble reading them. You come to a new course and it is completely different. That’s why the home team did so well.”

Caves did sink one of Big Canyon’s four birdies, but he watched many more fall narrowly by the wayside.

“They just weren’t dropping,” Caves said. “When I missed, I was just wishing I had a second chance. I feel content that I contributed one birdie. The team event is really fun. You have to grind it out as a team.”

Big Canyon Director of Golf Bob Lovejoy attributed the missed birdie putts to the tee shots that eventually helped set them up.

“I needed to drive the ball onto the fairway more,” said Lovejoy, who was a member of each of Big Canyon’s four Jones Cup championship teams. “I putted well, I chipped well, I hit irons well. Some days you swing well and some days you don’t.”

Lovejoy said it was important for the club members to have the trophy at Big Canyon and he added he was never one to brag about the club’s past championships and does not expect this year’s winner to do it either.

“It’s always disappointing when you don’t play well,” said Lovejoy, who added he will dwell on the defeat about as long as it takes for him to change his shoes.

“I think the members are very happy when we win,” Lovejoy said. “We’re looking forward to next year.”

Robert Pang, a Big Canyon club professional, came to the club a little over three months ago. He knew about the Jones Cup before he arrived and his excitement grew after he came on board.

“This is fun to be a part of,” Pang said. “We were very focused and we wanted to win. We gave ourselves a chance.”

Pang, like his teammates, narrowly missed numerous birdie putts. Like Lovejoy, he went without a birdie.

“We just didn’t make a lot of putts,” Pang said. “That’s golf. It’s a game. Sometimes you make them and sometimes you don’t.”

Olivia Slutzky, the Big Canyon women’s representative, was asked three weeks ago by Lovejoy if she could replace club champion Martha Redfearn. With two young children making golf secondary in her life, Slutzky jumped at the opportunity. She contributed one of the team’s birdies.

“Had I not gotten that birdie, I don’t think I could have slept well tonight,” Slutzky said

For new participants, Pang, Carpenter, Slutzky and Caves, the Jones Cup was a chance to socialize with members of their own clubs, as well as other clubs.

“I was looking forward to it,” Carpenter said.