| The Month in Review |
| A monthly feature recapping all Lefty Golfers Association events |
| July 2008 |
JULY 5, 2008 - CAUGHNAWAGA
*COSTA DOINBIZNIS
HALE ERWIN NORMAN
DR. MARIO BLONDIN
PAUL HORNSBY III
HALE ERWIN NORMAN
DR. MARIO BLONDIN
PAUL HORNSBY III
38-47--- 85
50-48--- 98
48-53--- 101
57-59--- 116
50-48--- 98
48-53--- 101
57-59--- 116
Caughnawaga was the venue yet again as the LGA began action for the month of July. More of Costa Doinbiznis' vastly improved
golf was on display, as he played the first seven holes at even par, a stretch which included his sixth birdie of the season, en
route to a 38 going out, and then after reverting to the more common type of play usually seen in the LGA, mediocre, claimed
another victory running away, this time by 13 shots for his 10th straight win, and 11th of the season. The Biz never did score
worse than double bogey, although he did post five doubles on the back nine, explaining his second half 47. Hale Erwin
Norman took top lefty and runner-up honours with 98, three better than Dr. Mario Blondin. Norman continued to struggle with his
short putting, as he posted another 4-putt hole on seven, although his long range putting has not seemed to suffer. His drives
also stank, incidentally. Third place Blondin also struggled with the putter in a big way, using the flat blade 39 times, including
many misses from very short range just like his fellow lefty Norman. In fact, Mario did not have a single hole with only one putt, a
rarity for anyone in the LGA. The fact that he needed 16 shots to complete the par-4 14th and 15th holes, probably cost him a
double digit round. Completing the leaderboard, well behind the pack was Paul Hornsby III, who again failed to follow up on a
good round from the previous week. After a terrible front nine 57 where he appeared healthy, Hornsby grunted like Serena
Williams during every swing over the last four holes as he appeared to be injured. Although the LGA suspects he may have
been faking injury to justify his crappy play or to perhaps garner some sympathy from the gallery, he still gets the benefit of the
doubt, as he did finish the round, albeit with a vomit-spewing 116, 31 full shots behind the champion, Costa "Mr. 76" Doinbiznis.
golf was on display, as he played the first seven holes at even par, a stretch which included his sixth birdie of the season, en
route to a 38 going out, and then after reverting to the more common type of play usually seen in the LGA, mediocre, claimed
another victory running away, this time by 13 shots for his 10th straight win, and 11th of the season. The Biz never did score
worse than double bogey, although he did post five doubles on the back nine, explaining his second half 47. Hale Erwin
Norman took top lefty and runner-up honours with 98, three better than Dr. Mario Blondin. Norman continued to struggle with his
short putting, as he posted another 4-putt hole on seven, although his long range putting has not seemed to suffer. His drives
also stank, incidentally. Third place Blondin also struggled with the putter in a big way, using the flat blade 39 times, including
many misses from very short range just like his fellow lefty Norman. In fact, Mario did not have a single hole with only one putt, a
rarity for anyone in the LGA. The fact that he needed 16 shots to complete the par-4 14th and 15th holes, probably cost him a
double digit round. Completing the leaderboard, well behind the pack was Paul Hornsby III, who again failed to follow up on a
good round from the previous week. After a terrible front nine 57 where he appeared healthy, Hornsby grunted like Serena
Williams during every swing over the last four holes as he appeared to be injured. Although the LGA suspects he may have
been faking injury to justify his crappy play or to perhaps garner some sympathy from the gallery, he still gets the benefit of the
doubt, as he did finish the round, albeit with a vomit-spewing 116, 31 full shots behind the champion, Costa "Mr. 76" Doinbiznis.
