Too bad for Jesse Patino, that the modified Stableford format being used at this week's Uniting Fore Care Classic at Park Meadows Country Club, wasn't in effect last year.
Otherwise, he'd be returning to Park City as the defending champion instead of Steve Veriato and he would have played in the majority of Senior tournaments this year because of the one-year exemption given to tournament winners.
Instead, Patino has played in just two events all year, making just over $5,000 and isn't even eligible to play at this week's tournament.
Veriato was last year's surprise winner, winning with three 68s, good for a 204 total, a stroke ahead of Patino, Graham Marsh and Bruce Lietzke.
However, using the modified Stableford, Patino would have won with 31 points, just ahead of Veriato and Lietzke with 30, while Marsh would have been back in a tie for sixth with 25 points. Patino would have won by making the most birdies, 18, in addition to an eagle.
If it sounds confusing, well, it is. The modified Stableford format, means that aggressive play is rewarded as birdies and eagles take on an added premium, while pars mean literally nothing.
Eagles are worth five points, birdies two, pars zero, while bogeys are minus one and double bogeys and worse are negative three. A rare double eagle is worth eight points.
In an effort to spice up the Senior event in Park City, now in its 21st year, tournament officials decided to switch to the modified Stableford format, which has been used at The International at Castle Pines, Colorado, since the tournament's inception in 1986. One Senior event, the Royal Caribbean Classic in Florida, tried the format for a couple of years, before switching back this year.
The Stableford system was conceived 70 years ago by a doctor from England as a way of making it fairer for golfers with different handicaps to play together. Under Dr. Stableford's point system, double bogeys or worse were worth zero points, with bogey getting one, par two, birdie three, eagle four and double-eagle five.
The system was modified by The International's founder Jack Vickers, who came up with the 8-5-2-0-(-1)-(-3) point system. The excitement of the modified Stableford was best exemplified by the finish earlier this month in Colorado.
Rich Beem, who recently won the PGA Tournament, held on to win The International, withstanding an unbelievable finish by Steve Lowery, who made two long sinks over the final five holes, including a double-eagle and an eagle.
As he stood over a 10-foot birdie putt on the final hole, Lowery was in a win-or-lose situation. He trailed Beem 44 to 43 and a sink would mean victory, while a miss would mean second place. It was different than normal golf where he would have been in a tie or lose situation. Alas, Lowery missed the putt, giving the victory to Beem.
Larry Ziegler, a Senior Tour regular since 1989, who has played in 11 straight Senior tournaments in Utah, believes Park Meadows is the best course on the Senior Tour for the Stableford format. He said "everybody bucked it," when the format was used in Florida because the course wasn't suited for it. That shouldn't be the case at Park Meadows, however.
"This is a real good course for this format," he said. "I think the thing that makes it so great for this course is that your four par-5s are all reachable (in two). That's going to add a lot of excitement to the golf tournament."
Ziegler pointed out how playing styles of various players may change as a result of the new format, while taking a couple of writers on a tour of the back nine.
He said, the two par-3s, No. 12 and No. 14 are tough holes that golfers are going to have to be careful on. For instance, the 189-yard No. 14 hole is a shot across water that can be very dangerous. Ziegler said the last thing a player can do is hit his tee shot in the water. That changes at the par-5 15th "island hole" where a player can hit in the water and still get par. But he can also get eagle and those five valuable points.
"The downfall of golfers is going to be the par-3s," he said. "You have to stay away from double bogeys. You can't hit it in the water at 14 or you'll likely lose three points."
On the other hand, the par-5s are where the tournament will be won. Since all four par-5s are reachable in two, including the 546-yard 5th, the 608-yard 8th, the 512-yard 15th and the 521-yard 17th, eagles will be possible with putts. The tournament could very well be won on one of those last two par-5s.
Terry Dill, who was the longest driver on Tour two years ago at the age of 61, is looking forward to playing the new format.
"You have to try to make birdies on all the par-5s," he said. "You have to be a little more aggressive. This course is great for Stableford, especially the last four holes."
However, Dill doesn't think he has any advantage as a long hitter.
"I don't think long hitters will have any advantage," he said. "I think it will come down to putting."
Ziegler agrees, saying, "You might have a guy get hot with a putter and come from nowhere to win."
SENIOR NOTES: With Jim Dent withdrawing, the next spot went to Tom Shaw, the 1989 winner of the tournament . . . Arnold Palmer, Tom Watson and Hale Irwin will all play in the Thursday pro-am . . . The Uniting Fore Care Classic is one of 16 Georgia-Pacific Super Senior events, so many of the older golfers such as Miller Barber, Gene Littler, Bobby Nichols and George Archer are entered this week.
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