2006 Tournament Results

Brian Helton and Wayne Merich march down the 9th fairway on the way to a 3 point birdie and the Sharks Victory!!!

Bo Jaxson entertains the crowd.

San Diego Spikes Tournament August 26th
Temecula Creek Resort
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It came down to the final hole where the Sharks could have won the tournament with a 3-point win. However, the San Diego Spikes made birdie and the 3 points to deny the Sharks another victory. The tournament was very close with every team having a chance to win. The Styx had a commanding lead going into the final nine scramble format (Styx-18, Spikes-14, Stars-14, Sharks-13, Wedge-13, Extreme Heat-9). However, they could only score 4 points while the other teams poured in birdies and eagles. "We fielded a great team and I would not change a thing about our pairings." said Captain Wayne Merich. "We only scored 5 points in the Alternate-shot format which put us in a bad position. Although not winning sucks, we are having a lot of fun and we'll be ready for the Stars Tournament."

L.A. Stars Tournament September 17th
Moorpark Country Club
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Palm Springs Extreme Heat	29
Inland Empire Styx	27
Orange County Wedge	19
Los Angeles Stars	19
Channel Islands Sharks	17
San Diego Spikes	17

Moorpark, CA. – The Palm Springs Extreme Heat picked up 14 points on the final round to pass its rival Inland Empire Styx to win their first NGL tournament in Moorpark, CA on Sunday afternoon.

The Heat earned $2400 and accrued 6 league points to create a tie for second place along with the Channel Islands Sharks and the San Diego Spikes. The Inland Empire Styx now lead the division with a second place finish. Their five match points now contributed to their 14 point total to lead the division.

The first, second and third place team in each division will be awarded a trip to the NGL Finals in November where three Northern California teams will also compete.

The third round, (scramble) continues to accrue the most points and Extreme Heat's Mark Wurtz, Sandy Morrison, Coach Dan Kempken and Michael Charles did not disappoint their team owner John Dandurand. Those four players beat their opponents 11-2 in the final round to seal the win.

The OC Wedge had the lead after the first round with 10 points, with the Styx close by with nine. The second round went to the Styx totaling 18 points when they earned 9 points in the round. with a crucial match up. The ninth hole and final hole continues to be the milestone for the NGL events. Styx's Brendan Steele and Brandon Hillpot won the coveted three point hole over the Wedges' Mark Warman and Taylor Wood and won the match 5-1. Those points secured second place for the Styx and earned them 5 match points. Those match points solidified their first place position in the standings. The Southern California Division is midway through their season with their next event scheduled at Black Golf Golf Club in Yorba Linda on Saturday, September 30 hosted by the OC Wedge.

Orange County Wedge Tournament September 30th
Black Gold Golf Club
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Los Angeles Stars	29
Orange County Wedge	28
Channel Islands Sharks	23
Inland Empire Styx	23
Palm Springs Extreme Heat	18
San Diego Spikes	17

Yorba Linda, CA. – With the 3 point hole at stake, the Los Angeles Stars did not disappoint their owners or the fans with a 100 yard shot that slammed into the hole for the win.

OC Wedge hosted the event at Black Gold Golf Club in Yorba Linda for the fourth event for the National Golf League's Southern California Division. The Wedge had the lead with 28 points and the final two groups were approaching the 3 point hole. The LA Stars with 26 points were the only team to possibly catch the OC Wedge. But the Stars hopes were diminished when the San Diego Spikes drilled an approach shot 2 feet from the hole. A tie on the coveted three point hole would have left the Stars with no points and an assumed second place finish. But Corby Segal of the Stars had one shot left - a 100 yard approach shot. Described as a "falling star straight in the hole" the crowd erupted and the owners were jubilant with the eagle shot awarding the team with 29 total points and the win. It was the first win by the Los Angeles Stars and has kept them in the race for a spot in the NGL Finals.

It was NGL drama at its best, and many fans described the excitement much like a half court shot at the buzzer in a NBA game!

The Stars received almost half their points in the scramble with 14 points. Greg Osbourne (who will have his own golf reality show on NBC this December) and National Long Drive competitor Pat Dempsey contributed 5 points for the Stars by sinking a crucial birdie putt to get the three pointer. Osbourne commented on the level of play in the NGL, "In the last round, we were 7 under for nine holes and still only generated a couple points for our team,"

Other outstanding play was the twosome of Mike Witt, California Angels star pitcher and Jason Bittick. The twosome overpowered the San Diego Spikes twosome Chris Mayson and Travis Kent 6-1 in the scramble and helped the Wedge stay in contention throughout the final format. The scramble format yielded 11 points for the Orange County (OC) home team.

With a third place finish, the Inland Empire Styx received 4 league points and have kept their lead in the standings over the field by a slim margin. The Channel Islands Sharks and the OC Wedge are tied for second. Every league point is pivotal as only two matches remain before the NGL Finals. The Finals will be a two-day event held on November 18-19 at Temecula Creek Inn GC. The first, second and third place teams of the Southern CA Division will compete along with the first, second and third place teams from Northern California. The winning team will be crowned the champion for the 2006 season along with $24,000. The event is slated to be televised.

