• Originally published July 26, 2008 at 11:19 p.m., updated July 26, 2008 at 11:19 p.m.

Golf is a game in which whatever competitor gets around the course in the fewest strokes wins.

Sometimes that can be a real low number and then again you may be looking at something a little higher. But for the average golfer it’s amazing to see just how many shots it takes to get around the course in.

For the 100-plus golfers in the second annual Victoria City Championship you might say that number was a little above average.

In fact, the overall stroke average for this year’s event was almost two strokes higher than last year’s inaugural event.

While the field was slightly larger than last year’s, the final stroke count was 27,002 for an 87.1 stroke average. Last year’s average was 85.6.

“I think it’s a little high and I don’t have a great reason why,” said Victoria country Club head pro Breene Cantwell. “I thought they would have been a little lower in the first two rounds.”

Off the eight flights that competed in last year’s tournament, only three showed a better scoring average this year. The first flight finished with a 79.2 average, the fifth flight at 90.9 and the sixth flight at 94.5. Last year the numbers were at 82.6 for the first, 91.1 for the fifth and 98.1 for the sixth.

The championship flight showed a light increase up to 79.8 from 79.5, while the senior flight rose from 80.9 to 82.7. the second flight came in at 86.6 up from 82.9 and the third flight finished at 87.3, up from 85.9.

VCC again played the toughest scoring average-wise, while Colony Creek showed the biggest jump in scoring average.

The field played VCC in 90.4 strokes, up a tenth of a stroke from last year, while it took almost six more strokes to finish the 18 holes at Colony Creek.

Colony Creek’s scoring average rose from 81.9 to 87.7, something that surprised CCCC director of golf Greg Hughes.

“I can’t think of anything particular right off that would raise the scores,” Hughes said. “We did triple cut the greens and that was a little different and we may have set the course up a little easier last year.”

Hughes says the format may also have a little to do with the higher scoring.

“I think sometimes that the first round of a tournament the scores can be higher,” said Hughes. “People haven’t competed in awhile so as they settle in and get a little relaxed they have a tendency to play a little better.

“I had a couple of them tell me that they didn’t realize how grueling it is for three days of individual play. It’s not like a partnership tournament where you can relax a little if your partner is playing well. This is on your own.”

Cantwell and Hughes both feel the three course format also helps make this one of the premier events in Victoria.

“I think they are more comfortable at their home course and that’s what so neat about using three courses in the rotation,” Cantwell said. “I think the way players had to look at it this year was that it was a last round of a major coming here because our stroke average is higher than at the other places.

“If a guy was any where in the hunt going into the last day here all he had to do was stay patient because he wouldn’t have to go real low to catch the rest of the field. Next year it will be exactly the opposite when they go to Riverside. Just because you have the lead you’re going to have to go low to win.”

That personality is what makes the tournament according to Hughes.

“After two years the tournament is developing some tradition and that’s what make the event,” Hughes said. “Once a tournament picks up a little personality, and that personality is the three course, it makes it fun and challenging.

“You have three different personalities to deal with in that not one of the courses is like the other. the final round is at Riverside next year and that’s going to be different again.

“The whole tournament will once again have a different personality, but it will have the tradition that is being built by playing at the three courses and having a city champion remain the same.”

This year’s overall flight winners included Eric Westerman in the championship flight, Gary McBroom in the senior championship flight, Chad brown in the first flight, Jim Linam in the second flight, Alan Culberson in the third flight, Bryan Hunt in the fourth flight, Claud Jacobs in the fifth flight, and Jacob Bowman in the sixth flight.

Viola Saenz won the women’s flight, while Sharon Petty was the women’s net winner. Becky Brown finished second in the net division and Paula Jones was third.

Hole in one

Tom Witte hit a perfect 3-wood shot to ace the 195-yard, par-3 No. 5 on the blue course at Riverside Golf Course last Sunday. Witnessing the shot were Jim Badgett, Don Edwards, Ernie Helwig and Garrett Wakefield.

Joe Flores Jr., former Colony Creek assistant pro, made his first ace by holing out with a 3-Hybrid from 202 yards on the 12th hole at Pecan Valley Country Club in San Antonio on Monday. The shot was witnessed by Fonz Garza, Casey Kalin and Tony Vargas.

Tournaments on the tee

GOLIAD ROTARY CLUB SCHOLARSHIP TOURNAMENT: Saturday, Aug. 6, 1 p.m., Goliad Golf Club. Entry fee for the four-person scramble is $60 per person. For information, call Glenn Pitts at 361-645-8322.

36th ANNUAL TWO-MAN TOURNAMENT: Aug. 9-10, Cuero Municipal Golf Course. En try fee for the two-man scramble format is $180 per team with the deadline to enter at noon on July 30. For information, call Jamie Wright at 361-275-5587 or Alan Kahlich at 361-275-6101 or 361-277-3280.

2ND ANNUAL ALL-STAR CLASSIC: Saturday, Aug. 9, 8 a.m., Riverside Golf Course. Entry fee for the 4-person scramble is $70 per person or $280 per team. Entry deadline is Aug. 6. Proceeds benefit Manning All-Star Cheerleaders. For information, call Laura Goedrich at 361-935-0561 or Viola Saenz at 361-575-8827 or 361-579-8828.

14TH ANNUAL TEXAS A&M SCHOLARSHIP TOURNAMENT: Saturday, Aug. 16, 1 p.m., Victoria Country Club. Entry fee for the four-person scramble is $400 per team or $100 per individual. For information, call Grover Ellisor at 361-572-4422 or David Culberson at 361-550-9005.

13th ANNUAL FRIEND OF YOUTH TOURNAMENT: Friday, Aug. 15, 8:30 a.m., Victoria Country Club. sponsored by the YMCA of the Golden Crescent. Entry fee is $100 per player and the deadline to enter is Thurs day, Aug. 14. For information, call Suzanne Lozoya at 361-575-0511, Ext. 224.

THREE-MAN TOURNAMENT: Aug. 16-17, 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. tee times, Yorktown Country Club. First day format is a scramble, second day is a select dive, 2 lowball. Entry fee is $195 per team and the deadline to enter is Friday, Aug. 8. for information, call Warner Borth at 361-564-2142 (days), James Kaiser at (361) 564-3302 (nights) or the clubhouse at 361-564-9191.

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