On Tuesday, March 26, I shivered near the Rehoboth Beach Country Club pro shop as the two golf teams from Cape Henlopen and Delmar High Schools struggled to finish their opening match of the 2002 season.

The wind whipping off Rehoboth Bay was running at a gusty 25 knots or so, and the just-finished rain shower didn’t help.

The smiles on the faces of several Viking golfers helped restore some warmth.

Brad Schneider, a Cape Junior, led all scorers with a 39 that surprised him. "I made some good putts, and I hit my irons really well," he grinned. "I doubled the 8^th hole, bogeyed 4 and 6, and birdied the 9^th."

Cape golf coach Jerry Dorneman expressed pleasure at Schneider’s round. "I’m so excited at Brad’s score. He’s been really coming along every day in practice."

2001 State Champion Tyler Witman’s 40 was second best overall for the day: "My drives were bad, and my putting was bad."

I asked him why he wasn’t wearing a jacket. Witman shrugged and said, "I didn’t realize it was going to drop 15 degrees while we played. I’m cold."

Senior Shannon Prettyman was pleased with her opening 44 in the strong breeze. "It was at least a two-club wind on 8 and 9. I almost chipped for a bird on 7, and parred three holes."

Christina Wagamon also started her senior year of varsity competition with a 44. "What a not fun day to play golf," she shivered. "I birdied No. 5 with a long putt, but I tripled the 8^th. The ball plugged in a trap, but I one-putted for a 7."

Mike Schneider, another senior and Brad’s older brother, was playing well until the last two holes. "I was 4 over at that point, and then doubled the 8^th and 9^th. That last one was annoying, because I three-putted it."

On Wednesday, March 26, the Vikings hosted Indian River High School, and won again by 160-205.

Witman took advantage of the improved weather conditions and shot a fine three-under 33 for medalist honors. "I hit all 9 greens in regulation, and putted much better," he said. Witman had four birdies, with one-putts of 15, 15, 4, and 8 feet respectively. His only miscue occurred on the par 3 5^th hole. "I three-putted from 35 feet."

Prettyman’s 41 took second place among all players. "It was windy today through the whole round. I chipped in for a birdie on the 9^th hole from the left sand trap. I didn’t start out too well, with two bogeys, a double, and then two more bogeys. But I finished with three pars and the birdie."

Mike Schneider’s 43 was a stroke better than the day before. "I missed a birdie on my last hole by an inch. I doubled the 2^nd and 4^th holes. I hit a shot into the water on 4, took my drop, and put my next shot within 10 feet of the hole."

Wagamon finished the team scoring with another 43. "It was really cold again, and we had really, really slow play. My drives were off a bit, but the really frustrating thing was that I had 5 putts lip out."

Micah and Reinie Vugrinec are another pair of siblings on the varsity squad. Reinie is a senior, and her brother Micah is a junior. Cory Groll is assisting Dorneman with coaching duties.

Seven sophomores and two freshmen make up the Cape junior varsity squad. The tenth graders are Drake Chandler, Joseph Churchman, Brett Hertel, Erik Jenks, Emory Miller, Kurt Stephens, and John Zacharias. Joe Marker and John Purple are the 9^th graders.

The varsity’s next meet is an away match with Laurel on April 9.

SHORT PUTTS--Rehoboth Beach CC held a breakfast tournament on March 23. The team of Bill Tappan, Dr. Jim Beebe, Ken Michelbach, and Bob Taylor took first place with a 58. Dr. Ryan Barnhart, Penn Emerson, Jack Storms, and Dr. Dave Deakyne took second place on a match of cards with a 59 team score. Third place honors went to John Burris, Joe Farley, Joe Minuti, and Jim Wolfe. The fourth team winnings were awarded to Mike Stadtler, Rick Steele, Steve Hargest, and Tony Vari.

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