It was a little less than a week ago that two teams consisting of golfers from the Odessa Country Club competed at the 2022 Texas League Play playoffs at the Slick Rock Golf Course in Horseshoe Bay.
One of the teams represented the Old Course, while the other was playing for the Links Course.
The Old Course team, captained by Mark Jones, ended up claiming its second playoff championship with a 9.5-2.5 win against the Rockwall Golf & Athletic Club.
“It was fun for everybody to get down there, have good camaraderie and come away with the win,” Jones said.
The winning team consisted of Jones, Darren Seglem, Luke Groves and Jim McNeil.
Fast forward to Thursday, where those golfers are now competing for separate prizes at the 59th Quarter Century Partnership.
Seglem teamed up with Mike Rockafellow and was competing in the event’s third flight, while Jones, Groves and McNeil ended up in the second flight.
Jones and McNeil are partners, while Groves is teaming up with Derrick Pursley.
Before teeing off for the first round on the Old Course, Groves said it felt good winning the Texas League Play playoffs and added that the event was part of the grind golfers go through in the summer.
It wasn’t too difficult for Groves to pivot into the mentality to compete at the Quarter Century Partnership.
“It’s the same grind, we just get to do it all over again,” Groves said. “My partner will be depending on a little help somewhere.
”I hope to give him some help somewhere.”
Groves said every member of the team was rooting for one another, even in a different setting than the one they were at a few days ago.
Jones has been the captain of the Old Course’s team since 2012 and said the four members of the squad were over 60.
The Links Course team was made up of younger golfers, including Maurizio Iaquaniello, Christopher Snapp, Joe Thaggard and Cory Chitty.
That squad closed out the competition with a quarterfinal appearance where it fell 8.5-3.5 against the Denton Country Club.
Jones picked the members of his team, looking for golfers who have consistently strong showings in match play.
He felt that aspect meant they had the best chemistry to play together.
“We don’t really have a qualifier or anything like that,” Jones said. “As long as we can, we’re going to keep going.”
Jones and McNeil’s team had a strong outing in the first round of the Quarter Century Partnership, carding a 3-under-par 69.
Groves and Pursley also got out to a good start, putting up a 5-under 67.
Both Jones and Groves were grateful for the connections they get to make with other golfers during the three-day tournament at the Odessa Country Club.
The competition gives golfers from other areas a chance to come back and catch up with friends they might not have seen in a while, which is part of why Groves enjoys competing in it.
Jones described the Quarter Century Partnership as a friendly competition.
“It’s great, the camaderie with everybody,” Jones said. “You want to beat them, but at the same time when we get done we say, ‘Good playing and we’ll get you tomorrow.’”
The competition’s second round will take place Friday and run through Saturday.
All competitors will test their skills on both courses at the country club, with golfers who started on the Old Course competing on the Links Course and vice versa.
>> Follow Chris Amaya on Twitter at @OA_CAmaya