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Photos not available
JULY 6, 2008 - METROPOLITAIN
DR. MARIO BLONDIN
*FRED CUPHOLDERS
PAUL HORNSBY III
*FRED CUPHOLDERS
PAUL HORNSBY III
46-46--- 92
48-57--- 105
55-53--- 108
48-57--- 105
55-53--- 108
The LGA completed a doubleheader weekend of action with a rare Sunday afternoon tee time and a first ever visit to
Metropolitain. Dr. Mario Blondin did a good job keeping his game steady, and despite only two pars for the round, compiled 46's
on each nine for a runaway 13 shot tournament victory over his nearest competitor, top righthander Fred Cupholders. It was
Blondin's third win of the season, leaving him eight massive victories behind the red hot Costa Doinbiznis. Fred Cupholders
also had a respectable front nine, going out in 48, but as Mario slowly pulled away, Fred faded yet again, and would end up
barely holding on to second place as last place finisher Paul Hornsby III began a late round rally of sorts. Yellow Jacket
defending champion Cupholders remains unvictorious in 2008, approximately half way through the season. And while we're on
the subject of players without wins, let's focus on Hornsby's round for a moment. Playing in sandals as he tried to recover from a
mysterious leg injury suffered on the previous day, Hornsby sucked again, but did make a barefoot birdie putt on the par-3 14th
hole, his fourth tweety bird of the year. The birdie was Hornsby's first ever putt barefoot, so at least he is perfect in something. Da
Turd's 108 capped off a surprisingly horrible weekend, especially after his fine performance of the weekend prior. Fittingly for
Paul, his car broke down on the way to the event, and he had to rely on emergency transportation to arrive at the first tee on time.
Of course he knew better than to ask what else could go wrong.
Metropolitain. Dr. Mario Blondin did a good job keeping his game steady, and despite only two pars for the round, compiled 46's
on each nine for a runaway 13 shot tournament victory over his nearest competitor, top righthander Fred Cupholders. It was
Blondin's third win of the season, leaving him eight massive victories behind the red hot Costa Doinbiznis. Fred Cupholders
also had a respectable front nine, going out in 48, but as Mario slowly pulled away, Fred faded yet again, and would end up
barely holding on to second place as last place finisher Paul Hornsby III began a late round rally of sorts. Yellow Jacket
defending champion Cupholders remains unvictorious in 2008, approximately half way through the season. And while we're on
the subject of players without wins, let's focus on Hornsby's round for a moment. Playing in sandals as he tried to recover from a
mysterious leg injury suffered on the previous day, Hornsby sucked again, but did make a barefoot birdie putt on the par-3 14th
hole, his fourth tweety bird of the year. The birdie was Hornsby's first ever putt barefoot, so at least he is perfect in something. Da
Turd's 108 capped off a surprisingly horrible weekend, especially after his fine performance of the weekend prior. Fittingly for
Paul, his car broke down on the way to the event, and he had to rely on emergency transportation to arrive at the first tee on time.
Of course he knew better than to ask what else could go wrong.
Photos not available
JULY 12, 2008 - CAUGHNAWAGA
HALE ERWIN NORMAN
*PIETRO LEWINSKY
PAUL HORNSBY III
CHRIS THE 9-IRON KID
*PIETRO LEWINSKY
PAUL HORNSBY III
CHRIS THE 9-IRON KID
44-52--- 96
58-55--- 113
52-62--- 114
60-55--- 115
58-55--- 113
52-62--- 114
60-55--- 115
Caughnawaga served as the venue once more as the Lefty Golfers Association held its 17th event of the season. Hale Erwin
Norman took advantage of a weak field, although honestly he did not play such strong golf himself, but a birdie from the fairway
bunker on the par-4 9th had Hale leading by eight at the turn, and he would pull away from the pack to win by 17 shots over the
field's sole rightie Pietro Lewinsky. It was Norman's third win of 2008, putting him in a tie with Dr. Mario Blondin. As has been the
case most often lately, the real drama was in the battles for the lower ranks. Paul Hornsby III seemed content alone in second
place for most of the event, well behind Norman and well ahead of Lewinsky and Chris The 9-Iron Kid, but Hornsby would score
a 12 on the par-4 15th after major problems from the bunker, and after trying to chop down a couple of trees with his sand
wedge on his way to the 16th tee, the trees took their revenge on that very same hole, leading to a 10. Lewinsky then four-putted
the beer hole 17th, but was still able to grab second spot by one, his first ever career second place finish. It was the second
time Pietro defeated Hornsby, and the first time ever he posted a lower score than the 9-Iron Kid. Speaking of 9-Iron, he
appeared injured and struggled all day long, and would enter the clubhouse with 115, his worst score since September 30,
2006. Chris' round featured two pars, three nines and a ten. Lewinsky was proud of his second place finish, and declared his
next gaol, to finally win an official LGA event. LGA resident oddsmaker Pavlo "The Greek" Hornsbidakis agreed that it is possible,
but suggested that perhaps Lewinsky should try to break 110 first. Of course with some of these lefties, 110 just might be good
enough for that first win.
