By Kris Corbridge

How many times have you watched the Solheim and Ryder Cup matches and thought how fun it must be to play that type of head to head competition?  Not alone, as is usual in the game of golf, but as a member of a team. The very nature of the competition creates different levels of stress, glory, expectation, and motivation than what we experience when we play as individuals in traditional stroke play events.

As a member of EWGA you have the rare opportunity to experience this same exciting level of competition. This year the Sacramento Chapter along with our neighbors from Stockton were able to field a team for the EWGA Cup Championship which was held at PGA National, in West Palm Beach, FL.  

This year the team was formed based on interest, and the 8 ladies who committed their time and money in early May, worked diligently on learning the nature of match play in preparation for the Sectional Event at Lincoln Hills Golf Club in early September. We initially held discussions on rules specific to match play, then later in the summer had several practice sessions where we put our knowledge of rules and strategy to the test as well as working on various concepts of course management.

Both the Sectional and Final competition consists of one day of Four-ball (two person better ball) matches, and one day of singles matches. Our team, named "River City Positrons" to reflect our commitment to positive mental attitudes, came out on top of the field during the Sectional event winning 11 � of the 12 points. This was the best win/loss record of all the sectional events across the country. Four teams qualified from each qualifier, we were the only California team and therefore not only represented Sacramento and Stockton, but California in the Championship event. 

Though the camaraderie was great during the early preparation, it was even more prevalent during the Championship competition. Team members supported each other, strategized, practiced together, socialized together and generally fully experienced the event as a team. It was something that will not soon be forgotten. Playing the "Bear Trap" was certainly exciting in and of itself, but to share the experience between the 8 of us was priceless. Though we did not win as many matches during the Championship event, we came in 5th out of the 25 teams that competed, and had the best "quality of wins" across the entire field. We all felt we had represented our chapters and State quite well indeed. As team Captain, I could not be more proud of our entire team.