Team 'Trib' to tackle tough task

By: Larry Sullivan | Mooresville Tribune
Published: September 28, 2011

I’ve never seen a real gauntlet. But I’m guessing they do exist. If I had one, I -- like some of the heavily-armored knights of the past -- would be throwing it down, daring others to pick it up and accept the challenge.

I do so on behalf of our own “Trib” team that will be competing this November in the annual Joe Knox Memorial S.T.A.R.S. Scholarship Golf Tournament. The initials stand for the affair’s primary benefit, the Scholarship Tuition for At Risk Students. Care to take the dare? Be careful what you wish for.

As the self-anointed team spokesperson, our “Trib” team will be accepting any and all tests from other squads competing in the Nov. 4 event at the Mooresville Municipal Golf Course.

The outing will feature a high noon start, which seems only fitting. It’s gonna be a shootout.

Foursomes will play captain’s choice, in which each golf shot is made from the best result of each previous shot. Low scores are traditionally the norm. To help make sure of that, each player in the field will receive a pair of mulligans, the equivalent of free shots that can be taken at any time during the 18-hole round.

Simply put, the tournament organizers are making the game as simple as it can be to score low. The question, though, is just how low can one go? We’re up to the task of finding out.

Seeing as how the participants are free to choose their own teams, it’s no secret that some will be filled to the brim with talented players. We can accept that. We’re going to do our best to put our best team out there as well.

For those who might not know, these kinds of affairs all come down to putting. That’s the scoring shot. Balls will be hit in the fairways. Shots will reach the green. It’s what one does once the ball gets there that really counts.

So what’s at stake? I’m glad you asked.

There’ll be no wagering, of course. That isn’t legal. But there are other incentives.

Each team that manages – legally and without the use of the eraser end of the scoring pencil – to better our team’s score will have their players’ names put in print in this particular part of the mid-week newspaper for all to see. I don’t anticipate writing down but just a few names, but you never know.

We will not ask for nearly as much in return. All we seek is for those that we do beat to merely bow down and admit – publicly – defeat. It’s a no-lose proposition.

Lest you think there’s plenty of time to get in the tournament line, think again. Though the event itself is still some five weeks away, the deadline to get names and teams in the clubhouse count is Oct. 15. So, the clock is ticking.

Entry forms are available at the golf course, the Jones, Childers, McClurkin and Donaldson law office, Mooresville Ford Mercury and The Mooresville Tribune.

Additional details can also be obtained by contacting Larry Harrelson at 704-907-9566, or Violet Knox at 704-579-8386.

Larry Sullivan is sports editor of the Tribune.