Norman took advantage of a weak field, although honestly he did not play such strong golf himself, but a birdie from the fairway
bunker on the par-4 9th had Hale leading by eight at the turn, and he would pull away from the pack to win by 17 shots over the
field's sole rightie Pietro Lewinsky. It was Norman's third win of 2008, putting him in a tie with Dr. Mario Blondin. As has been the
case most often lately, the real drama was in the battles for the lower ranks. Paul Hornsby III seemed content alone in second
place for most of the event, well behind Norman and well ahead of Lewinsky and Chris The 9-Iron Kid, but Hornsby would score
a 12 on the par-4 15th after major problems from the bunker, and after trying to chop down a couple of trees with his sand
wedge on his way to the 16th tee, the trees took their revenge on that very same hole, leading to a 10. Lewinsky then four-putted
the beer hole 17th, but was still able to grab second spot by one, his first ever career second place finish. It was the second
time Pietro defeated Hornsby, and the first time ever he posted a lower score than the 9-Iron Kid. Speaking of 9-Iron, he
appeared injured and struggled all day long, and would enter the clubhouse with 115, his worst score since September 30,
2006. Chris' round featured two pars, three nines and a ten. Lewinsky was proud of his second place finish, and declared his
next gaol, to finally win an official LGA event. LGA resident oddsmaker Pavlo "The Greek" Hornsbidakis agreed that it is possible,
but suggested that perhaps Lewinsky should try to break 110 first. Of course with some of these lefties, 110 just might be good
enough for that first win.
Photos not available
JULY 20, 2008 - CAUGHNAWAGA
*FRED CUPHOLDERS
DR. MARIO BLONDIN
PAUL HORNSBY III
DR. MARIO BLONDIN
PAUL HORNSBY III
44-56--- 100
51-50--- 101
51-53--- 104
51-50--- 101
51-53--- 104
For a fourth straight weekend the LGA headed to Caughnawaga, once again in defiance of a rainy forecast. The clouds stayed
but the rain never materialized, as Fred Cupholders avoided bad holes on the front nine, reaching the turn in 44 shots to earn
him a seven shot lead at that point, only to give back most of those shots coming in, especially on holes 13, 14 and 15. Fred
would eke out a one stroke victory over Dr. Mario Blondin for his first of 2008, in spite of his back nine 56. Blondin, who had
problems of his own, actually caught Cupholders after his par on the 14th hole, but the doc would follow up that par with back to
back sevens on the subsequent par-4's, denying him his fourth win of the campaign. Paul Hornsby III rounded out the field
again, finishing last at 104. Although never really in close contention, 'Da Turd' pulled to within five through 13, before going into
the newly christened Magnet Lake on 14, where Hornsby once again lost his temper, claiming to have gone into that lake during
every single event at Cog over the last five years. Although this may be an exaggeration on Hornsby's part, it is not a very
egregious one. This time it led to a nine. Although the uncut rough served as an excuse for the higher than normal scores
(Hornsby excepted), it was still disappointing for the trio, as the last time the same field played at Caughnawaga, everyone broke
100. "We suck.", Cupholders explained folowing the event. Fred's statement carried a certain depth, especially considering that
he won the event.
but the rain never materialized, as Fred Cupholders avoided bad holes on the front nine, reaching the turn in 44 shots to earn
him a seven shot lead at that point, only to give back most of those shots coming in, especially on holes 13, 14 and 15. Fred
would eke out a one stroke victory over Dr. Mario Blondin for his first of 2008, in spite of his back nine 56. Blondin, who had
problems of his own, actually caught Cupholders after his par on the 14th hole, but the doc would follow up that par with back to
back sevens on the subsequent par-4's, denying him his fourth win of the campaign. Paul Hornsby III rounded out the field
again, finishing last at 104. Although never really in close contention, 'Da Turd' pulled to within five through 13, before going into
the newly christened Magnet Lake on 14, where Hornsby once again lost his temper, claiming to have gone into that lake during
every single event at Cog over the last five years. Although this may be an exaggeration on Hornsby's part, it is not a very
egregious one. This time it led to a nine. Although the uncut rough served as an excuse for the higher than normal scores
(Hornsby excepted), it was still disappointing for the trio, as the last time the same field played at Caughnawaga, everyone broke
100. "We suck.", Cupholders explained folowing the event. Fred's statement carried a certain depth, especially considering that
he won the event.
