Woodcreek dominates in Rose Cup golf victory

After assuming a first-day lead in the Rose Cup, the Woodcreek team was feeling confident, knowing it would be on its home course Saturday afternoon for the all-important final 18 holes. That confidence was backed up by the most dominant final-round performance in the 24-year history of the annual Ryder Cup-like tournament among the four Roseville golf courses. Nine of 12 Woodcreek golfers accumulated the maximum of 4 points each on their home course as the team piled up a record 42 second-round points in trouncing their three rivals. Woodcreek had the most overall points ever (60.5) and won by the largest margin ever (18.5 points). Timber Creek was a distant second with 42 points, Sierra View Country Club took third (39 points) and Diamond Oaks was fourth (37.5 points). The win, its first since 2017, moves Woodcreek into a tie with Sierra View for the most Rose Cup victories at eight. Diamond Oaks has six victories. "Our team was confident on the second day because we've played our course so often," said Cody Lindner, who served as Woodcreek's No. 1-ranked player. "The Woodcreek course is challenging to us; we've all had our bad days out here. But we came out here today ready to win. We were focused." The Rose Cup format divides each team of 12 players into flights of four, based on handicaps. The opening round Friday, Nov. 3, at Timber Creek was two-man best-ball, followed by the final day where individual play is the format. Woodcreek was on top after the opening round with 18.5 points, followed by Sierra View (16), Timber Creek (13.5) and Diamond Oaks (12). Even with the lead and hosting the second round, no one was ready to hand over the coveted Rose Cup silver trophy to Woodcreek. "Who knows what's going to happen heading into that second day?" Sierra View assistant head pro Chris Galvin said. "We were right there after playing well the day before at Timber Creek. Our guys take pride in playing in the Rose Cup. We come here every year thinking we can win it." Timber Creek, which had an arduous 20-year wait before taking home its first Rose Cup title in 2019, also felt confident entering the second day at nearby Woodcreek. "Our team played a few practice rounds at Woodcreek recently, so we felt like we could come out Saturday and have a good day," said Tommy Murphy, who was Timber Creek's No. 1-ranked player in Saturday's round. "We're disappointed; we weren't even close to winning. Give Woodcreek credit, they had a fantastic day on their home course." Indeed Woodcreek did. As the numbers started coming in early Saturday evening in the Woodcreek breezeway where the scoreboard was located, it was apparent the home team played well. It turned out to be an extraordinary day with a record nine players collecting 4 points. "We ham-and-egged it the first day to get the lead. Everyone was picking up their partners all day," Lindner said. "We came out the second day 100-percent confident on our home course and it showed in our play." Collecting a maximum of 8 points each for Woodcreek were Scott Marskell, Jeff Yake and Josh Craik. Getting 7.5 points were Lindner and Ryan Murnane, while Dan Chipp had 7. Among the players with 6 points were Scott Senteney, Ronnie Ruiz and Vance Kline. Evan Hodge and John Murnane had 4 points each in the second round and Tony Bassett had 5 total points. Richard Schiffers led Timber Creek with 7 points, Ron Weddle had 6, Jay Dameron had 5.5, and Tom Marks added 5. Playing in the first round only, Timber Creek pro Ryan Citanella had 3.5 points and Murphy had 3 the following day. Ian Sherman had a strong showing for Sierra View with 7 points, followed by Aaron Stockwell with 6.5 and Chris Kuntz with 6. Kurt Garcia and Brian Kelly had 5 points each. For Diamond Oaks, Ed Powell was the top producer with 7 points, Tyler Cone had 6 and Paul Wilson added 5.5. 2023 ROSE CUP SCOREBOARD Woodcreek: 18.5-42 – 60.5 points Timber Creek: 13.5-28.5 – 42 points Sierra View: 16-23 – 39 points Diamond Oaks: 12-25.5 – 37.5 points