Hooch Competition Digest
The Knockout King
There is probably no such thing as a consensus on the most storied dynasties in professional sports. Who was most dominant? Who was best? What should be considered a dynasty?
You might call Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls number one. Or maybe Kobe’s Los Angeles Lakers (or Magic’s). What about Tom Brady’s New England Patriots or Wayne Gretzky’s Edmonton Oilers?
In professional golf, of course, we have Tiger and Jack. But what about Robert Bruce in 2023?
With this past weekend’s championship at the Hooch, Robert is three-for-three in his past competitions.
Winter Meeting Champion (with Matt Rhodes)
Spring Meeting Champion(with Kevin Moore, Joe Taiber, Joe Williams, Joe Siciliano)
The Hooch Champion (with Silvester Thai)
In both the Spring Meeting and the Hooch, Robert and his teams bested past ATL and CHI Club Champions, exceptional golfers from top to bottom, and won both knockouts.
A true Knockout King.
Robert is expected be in the field for The Summer Medal and The Stinger in Chicago. We’re excited to see if he can keep up a historic pace and add even more hardware to his mantle.
Teamwork makes the dream work
Even though Robert’s on a championship tear, none could be achieved without teamwork. His playing partner Silvester Thai brought the heat at the Hooch.
Like the Rumble earlier this month in Chicago, the Hooch format was World Cup style group matchplay to a final alternate shot knockout round.
Silvester summarized his experience in his Monday Presser:
“I thought it was so much fun and I love matchplay. Looking back at it, knowing you're in this match, that you have to win another, it was awesome. Then (the Knockout) I said this just couldn't get any more interesting with alternate shot. It was the perfect way to cap it off.”
Captain Scott Ford (who also competed in the Hooch) helped create the team after Robert reached out then was connected with Silvester.
Robert, a Founding Honour member in Atlanta, had plenty of experience playing NewClub’s many team events.
“It’s always great to have a partner you can lean on. I think it was more nervous watching Silvester putt than me hitting shots. It's a weird dynamic when you don't have control over something you just hope for the best,” Robert said.
The Dark Knights
An unwritten but encouraged rule in NewClub events is to coordinate outfits. It’s been done before and always delights. Enter Vice Captain Matt Rapoport and Daniel Kaufman.
“It was a little bit of an ode to the Dark Knight,” said Vice Captain Rapoport about their all-black uniforms. “Did have a second outfit ready to go? Yes, we did. We'll just have to save that for next time.”
The Dark Knights didn’t get out of their group, but played well. It was a stacked group with eventual Hooch Champions Thai/Bruce, The Professor Kevin Moore/Billy Dunham, and Jared Degnan and Robert Almeda.
Asked about his playing competitors in the group, Rapoport said, “I thought that Kevin Moore, AKA the Professor, was going to win our group. But I thought we still would have a chance of winning if we got the luck we needed. In the end, we didn't win all three matches.”
Rapaport also called out reigning Atlanta Club Champion Morgan Campbell as a favorite.
“I thought Campbell was on the shortlist of ultimate favorites and I would have pegged him at probably 10 to 1 odds. I played with him in a recent Captain's match -- he shot three under.”
Nerves of steel required
It’s now been widely reported that nerves are a factor in NewClub competitions, and many say more than expected.
Ryan Smyth, who teamed up with Pete Possert, won their group but ultimately fell in the alt-shot knockout.
“Yeah, I was nervous. It was my second time in an alternate shot playoff with NewClub and both times my hands have been shaking a little bit,” Smyth told the editorial team. “But it's fun to care and want to play well with your friends and teammates.”
Now more accustomed to the World Cup format, Smyth saw there were many possible outcomes and paths to winning their group.
“In my group, we had a three way tie and it came down to the tiebreaker,” said Smyth. “It was a really fun format because coming down to the third match in our group, it was really clear that we needed our team to win and another to lose. It came down to the number of holes won. We were just lucky enough to barely make it.”
Just a chip and a putt
In the last hole of the Knockout, it was just a tap in that sealed the deal. But Silvester Thai, who holed the final putt, recalled a tinge of nerves.
“At first, I wasn't nervous at all. Then I started watching everybody play and I only had a one and a half footer (to win) and I was nervous,” Thai recalled about the winning putt. “I think on video it looks like I was really nervous since I took a long time standing over the ball.”
The short putt to win was set up by an incredible chip from Bruce who exhibited Wyndham Clark-like soft hands in a high pressure situation.
“To get it to where it was, Robert hit one hell of a chip,” said Thai.
But in the end, as all NewClub competitions are, ended with smiles, handshakes, and fond memories.
Vice Captain Rapaport summed it up best, “We couldn't have asked for a better venue and weather. Everything worked out really well.”
Hooch 2023 Tournament Summary
Competition format:
World Cup format, 2-person teams
Group winners:
Robert Bruce/Silvester Thai, Pete Possert/Ryan Smyth, Bryant Macmillian/Chris Annunziata
Champions:
Robert Bruce/Silvester Thai
Standings:
Group A
Bryant Macmillan/Chris Annunziata -- 2.0 pts*
Daniel Carnrike/Michael Militello -- 2.0 pts
Allen Lutfy/Dan Flanagan -- 1.0 pt
Morgan Campbell/Zach Harker -- 1.0 pt
Group B
Peter Possert/Ryan Smyth -- 2.0 pts*
Matthew Munroe/Terry Throm -- 2.0 pts
Scott Ford/Patrick Moye -- 2.0 pts
Craig Mycoskie/Andy Gonzales -- 0.0 pts
Group C
Silvester Thai/Robert Bruce -- 2.5 pts
Kevin Moore/William Dunham -- 1.5 pts
Jared Degnan/Robert Almeda -- 0.0 pts
Matthew Rapoport/Daniel Kaufman -- 0.0 pts
*Held tiebreaker of most holes left after closing out winning matches