The Opening Day event for the 2024 Cleveland Cup season drew 12 league veterans to Bunker Hill on Saturday, where the field was slaughtered by newlywed Stetson Nance who had eloped the night before.
Despite Saturday’s chilly weather and ball-devouring soggy conditions, Stetson, who finished last season with a 22.3 handicap, carded his lowest-ever Cup score, an 81, which is a handicap-adjusted 60. He also won the day’s only pin shot and rolled the fewest putts with 29, earning him all the day’s money games. His $180 winnings (three players abstained from gambling) represent the largest-ever league purse.
“I now have a wife to disappoint. I couldn’t let that happen,” he said Monday, still full of confidence.
It hadn’t always been that way.
“When I first met Stetson, I beat the drums off him in the first nine holes so for him to have an ascension like this is just unreal,” Commissioner Dalton said.
During post-round beers, Stetson was eager to discuss the work he put in with Steve Morgan at Washington Golf Course during the offseason with multiple drills being referenced as “something me and Steve are working on.”
Stetson was feeling so good, in fact, that he could have been convinced to give lessons to his fellow players – and many of them desperately needed it. Half of the players posted triple-digit scores. Three rolled 40 or more putts.
Regarding Stetson’s winnings, Mike V and Gabriel have paid up. The rest of you (Dalton, Derek, James, Ryan H, Sam, Zach) should Venmo $20 to @StetsonNance, and favorite that account because Stetson plans to keep the wins coming.
“I think what the league forgets is that I’m the main character. This is my story,” Stetson said.
Indeed. There were far fewer fireworks in the 8:03 group, which left a trail of plugged balls and penalty strokes in their wake. Bunker Hill features some new water hazards these days, and the Cup’s opening foursome couldn’t resist trying them out. A friendly cart game came down to the final putt on No. 18, however, which Ryan C. put away with confidence to earn him and James S. a tidy purse in their own right.
The following is a summary of Saturday’s scores along with each player’s 2023 season-ending handicaps. Note that handicaps will change for the start of the 2024 season. For more information see the post on handicapping.
Contributing Player-Editor Eric Sandy contributed to this report.
