LOCAL GOLF NOTES: Iosue earns Briardale's 'Player of Year' honors

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John Iosue, the defending titlist in the annual City of Euclid golf championship, seemed a bit perturbed about his performance on the final day of this year’s tournament.

He’d posted a two-day score of 75-77-152 – a result that most area golfers could only fantasize about. It was good enough to secure runner-up honors in the Class A division, but to Iosue that simply made him “the first loser,” he quipped. By his standards, it was a sub-par performance.

This year’s Class A low-gross champion was Dan Dietzel, who carded a 77-73-150 total after two days of competition at Briardale Greens Golf Course. Dietzel, who normally plays out of Quail Hollow, won a year’s worth of free golf at Briardale.

More than likely, Iosue’s disappointment was ameliorated somewhat a few days later when it was announced that he had been named Briardale’s “Player of the Year,” based on a point system reflecting the results of five different Players Series events. His reward: a free membership for 2012.

Runner-up in the Player of the Year competition was Steve Lewis, who in the past has teamed with Iosue to win several two-man events. His prize: a new Nike driver.

Other winners in the city championship tournament were: Brian McCullough, who posted a two-day net total of 77-62-139 to win the Class A low net competition; Bobby Butler, the Class B low gross champ (80-80-160); and Ken McCullough, the Class B low net winner (70-71-141).

Brian McCullough’s performance improved dramatically over the two-day event as he shot gross scores of 85 on Saturday and 70 on Sunday. How did he do it? For one thing, he began his Sunday round by holing out for an eagle on the first hole—sinking a 215-yard shot from the fairway after a poor tee shot. A golfer in the group ahead of him saw the result. “The ball hit the flagstick and dropped in,” he said.

McCullough, who says he normally shoots in the high 70s, improved his score on the first hole from a 7 on Saturday to a 2 on Sunday. He also benefited from a pretty good putting performance. “It was really a blessed day," he noted. “The sun was in my eyes on that first hole, so I never saw the ball drop into the cup.”

In the one-day women’s city championship, Karen Shanink captured the top prize with a gross score of 92, while Marilyn Wilson earned runner-up honors with a 98. Shanink also won the low net crown with a 66, while Connie Sims took second place with a 72.

Pat Kirn, the Briardale Greens general manager, points out that this was the first year for the Players Series competition. “It was a great program,” he said. “We had a very good turnout, and we’ll do it again next summer.”

WASHOUT: The Oct. 14 golf-after-sunset event at Briardale had to be rescheduled due to abysmal weather. A total of 60 players had signed up to play nine holes with “glow in the dark” golf balls. The outing was rescheduled for Oct. 28 … A good crowd turned out for the “Taste of the Outback” wine-tasting event on Oct. 22 at Sticks Pub & Grille. A folk music duo provided entertainment as the partiers sampled three red wines and three white wines.