News and Notes

We are three weeks away from the opening round of the 2010 Kiva Cup, the 8th Annual Fight by the Fort, The Battle on the Bay, The Crusade for the Cup, the Brawl for it All!

There have been a few decisions made recently that, individually, did not warrant blog posts. I’d like to bring every one up to date, especially the Europeans since Brian is Captain Incommunicado.

First off, nicknames. There is a current poll to decide Clarke Burns’ official Kiva Cup nickname. The top three vote getters in round one were “The Reverend Clarke Burns”, “Clarke Griswold”, and “Sparky”.

A debate has raged as to whether “Clarke Griswold” and “Sparky” should be separate options since “Sparky” is, in fact, Clark Griswold’s nickname.

By executive order, I am combining “Clarke Griswold” and “Sparky” in to one option for round two. If the combined option is the winning nickname in round two, you shall have the option of calling Clarke Burns either “Clarke Griswold” (or “Griswold”) or “Sparky” and, as a Kiva Cup rookie, he must answer to either.

We’re all about options, and hierarchy, here at the Kiva Cup. Second round voting begins today and shall conclude at 2:00PM on Wednesday, October 6th.

Along those same lines, it was determined earlier this week that the actor Mark Harmon is Team USA rookie Tony “Big House” Harmon’s first cousin, once removed (seriously!).

By executive order and decree, I do hereby declare “Shoop” to be a secondary and acceptable nickname for Tony Harmon. As with Clarke, you shall have the option of calling him “Big House” or “Shoop” and, as a Kiva Cup rookie, he must answer to either. So let it be written, so let it be done.

Player bios are continuously being added to the website.  Simply click on a player's name to learn more about your opponent, teammate, or favorite Kiva Cup participant.

Next item, lodging has been secured for both teams. If you do not know where you are staying, contact your Captain, Vice-Captain, or Captain-in-Waiting. It is understood that most players will be arriving at Kiva Dunes on Wednesday. Some will be there early enough for a practice round, some will not be arriving until later in the evening. If you are interested in an afternoon practice round Wednesday, contact your Captain or Vice-Captain who can then get you in touch with similarly situated individuals via the e-mail.

Next item, it has been decided that each golfer’s index as of the October 15, 2010 GHIN revision shall be, subject to home course adjustment, that golfer’s index for the 2010 Kiva Cup. Scores entered online* on or before October 14, 2010 will be used for the October 15 revision, so please enter all scores, including the three 68s or better that all of you Europeans will shoot in your final tune-up rounds over the weekend of October 9th, in to GHIN on or before October 14. The handicap system allows golfers of all abilities to compete against one another, on level playing field, in the gentlemanly game of golf.

October 14th is also the date of the 2010 pairings party. Now, I just wrote that we will be using the 10/15 revision for cup play. We will not, therefore, have official handicaps at the time that first round pairings are decided. I will attempt, using the exact formula used by GHIN and based on scores entered as of 10/14, to estimate each golfer’s 10/15 index and have the estimates available at the pairings party.

The pairings party will be at Black Market Bar. We will meet at 6:00PM for cocktails before we get down to the business of tossing pairs at 7:00PM. I don’t know where BMB is, so just Google it if you need directions.

Lastly, some of you may have missed this late breaking news of September 29, 2010. The respective team captains have agreed that the Saturday Singles matches will, in true Ryder Cup fashion, be determined by BLIND DRAW! Players listed 1-8!  Oh, the pairing possibilities that would never happen otherwise!

Three weeks, ladies and gentlemen, three weeks! It’s getting good!




*It is recommended that you enter scores online at ghin.com.  Scores entered using GHIN stations at individual golf clubs are subject to the individual club’s transmit schedule. Some clubs may “jump the gun” and transmit early, or “forget” to transmit. Prior to entering a score at a pro shop that may have a material affect on your index for Cup play, please check with the club as to their transmit schedule.