Photos not available
JULY 26, 2008 - BELLEVUE (WOODLANDS COURSE)
PAUL HORNSBY III
HALE ERWIN NORMAN
DR. MARIO BLONDIN
*COSTA DOINBIZNIS
HALE ERWIN NORMAN
DR. MARIO BLONDIN
*COSTA DOINBIZNIS
44-50--- 94
48-47--- 95
44-53--- 97
51-48--- 99
48-47--- 95
44-53--- 97
51-48--- 99
Returning to Bellevue after a brief absence from the facility, the LGA witnessed what could only be considered a major upset
given recent results, as Paul Hornsby III played bogey ball on the front nine (along with Dr. Mario Blondin), then held on for a
slim but gratifying one shot victory over the top three ranked golfers in the LGA, his first of 2008. Hornsby took charge of the event
after scoring par on the par-4 13th hole combined with sixes and eights by his opponents. One shot back was Hale Erwin
Norman, who posted pars on the last two holes to put some pressure on the veteran loser, but it was a case of too little too late.
Still Hale was the only player to post both nines in the forties on this day. Dr. Mario Blondin grabbed third spot with a 97, which
featured a 53 back nine. Blondin holed his third shot from about 50 yards on the par-4 2nd hole for his second birdie of the
season, but after his aforementioned front nine 44, really did not play very well. Still, he managed to outrank top rightie and last
place finisher Costa Doinbiznis, who saw his streak of consecutive tournament wins ended at ten. The Biz had a few
unfortunate breaks leading to some big numbers, namely two eights and a nine, still he finished with par-par to keep it in
double digits. Incredibly, Costa had only one loss against all opponents entering the round, and now sits stigmatized with four.
Not surprisingly, there was a minor controversy surrounding Hornsby's victory, as he ran off the course from the 16th tee due to
lightning. Although his competition stuck it out and finished the round through the rain, Hornsby returned to the course after the
storm to complete his round. Justice did prevail as Da Turd also finished in heavy rain, but with a sparkle in his eyes not seen
since perhaps as long as Hornsby's adolescence, which, trust me, is a long time ago.
given recent results, as Paul Hornsby III played bogey ball on the front nine (along with Dr. Mario Blondin), then held on for a
slim but gratifying one shot victory over the top three ranked golfers in the LGA, his first of 2008. Hornsby took charge of the event
after scoring par on the par-4 13th hole combined with sixes and eights by his opponents. One shot back was Hale Erwin
Norman, who posted pars on the last two holes to put some pressure on the veteran loser, but it was a case of too little too late.
Still Hale was the only player to post both nines in the forties on this day. Dr. Mario Blondin grabbed third spot with a 97, which
featured a 53 back nine. Blondin holed his third shot from about 50 yards on the par-4 2nd hole for his second birdie of the
season, but after his aforementioned front nine 44, really did not play very well. Still, he managed to outrank top rightie and last
place finisher Costa Doinbiznis, who saw his streak of consecutive tournament wins ended at ten. The Biz had a few
unfortunate breaks leading to some big numbers, namely two eights and a nine, still he finished with par-par to keep it in
double digits. Incredibly, Costa had only one loss against all opponents entering the round, and now sits stigmatized with four.
Not surprisingly, there was a minor controversy surrounding Hornsby's victory, as he ran off the course from the 16th tee due to
lightning. Although his competition stuck it out and finished the round through the rain, Hornsby returned to the course after the
storm to complete his round. Justice did prevail as Da Turd also finished in heavy rain, but with a sparkle in his eyes not seen
since perhaps as long as Hornsby's adolescence, which, trust me, is a long time ago.
Photos not available