THE LAST WORD:

Is golf a game of inches?

It certainly seemed that way Thursday at the Mesa Verde Country Club as teams from Newport-Mesa’s four country clubs battled it out in the annual Jones Cup. Host Mesa Verde captured the cup, for a second time, with a one-stroke victory over Santa Ana Country Club.

But it was less about that single stroke than the birdie putts that slipped inches, or less, past the holes for all the teams, which also included Big Canyon and Newport Beach country clubs.

All the elements that make golf so popular were on display, and many were because of those nasty few inches. There was the frustration of watching a putt not break the way it was supposed to. There was the thrill of sinking a birdie putt to move a team ahead. There were the nerve-racking shots from the sand. Oh, and the tee shot on Mesa Verde’s 18th hole, which plays close to 200 yards over water.

Now there’s a way to finish a round.

Once again, for the competitors and the galleries at the event — of which the Pilot is a sponsor — the Jones Cup served a day up right: bright skies, a fantastic course and top golfers competing and having fun.