Geneva 2026
Message From: Frank Alexander
Date: 9/03/2026
From: Frank Alexander
SCRAMBLE WRAP UP
BLAISE & CO. MADE SYRUP OF MAPLE FIELD
Considering the circumstances, the Scramble Tournament was a success. Perhaps the biggest loser of the time change for this event was Mary’s Kitchen. The challenge of corralling the field for the 7:00 AM tee time was thought tougher than herding cats. Some of the fellows were not sure of daylight at that time of the day. Without the benefit of a bugler blowing reveille, all who were supposed to be at Maple Ridge were at Maple Ridge. And the Scramble played on.
The team of Blaise Plageman, Mike Pagnanelli, Shawn Dorn, and Tony McGuckin won first place touring the Maple Ridge outward nine in 5 under par. That is a fine score when you figure in the fact of the unfamiliarity of the layout. We were unsure if Blaise and Jelly were awake or sleepwalking. Though Blaise made it to his bed this year instead of sleeping in a chair on Fritz’s patio like 2025. The effort to see only one ball on the tee and keeping the cup steady on the greens must have been a taxing victory. I tried playing in those conditions last year and was far from achieving success. There were no late-night antics for Pags. He is early to bed and early to rise and his way has paid handsomely these past two Geneva’s. The foursomes winning performance earned each man $50.
Oh! They won a Skin also. $15 more bucks to spend on beverages. There were 3 Skins in the Scramble Competition. Blaise, Pags, Dorny, and Jelly shared the $180 pot with the squad of Dagon Abdon, Mark Kovachy, Ray Ballard, and Tom Black as well as the team of Pat Dorn, Steve Miller, Tim Black, and Greg Gudenkauf. Where each group got their Skin, I do not know. Squabbit did not release that information and quite honestly, I killed a lot of brain cells since Geneva and I simply forgot.
The plan is to return to the usual schedule next year when the Scramble follows Saturday’s early round. Try as we did to keep the event as exciting as others, something was out of sorts. The golf carts gathered behind the 9th green creating a gallery for the finishing golfers. It was not the same. The amphitheater of Geneva’s setting was missing. The hooting and hollering we have come to expect was more subdued. To be sure, the lack of alcoholic intake at 10:00 AM compared to the consumption by 7:00 PM had much to do with it. Thank goodness Blaise, Pags, Dorny, and Jelly played well enough to avoid a tie because a playoff may have been impossible.
One last pat on the back to the Scramble Committee. They were forced to reshuffle the deck because three players withdrew from the competition. The Committee convened amidst galivanting from establishments and moved a few golfers from one group to another and produced another fair and competitive field. Forced to reduce the foursomes from 9 to 8, they were still able to sculpture an event where all had a legitimate chance to win. Bully to the Committee.
