2019
Four Fun Days With Friends
Why do we golf? We golf because golf is fun. We’re outside, hanging out with good friends, hitting a little ball and getting some exercise. It’s wonderful. And that’s really what it’s all about. Sure, we keep score. There are winners and losers, but in the end does it really matter?
2019 was the 10th Walrus Cup and it was a fun little romp for everyone. Two teams competed. One of those teams beat the other by 1 point after what some might consider an epic comeback on the last day. I think it was Who’s Your Caddie. Hard to remember, really, when you’re just so focused on having fun and not really worrying about the score.
There were individual competitions, too! There was a winner for low gross and low net. I was so focused on having a good time, I honestly don’t remember who won. Give me a sec…oh, that’s right, the new guy Ben won low gross and Casey won low net for the 2nd time. Good for them. Phil took home Least Improved for the second consecutive year, which, honestly, I didn’t think was even possible. But in the end, everyone had fun, and that’s what really matters. I hate you all.
Winners: Jake, Beau, Nate, Phil, Mike G, Chao, Ben, Dave
Other Winners: Jeremy, Matty, Currie, Pete, TJ, Jason, Casey, Stacy
Low Gross: Ben
Low Net: Casey
MVP: Beau & Phil
Most Cup Points: Beau
Least Improved: Phil
2018
The Ruttgers Rebound
Wednesday was supposed to be a coronation. A victory lap. Just nice casual round for the dream team to cruise to victory and go home. Jake, who had won low gross by about 40 strokes wasn’t there, but what did it matter? The lead was insurmountable. The Birdie boys took the first match. No big deal. They won the second match. Still, who cares? They won the third match. There’s no way they win all four…….they win all four.
And it’s a….tie? Surely we’ve planned for a tie. We haven’t planned for a tie.
So we head to the 9th hole for a tiebreaker. Pete hits a tree. Mike misses a 4 foot putt and the Birdie Boys win! Kerp takes home the MVP. Phil cruises to the Least Improved title. And the Dream Team goes down in infamy as the biggest chokers since the ’98 Vikings.
Winners: Beau (captain), Kerp, NJ, Currie, Dave, Stacy, Casey, Phil
Losers: Lindahl (captain), Jeremy, Nate, Jake, Pete, TJ, Mike G, Matty M
Low Gross: Lindahl
Low Net: Jake
MVP: Kerp
Most Cup Points: Kerp
Least Improved: Phil
2017
The Melee at the Mine
Courses: The Legend, The Quarry, The Wilderness, Bulrush (non-cup event)
The Walrus Cup can be a game of inches. 16 inches, to be exact. That’s the margin of victory on Currie’s tee shot on the closest to the pin hole on the final day to claim the half point needed to win the closest Walrus Cup in history. But we’re getting ahead of ourselves. For two days it was all Pewmas all the time. Going into the final day, things had all the makings of a massacre, until the Boat Buddies came storming back, winning 3 of 4 matches on day 3. But it is wasn’t quite enough as Currie’s miracle shot on the par 3 7th earned the Pewmas the critical half point that proved to be the difference. Individually, Lindahl continued his dominance, taking home his 4th consecutive individual title. Casey finally broke through with a big individual net championship and Matty Moore served up an incredible Taco Tuesday spread to earn MVP honors (despite causing Pete to spend the night curled up on the bathroom floor). Also, Jakes arm fell off somewhere in the Quarry so if you find it, please let him know. 
2016
The Year of Phil
Courses: The Preserve, The Pines, The Classic at Madden's, Ruttger's
Sometimes everything clicks. And when everything clicks and you have a 27 handicap, nothing else anybody does really matters. Newbie Frank made a splash with an opening round 75. Mike L even set a Walrus Cup record with a 73 at the Pines the next day. But nobody cared. Why? Because Phil shot a @#$%ing net 51 on day one! That’s a whopping 12 shots better then the second best net score in Walrus Cup history—a 63, which Phil happened to shoot the next day. You will never have a year as good as Phil. Deal with it.
2015
The Brainerd Blowout
Courses: Golden Eagle/Minnesota National/Deacon's Lodge/Cuyuna Rolling Hills (Scramble)
With the teams tied heading into the final round, the stage was set for an epic Tuesday finale. It wasn’t. Pass me Another handily won 7 of 8 singles matches at Deacon’s Lodge to take home the Cup, the money, the women and the glory. Lindahl retained his gross title while Currie was an unstoppable handicap force, claiming the individual net title by 5 strokes. TJ proved the lone bright spot for Bark Like a Dog, claiming the MVP prize for his three net-under par rounds and his impressive off-road cart driving in an apocalyptic thunderstorm. The important thing is, nobody died. And with 16 guys sharing a cabin, that's not nothing.