Inland Empire Styx Tournament October 14th
Cross Creek Golf Club
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San Diego Spikes	25
Orange County Wedge	22
Channel Islands Sharks	18
Inland Empire Styx	18
Los Angeles Stars	17
Palm Springs Extreme Heat	14

Temecula, CA – The San Diego Spikes didn't let damp conditions ruin their bid for the win at Cross Creek Golf Course in Temecula, CA.

The rain stopped before the NGL match commenced at 11:00 am. The sun shined and so did the San Diego Spikes. Led by the continual stellar play of John Leiber, who placed second in last week's California State Open, the Spikes won the event for the second time this season. Leiber sunk a 10-footer on the final 3-point hole, clinching the win for his team. Leiber, paired with Scott McCormick, did plenty of damage early on to the other five teams in the first round by shutting out the LA Stars' 6-0.

The Inland Empire Styx, the hosts of the event, led after the first round with 8 points. But the Spikes roared back and led after the second round by adding 10 points in the alternate shot format. The Spikes held on witnessing a third round surge by the OC Wedge. The Wedge finished in second and earned 5 league points. They were led by Robert Caton and Steve Conway who defeated the Channel Islands Sharks' Wayne Merich and Brian Helton 6-1 in the scramble. The Sharks and the Styx both tied for third, netted them 4 league points each. Another impressive match was performed by the Styx's Brandon Hillpot and Eric Riehle who tallied five points to none over the LA Stars' Pat Dempsey and Corby Segal.

The Inland Empire Styx are now tied for first place with the OC Wedge with a total of 22 league points. With the win, the Spikes earned 6 league points keeping them in the hunt and a tie for second with the Channel Islands Sharks, (21). The LA Stars and the Palm Springs Extreme Heat follow with (18) each. With the final regular season match in Palm Springs on October 28, the race could not be any tighter.

"It all comes down to the last event, " exclaimed Steve Brown, owner of the Spikes, "we won today and we have won before, but that doesn't matter in this league. In the last tournament we came in last, this tournament we win, its like going from a triple bogey to a hole in one!".

The top three teams in the Southern California Division compete along with the top three teams in the Northern California Division in the NGL Finals. The Finals are slated for Saturday, November 11 at Temecula Creek Inn GC, in Temecula, CA.

Palm Springs Extreme Heat Tournament October 28th
Cathedral Canyon Golf Club
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Channel Islands Sharks	27
San Diego Spikes	24
Palm Springs Extreme Heat	23
Inland Empire Styx	23
Orange County Wedge	20
Los Angeles Stars	11

Sharks Crowned NGL SoCal Division Champions

Cathedral City, CA – Under a perfect, autumn desert afternoon, the Channel Islands Sharks took it to the rest of the field to win the first ever Southern California Division Championship at Cathedral Canyon GC near Palm Springs.

The Channel Islands Sharks owners, Rocky Jordan, Dan Garcia and Bob Dawson celebrated their win with their players. Holding their trophy, they danced their "Shark Dance" with their hand resembling a fin over their head. Not your traditional celebration of winning a golf tournament.... but NGL is not your traditional league.

The San Diego Spikes protected their bid for a ticket to the NGL Finals with a second place finish in the match with 24 points, one ahead of the Inland Empire Styx. The Spikes and the Styx were tied for second in the division race with a total of 26 league points, but the Styx earned the second spot with a predetermined tie-breaker. Total accumulated points for the last six events awarded the Styx with the honor. The Spikes earned a trip to the finals with a third place finish.

The Finals now include the top three from Southern California and the top three teams in the Northern California Division - Sacramento Eagles, Davis Zone and the Sonoma Marin Breakers. So, the anticipated "trash talk" has already begun when a Southern California player boasted, "Those NorCal club pros wont be able to hang with us, you'll see our division finish first, second and third." Placing in the division has significant meaning in the Finals. The first place team kicks off the day with two points, the second place teams starts with one and the third place begins the event with no points.

Players remain pleased and excited about the NGL and even if their team didn't make the finals, they are happy to be involved with the fledgling team play league. No one was more pleased than Extreme Heat's coach Dan Kempken after he sunk a 120-yard wedge into the hole on a fly for a point and an eagle on the second hole. Even though the Palm Springs coach Kempken realized his team was mathematically eliminated to make the finals that did not stop his enthusiasm. "This league is the most fun I have ever had playing any professional tournament, I can't wait until next season." said Kempken.

The Finals will be held at Temecula Creek Inn GC on Saturday, November 11 commencing at 8:30 AM. The winning team will earn $20,000 and the second place team will get a check for $4,000. The NGL has expansion plans for the 2007 season including a new division in Arizona and Florida. The Las Vegas team and the Southwest Florida team are sold.