Veterans lead Mesa Verde
To say that Jones Cup veteran Steve Rhorer is old, might be debatable. But at age 66, his alliance with golf nostalgia runs deeper than most water hazards.
Rhorer, who will represent Mesa Verde Country Club as senior champion in the 16th annual Jones Cup on Tuesday at Big Canyon Country Club, said the first bucket of balls he hit in Long Beach cost 25 cents.
That same year, 1959, Jack Nicklaus won the U.S. Amateur, Gary Player earned his first major championship (British Open), Sam Snead carded the first 59 in tournament play at the Greenbrier Open, and the first heel-toe-weighted putter was built.
Rhorer, who played at Long Beach Wilson High and UC Santa Barbara, has forged quite a legacy in a career on the links that spans seven decades.
He has won four men’s and an estimated four senior titles at Mesa Verde, after capturing 11 club championships at Virginia Country Club in Long Beach prior to becoming a member at Mesa Verde in 2000. He has also said he believes he has won five scratch-handicap match-play championships at Mesa Verde.
“[Rhorer] is one of the most accomplished club amateurs you’ll find,” said Tom Sargent, head professional at Mesa Verde and the lone participant in all 16 Jones Cup events. “He has won some big tournaments and has been a good player since he was a kid. Whenever we have one of our tournaments [at Mesa Verde], I think he’s the guy to beat. He’s a wiley old veteran that knows how to get it done.”
Getting it done for Mesa Verde on Tuesday would mean the club’s fifth Jones Cup title, its first since 2010.
Tournament host Big Canyon has won nine times, including four of the last five years, while Shady Canyon is the defending champion. Newport Beach Country Club and Santa Ana Country Club round out the field in the community event that features two club professionals, as well as the men’s, women’s and senior champions from each club. The five-player teams compete in an 18-hole match scored with a two-best-ball format.
“You have to win a club championship to be invited to play in the Jones Cup, so I do look forward to it,” said Rhorer, who was unsure the number of Jones Cup events in which he has played. “I don’t keep track of that, but I know it has been nice to be part of it.”
Rhorer, who retired in January from a career in water-proofing distribution, said he still does not play golf as often as he’d like. And while he has always appreciated the social aspect of the game, he said he enjoys competing more than just playing a round with nothing but bragging rights at stake.
Rhorer said the competition will be stiff on Tuesday.
“Big Canyon is going to be one tough team to beat at home,” Rhorer said. “They have tremendous players over there.”
Sargent also said Big Canyon is the clear favorite, though he also touted Shady Canyon, as well as Santa Ana, which has yet to win a Jones Cup crown.
“Big Canyon has some good players and they are really good,” said Sargent, the 1997 PGA national professional of the year who was inducted into the PGA Hall of Fame in 2005. “Shady has some good players, too, and Santa Ana has some good players now. [Santa Ana’s] membership has gotten younger, and, who knows, it might be [Santa Ana’s] turn. They have to win one sooner or later.”
Helping Mesa Verde attempt to add to its Jones Cup titles will be club professional Mike Fergin, men’s champion Eric Englebert and women’s champion Madelaine Campbell.
Fergin is making his fifth Jones Cup appearance in the last six years and was a part of the 2010 Jones Cup win.
Englebert is making his Jones Cup debut after claiming his first club championship in a playoff, while Campbell is a six-time women’s club champion with extensive Jones Cup experience.
Sargent pointed out that Mesa Verde lost in a playoff to Big Canyon in 2012 and said his team is due to put a strong round together in the event.
“We’re due, sure,” Sargent said. “But I like to think of it as if we are owed. The truth is, we have to be on our game anyway. But with Big Canyon playing at home, I think we have to be beyond ourselves.”