Davis, Spradlin-Vogelsang take Youth Division
Week 5 is Nov. 20, Ace Race set for Nov. 26
* Results: Week 1 … Week 2 … Week 3 .
* Allegany County Disc Golf Club on Facebook
* Fall Doubles League details
MOUNT SAVAGE — Down by six points headed into their 24th and final hole, there was only one way David Warder and Colby Mallery had a chance to pull out the win.
It was either go home or risk almost everything.
Noah Davis struggled putting into the elevated basket on No. 2, but settled over the final nine holes to lead his team.
Of course, Warder and Mallery chose to go for it. That mindset is generally what makes them so successful on the disc golf course.
Lined up from the short tee on No. 9, each took a run at an ace that could leapfrog them over Bill Shreve and Scott Mallery for first place in Week 4 of the Allegany County Disc Golf Club’s Fall Doubles League on Sunday at Mile Lane Disc Golf Course in Mount Savage. All eight athletes in the field were paired off in teams and played the Iron Man Scratch Match format, in which points were awarded for throwing for par or better, and points were dialed back to zero if a player bogeyed twice in a row. Players earned 10 points for an ace — there were none, but there were a handful of close calls — five points for an eagle, three points for a birdie and one point for saving par.
Colby Mallery, 19, of Mount Savage, had 32 points after 23 holes. Warder, 32, of Frostburg, had 29. But Mallery was coming off a bogey on the previous hole (No. 8). A bogey on No. 9, then, would (a) be his second consecutive bogey and (b) wipe out all his hard-earned points at the worst possible moment. But Mallery had no inclination to settle. Like Warder, he gunned it slightly uphill, through the fairway and towards the orange basket.
The standard for par on the 12-hole layout from the short tees, played twice, was changed slightly. Each basket is normally a par 3. For those playing in the combined Advanced / Rec divisions on Sunday, however, Nos. 2, 3 and 9 were each changed to a par 2. And on 10 of 18 occasions, the players met the new, lower standard. It was not just the pain, but the timing of it, that often hurt the most when they didn’t.
Four out of six adult players bogeyed twice in a row at least once. For Nic Davies, 26, of Mount Savage, he bogeyed the first three holes. Seeing as he had not accumulated any points yet, however, his total point loss was zero. It was worse for his teammate, Kevin Spradlin. The 43-year-old from Frostburg led Davies over the front 12, 13-11, and the situation seemed pretty good overall for the both of them. However, there a mandatory disc change at the midway point. Players were limited to two discs the first half, and they were required to change to two others in the second half. The idea was to whittle down their choices for the one-disc round immediately following the 2nd annual Ace Race on Nov. 26 hosted by Mile Lane Disc Golf. Entry is $30 per player, and as of Sunday afternoon there were still a few spots open.
Luke Spradlin-Vogelsang tallied points on four of his final five baskets after having his points erased for two consecutive bogeys.
On No. 12, Spradlin threw his second consecutive bogey, erasing all 14 points. Lucky for the pair, though, Davies got hot over the second half. He tallied 17 of his 28 points over the back 12, including three consecutive birdies at one point. Spradlin, meanwhile, climbed back from oblivion and earned seven points over the final nine holes as Team Davies-Spradlin finished with 35 points.
On the other side of the course, the four other adult players waged their final standoff. Team Mallery-Warder did not know the final tally for Team Davies-Spradlin. And they probably didn’t care — after all, they had their sights set squarely on first place.
Each missed the ace attempt 140 feet from the tee pad, however. Team Mallery-Shreve secured the win with 69 points, while Davies-Spradlin eked out a second-place finish with 35 points and Team Mallery-Warder finished with 30.
In the Youth Division, a pair of Frostburg boys earned the win. Noah Davis, 8, and Luke Spradlin-Vogelsang, 9, played 12 holes with a modified par system to suit their abilities. Spradlin-Vogelsang had 15 points after only five holes — aided by an eagle on No. 3 — but threw his second consecutive bogey on No. 7. With two new discs on the back six, Spradlin-Vogelsang could not return to his first-half form. Davis, meanwhile, threw his second straight bogey on his third hole, wiping out three points. He settled over the final nine baskets and with the help of two birdies climbed to 10 points. Spradlin-Vogelsang finished with eight, and their combined 18 points took the division victory.
The number of players — eight — was the lowest of the first four weeks of Fall Doubles League. The weather might have something to do with that. Rain all day Friday and much of Saturday promised a wet, muddy course. It was a bit chilly, too. The temperature dipped, and snow flurries greeted Mountain Maryland residents as they woke up Sunday morning. Though flurries were forecasted to stop by midday, they continued through Doubles League play on and off throughout the afternoon. It was a high of 36 degrees and steady 13 mph winds.
Week 4 notes
* Playing partners for the combined Advanced / Rec division were random. Noah and Luke took turns pulling out adult minis from a box until the three adult teams were set.
* David Warder became the 23rd unique player to completed a doubles league round this season, matching the 23 unique players who completed a round over 18 weeks during the 2021-22 season.
* Though not for lack of trying, no aces were made today. The ace pot stands at $47.
* Week 5 play returns to Central in Cumberland. Registration begins at 1:30 p.m. Tee time is 2 p.m.
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