59.0°

Great fall weather continues to provide good conditions at the Kenai Golf Course. The greens and fairways are excellent and several golfers are shooting career-low scores. Let's hope this weather continues for another month. Come out and join us at the course!

The Atigun Cup playoff series is set. In the gross division No. 1 seed Gordon Griffin will play No. 8 seed Derek Kaufman, No. 2 seed Rich Edwards will play No. 7 seed Bob Sizemore, No. 3 seed Mark Griffin meets No. 6 seed Todd Eskelin, and finally, No. 4 seed Chris Morin will play off against No. 5 Greg Harrington.

In the net division No. 1 seed Kirk Hyman meets No. 8 seed Jim Bradford. No. 2 seed Andy Anderson will play No. 7 seed Charlie K. No. 3 seed Cliff Baker will meet No. 6 seed Mike Kebschull, and finally, No. 4 seed Jeff Johns will play No. 5 seed Joe DeVeaux. Playoffs will begin this Saturday with 9-hole rounds of match play competition. Play will continue on Sunday with the winners matched up in 18-hole competition. This has been an exciting competition and we are looking forward to the playoffs.

I would like to thank Todd Eskelin for running the Atigun Cup competition for the entire season. He has done an outstanding job. We all look forward to the Atigun Cup again next year.

On Sept. 15, the seniors took to the course with 15 players joining in. Gordon Griffin and Jim Bradford tied for low gross with scores of 41. Bob Bush won low net with a score of 36. Keith Steward won closest to the pin on No. 10. He put the ball 12 feet, 11 1/2 inches from the pin. Great shot, Keith!

The Kenai Open was played this last weekend with golfers in the field. Some great scores were posted in both divisions. In the second division Sid Cox won low net with a two-day total of 145, followed by Andy Anderson with a score of 146, and John Glidden finished 3rd with a score of 149. Congratulations, guys, for some outstanding golf.

On Saturday Andy Anderson, Mike Beals, Mike Kebshull, Chuck Rupenthal, and Sid Cox each won skins. On Sunday in the second division Mike Houghton, Mike Kebshull, Jeff Johns, and Mike Beals each won skins. Congratulations.

Other notable scores include Mike Houghton with a net of 154, Mike Beals with 155, and Mike Kebshull with a two-day net total of 155.

In the first division Rene Alvarez won low gross with a two-day total of 153, which nets out to a two-day total of 135. Rene shot 71, which is one under par, on Saturday, and followed that with an 82 on Sunday. Great job, Rene, for a job well done! Chris Murray won second low gross with a score of 155, two strokes behind Rene Alvarez. Chris Murray made up six strokes on Sunday by shooting a 77. This competition was very competitive down to the final hole.

Greg Harrington won low net with a score of 144, followed by Christ Murray in second place 145, and Doug Jung finished third with a two-day total of 149. Other notable scores include Rich Edwards with a net of 150, Gordon with a net of 151, Derek Kaufman with a net score of 149. Great back nine on Saturday, Derek! He shot even par and got himself back into the tournament. Again, way to go Rene!

In this division, Saturday skins were won by mark Griffin, Rene Alvarez who won three, Derek Kaufman, and Greg Harrington. On Sunday only two skins were won in the division. They were won by Christ Murray and Chris Morin. Congratulations, great job!

I would like to thank everyone who participated in this event and in every tournament this year. I would like to thank Ron Goecke for his help during all the tournaments. Rich Edwards, thank you also for all your help and advice. Thank you Bill and Dusty for making sure the course was in good donation for each tournament. Thank you, Jerry Norris, for your continual help with everything. We sincerely appreciate all that you do.

Again, I would like to invite everyone out to enjoy some great fall golf and to take advantage of all our specials in the pro shop. Come out and get stocked up at great prices for next year. Thanks to everyone for all your support this year.

The big chill is on the way. I almost forgot; if all my scientific preparation fails to protect the grass and lessens winter damage, I have a backup plan -- it's called the Magic Bone, found on the property may moons ago. This dear jawbone hangs above the pump station and has a bird's eye view of the entire course. Sanctified by the crew and decorated with several turkey feathers, the Magic Bone watches over each blade of grass, keeping the ruthless turf reaper at bay. Greens will be left uncovered again this year. Let us all hope they winter well again. As always, see you on the course.