JULIANA KORVER IS INSPIRING

5 time women's world champion Juliana Korver was on hand at Tyler State Park this weekend conducting a free clinic for the ladies, no boys allowed. Saito, Ben and Tomoko happened to stumble upon this event quite obliviously as they prepared to take to the links in a warm-up round to get ready for next weekend's Memorial Day Extravaganza. After it was determined that Ben had not packed the proper accessories to try and infiltrate the clinic en drag, Tomoko considered joining Korver's in progress tutorial. In a testament to the strength of the talent on our beloved tour however, she demurred, and opted instead for the more controversial instruction available from her coach and the other Champ. Juliana's benificient presence was nevertheless felt, as Ben channeled her skills to make a run at the course record, banishing the memories of last weekend's Disaster at Norwalk. Saito was not as in tune with the Korver aura and will be looking to make some adjustments heading into Memorial Day. Tomoko, it must be said, was playing quite well, dissecting the fairways with smooth precision. If she can add a viable putt to her repertoire, Ravi and Mike W had better bring their A games.

RAVI IS ECSTATIC

Its been a very long time since Ravi has had the honor of besting the Champ in any single round over the last 4 (5? 6? 10?) years. Last Sunday was his day. Dave, Ravi and Ben were on hand to test their skills at the revamped course at Cranberry Park, Norwalk. As is well known in these parts, The Champ has reigned supreme over this course for quite a while. That chapter may be coming to a close, however, as there may well be a new master excercising lordship over these lands. More about him later. First, Ravi's big news: he beat a distinctly awful Ben in the first round, claiming second by ten strokes. Ben returned the favor in the second round, besting Shankdog by even more. But alas, this was all academic as the real hero of the day was the Maddog. Simply put, Dave's game was nearly sublime. He easily bested the field both rounds and established himself as a clear favorite heading into the Memorial Day extravaganza.

We were able to ask Ben his thoughts on the new layout: "Dark forces have conspired against me to turn my beloved Norwalk into a mockery of its former self. Where once a variety of shots and a complete game was required to tame this course, now it is a one trick poney, slave to the lefty's, forehanders and... uh.. Dave."

DAVE IS RICH, GRUMPY

Three of the league's top five golfers gathered at Wickham Park, CT yesterday for the course season opener. Ben and Dave battled to a tie in round one, with Ravi trailing a few strokes behind. Instead of settling the tie, the decision was made to change Round 2 to a skins format. Each hole was worth 3 dollars with the winner determined by cash money. For Dave it was like taking candy from a baby. Every time the pot grew because of a tie on the previous hole, Dave snatched it up quick. Whereas at the end of round 1 Dave seemed lethargic and vulnerable, once cold hard cash was on the line the Maddog roared to life, hitting the big shots when it mattered. Ravi on the other hand, had to be escorted to the ATM at the end of the round and found his first taste of the skins format, while fun, expensive.

Inaugral Wickham Skins TournamentFinal Result

Dave a whopping $42
Ben, a very mediocre $12
Ravi, zero dollars

BEN KNOWS HOW TO FINISH

Saito and Ben were out at Tyler this past weekend for two head to head rounds. Ben ran away with the first, ending with a 10 stroke lead. But Saito started playing like a triple crown member the second and worked his way to a seemingly insurmountable 6 stroke lead with nine holes to play. That lead was whittled down to 4 strokes with three holes to play. It shrunk to two strokes with one hole left. End result: Ben wins!

'WTF, how did this happen?!' you are surely wondering? Well, on the final hole Ben parked a beaut right up past the basket for a real nice birdie look. Saito's drive was a twisted, ugly thing, that found wood and brush just after leaving his hand. And his approach was more shankjob. To compound his troubles he next faced an ugly look for par that bounced near the basket and then Oh Shit! rolled on down the hill. Ben cackled with delight as Saito's comebacker for bogie clanked off the rim HOLY DAMN! and rolled even farther down the hill! Triple bogie in the final frame. The Champ's birdie shot sliced into the chains like a knife into Saito's back and it was all over. Goldman by two.

SAITO TAKES THE TRIPLE CROWN

With a blowout victory over Maddog Granger a few weeks ago, Saito completed the coveted Champion's League Triple Crown: career victories over Mills, Goldman and Granger.

When asked to comment on the importance of the occasion Saito brusquely replied: "They questioned my training techniques. They questioned my disc buying habits. The questioned my post-round shower-with-my-discs routine. They are questioning me no longer. Make some room at the top fellas, there is a new kid on the block."