Spring Lake loses Thomas O. Sobbe Cup on 18th hole of final match

WEBSTER GROVES, Mo. — Old Hickory Golf Club out of St. Peters, Mo., defeated Quincy’s Spring Lake Country Club 4-2 in the finals of the Thomas O. Sobbe Cup on Friday night at Algonquin Golf Club. The victory marks Old Hickory’s first Sobbe Cup title. 

Jeff Cleveland sunk a 40-foot putt just before darkness to get the winning point for his club. The four-ball handicap match of Cleveland and Josh Crume of Old Hickory was tied with Spring Lake’s Haily Meyer and Andrew Smith. A win by Spring Lake on No. 18 would have sent the cup into a playoff, but Cleveland’s putt gave Old Hickory the win by two points.

Spring Lake’s Jason Traeder won 7 and 6 in his professional match to get his team’s first point. Bill Latour and Mike Ridder won their senior four-ball handicap match 3 and 1 for Spring Lake’s other point.

The semifinal between Spring Lake Country Club and Westborough Country Club needed extra holes. Spring Lake won the professional and singles handicap matches. Traeder won 3 and 2, while Gary Boots won 2 and 1. Smith and Meyer won their four-ball handicap match.

Westborough’s Sean Brennan and Spring Lake’s Jamie Blaesing went to a sudden-death playoff starting on No. 1 to see which club would face Old Hickory in the finals. The pair both parred No. 1. A par on No. 2 for Blaesing was the deciding hole for Spring Lake.

Spring Lake previously defeated Glen Echo Country Club and Whitmoor Country Club to advance to Friday’s semifinals and finals.

Spring Lake team members were Traeder, Blaesing, Meyer, Smith, Ridder, Latour, Gary Boots and George Novosel. 

Quincy Country Club also participated in the tournament but lost in the first round to Old Hickory.

The Thomas O. Sobbe Cup is a year-long competition between member clubs of the Metropolitan Amateur Golf Association. Teams are comprised of eight players from each club, seven amateurs and one professional. Six matches are contested in each round: a professional match, two singles scratch matches, one singles handicap match, one senior four-ball handicap match and one four-ball handicap match.