Red Wins Fourth Straight Cup 10 1/2 - 9 1/2 In the closest Concord Cup since 2000, Red won their fourth consecutive cup, 10 1/2 to 9 1/2, led by stellar play from Mike Lamarra. Lamarra clinched the cup at the 17th hole with a victory over David Best. While Blue retained the cup for seven straight years, it never won four straight cups.

Art was unable to play for Red after incurring a bizarre clothing-related injury. To this day, details remain sketchy. So Red brought in two rookies, Matt Cates and Paul Morgan. The Concord Cup can be difficult for a rookie, but captain Frank George sent Matt Cates out first. He was promptly pasted by the perennial pairing of Walters and Walters, and Blue was off to a solid start, as the Walters brothers extended their team record to 5-2. The rest of the morning matches were much closer, with three going to 17, and Blue pulled ahead to a 3 to 2 lead.

In the afternoon, Red started a nice comeback, most dramatically in the marquee match between Blue's Mike Walters and David Best, and Vince Olenik and Jon DeAngelis. Twice, Red came back from behind. Blue got off to a quick start as Red played the first five holes in six over par. Up by four, Blue started a bogey train, and by the 13th hole, Red had come all the way back to even the match. Then Blue built another lead, taking 15 and 16 with pars. In the dark, Blue bogeyed 17 to allow Red to pull within one, and the match was suspended. Behind them, match 10 was suspended as well, with the overall match score at Red 4 1/2, Blue 3 1/2.

Sunday morning began with a memorial service to Steve Shoop on the 12th tee. A bench was dedicated and some of Steve's ashes distributed, as Charlie Shoop gave a toast with one of Shoop's favorite refreshments. It was a moving ceremony on a beautiful morning.

When play resumed, rookie Matt Cates delivered a clutch tee shot on 17, followed by Charlie Shoop's pull into the left woods. When Ron George whiffed his attempt to exit the woods, Red had gained a two match lead, which held up when Olenik and DeAngelis won the 18th hole to halve their match.

Blue would begin the pairs matches down two points, needing 6 1/2 points to grab the cup. In match 11, Blue captain Charlie Shoop had another issue with a wrong-ball, and Dennis Hackett grabbed a 2&1 victory. But captaining is tough, and Bill Sedwick dominated Red captain Frank George 5&3 to keep Blue in the hunt. In Match 13, though he was giving Jon DeAngelis six strokes, and shot 44 on the front, Brad Schubert was able to turn two up, and then played well on the back to win 3&2, and Blue was within a point. But a hole later Jamie Grace closed out Mark Williams 4&2, shooting five over on the first seven holes of the back nine, and Red was two away from holding the Cup.

The match between Olenik and George was their second singles match in three years, and George managed to stay in the match longer this time, evening it up with a par at the 13th. But Olenik birdied 14, parred 15, and won the match 2&1 with a par at 17. But Bob Walters kept Blue in the hunt, getting 17 strokes from Paul Morgan, a rookie playing with the first "plus" handicap in Concord Cup history. His seven-over through 16 gave Walters a 3&2 cushion, but Morgan finished his first Cup with a two and one record, which is a strong showing for a rookie.

The next pair of matches both went to 18, with Red's seniors fighting to the end. Mike Walters, having given up two big leads the day before, built a five hole lead with five to play when he started the first four holes of the back nine one under, including a nice birdie at the eleventh. But George turned the tide with a net par at 14, a bogey at 15, a par at 16, and a par at 17, to pull within one. But Wally came up big with a par at the difficult 18th hole to halve the hole, and win the match. With Mark Smith up two with two to play, things looked very good for Blue. But AC parred 17 and doubled 18 to battle to a tie at the 18th, Blue was within striking distance of taking back the cup.

So rookie Matt Cates was once again in the pressure cooker, this time facing Chris Wilker. Wilker made a strong start with a solid part at number 6, and a 30-foot putt on number 8, and made the turn three ahead. At twelve, Matt Cates hit three balls off the tee, and was hitting a fourth when the blue team found his first tee shot. He went on to chip in for par at 12, but it was too little too late as Wilker won 4 & 3.

So the match was left to Mike Lamarra and David Best. Lamarra went out in 41 to take a two hole lead, and birdied ten with an eighteen foot putt. But Best birdied ten as well from fifteen feet, and the lead was held to two. The magic continued on eleven, as Best chipped in for par from about 22 yards for par. But Lamarra responded with 20-yard chip-in for a second consecutive birdie. Lamarra played solidly from there, with pars at 12, 14, and won his match at 17. Lamarra's par wrapped up the match and victory for Red, and concluded a 3-0 weekend for Lamarra.

NOTES

- On Saturday morning, the matches were played from the Red tees on number 14.

- The overnight suspension was the first in Concord Cup history, caused by a group of eightsomes playing in the "Augie" holding up play.

- There were many more ties than usual in 2011. Mike Walters, who still claims he never gets to 18, got there twice. He had his third tie in forty-five matches, while Jon Deangelis had only his second tie in 55 matches, and Chris Wilker had his first ever.

-Jamie Grace went 3-0 to become the first player to win 30 cup matches. Grace has only lost 13 matches, and while he has faced a little criticism of his handicap, is currently holding a legitimate USGA handicap, and still playing well.