**Champions**Pass Me Another 27.5 | Bark Like a Dog 16 |
|---|---|
| Casey | Kerp |
| Beau | Mike L — Low Gross |
| Currie -- Low Net | Pete |
| Phil | Mike G |
| Matty M | TJ— MVP, Most Cup Points |
| Stacy — Captain | Dave |
| Heger | NJ -- Captain |
| Nate | Jeremy |
Scramble Winners: Beau/Jeremy
2014
The Beatdown in Biwabik
Courses: The Legend / The Wilderness / The Quarry / Bulrush (non-cup)
The Titanic put up a better fight against that iceberg than Team White did against the Wedge Busters. Casey’s squad actually held a slim Day 1 lead, but Kerp’s team quickly kicked into Hurricane Ditka mode, kicking all sorts of ass in an historic 13.5-point route. But at least it didn’t rain at the Wilderness. Mike L also outclassed the rest of the field for the individual title (and everything else) with a pair of 78s. It was a rough week for Beau, who was not only denied a 5-peat, but also lost the cigarettes per round competition to newcomer TJ.
Team White 12 | **Champions**Wedge Busters 24 |
|---|---|
| Casey — Captain | Kerp — Captain |
| Beau | Mike L — Low Gross, Low Net, Most Cup Points |
| NJ | Pete— MVP |
| Phil | Currie |
| Mike G | TJ |
| Stacy | Matty M |
2013
The Battle With Bigfoot
Courses: Deacon's Lodge / Cragun's / Ruttger's / The Preserve (Scramble)
Matty Moore’s foot almost fell off (thank you, MVP NJ, for taking him to the emergency room), but he bounced back to take 2nd place low net. NJ almost single-handedly won the cup for Team Ditka, but Dave’s final round 84 helped seal it for the Putt Pirates. In the scramble event at The Preserve, the Kerp club toss was a hit and should be incorporated into daily life if at all possible. Following the trip, Brad’s disturbingly valiant efforts to score with the cart girl and general Bradness led to the the addition of the No Brads Rule during the annual rules committee meeting.
Team Ditka 19.5 | **Champions**Putt Pirates 21 |
|---|---|
| Phil— Captain | Currie — Captain |
| Kerp | Dave |
| Pete | Beau— Low Gross |
| NJ— MVP, Low Net, Most Cup Points | Casey |
| Matty M | Heger |
| Brad | Stacy |
2012
The Godfather’s Revenge
Courses: Classic at Madden's / Golden Eagle / Ruttger's / Eagle's Landing
Currie graciously opened his Cabin doors to the Golf Trip, earning him MVP honors and ushering in a new era of afternoon boat activities and people giving even less of a shit about the Walrus Cup. Despite Heger missing the first round after coming down with a case of the Godfathers, TNA cruised to an easy victory thanks to an 8.5 to 2 drubbing of Team Awesome on Day 2 at Ruttgers.
Team Awesome 24.5 | **Champions**TNA 26.5 |
|---|---|
| Pete— Captain | Beau— Captain, Low Gross |
| NJ— Most Cup Points | Dave |
| Currie | Phil |
| Casey | Matty M |
| Stacy | Heger |
| Mike G— Low Net | Brad |
2011
The Typhoon in Tower
Courses: The Legend / The Quarry / Grand National / The Wilderness (rained out)
Rain. So much rain. With the Wilderness a washout, day two featured two rounds of golf at beautiful Giant’s Ridge, which resulted in high scores (111, 114, 114, 118, 118 and 120?!) and vows to “Never @#$%ing play 36 holes in a day again”—a vow that has now lasted longer than said vower’s first marriage. In the end, the Heavy Hitters won by the slimmest of margins. Of course, the trip wouldn’t be complete without Kerp donating a club or two to water gods in dramatic fashion on the 18th hole, earning him MVP honors.
**Champions**Heavy Hitters 20.5 | Black Mitzvah 20 |
|---|---|
| Dave— Captain | Matty M— Captain |
| NJ | Beau— Low Gross |
| Phil | Currie — Low Net |
| Heger | Casey |
| Pete— Most Cup Points | Stacy |
| Mike G | Kerp — MVP |
2010
Big D's Last Stand
Courses: Eagle's Landing / Deacon's Lodge / The Preserve / Territory
In Big D’s swan song before his abrupt retirement from golf, he captained his team to a thrilling victory in the inaugural Walrus Cup. Of course, having Beau dropping 75s all over the place helped the cause. Heger took home MVP honors for hooking us up with a sweet deal on a cabin at Deacon’s Lodge and for helping boost our group to 12 guys.
**Champions**Team D | Team Heger | |
|---|---|---|
| Big D— Captain | Heger— Captain, MVP | |
| Matty M | NJ | |
| Currie | Phil | |
| Beau— Low Gross, Most Cup Points | Pete | |
| Kerp | Stacy | |
| Mike L | Jake |