Wee Burn Country Club hosted the first annual Callaway Cup tournament this past Sunday, October 7th. Conceived to honor the paddle legacy of just retired Wee Burn paddle professional, Bob Callaway, the tournament saw a field of 16 teams on the men’s side and 11 on the women’s side, many of whom had learned the game from Bob, gather together to battle it out in his honor.
Despite the damp conditions, spirits were high, the play was inspired and the competition held fierce. In all, the tournament was a successful testament to Bob’s teachings as the play exemplified his sportsmanship, camaraderie and his constant reminder of playing paddle in order to “put the opponents in the position to make errors.”
Although there were a few upsets in the earlier rounds, the tournament held to form as the top two seeds faced off in both the men’s and women’s finals. On the men’s side, top seed, David Gedney and Bryan Kelley defeated second seeds, Boie Bogardus and Jimmy Brown, 3-6, 6-2, 6-1, in an entertaining match that saw penetrating drives, quick volleys and some amazing recoveries. Similarly on the women’s side, top seeds, Sarah Layton and Tina Wein took down second seeds, Katie Adams and Tina Lum, 6-4, 6-3, in a tight match that featured lengthy points, smart teamwork and crisp volleys.
After the tournament, a reception was held in Bob’s honor which saw many local pros and tournament players such as Amy Shay, Cynthia Dardis and Connie Jones, come out to honor Bob. In addition, Jim McCready, a former teaching professional who came all the way from Charleson, SC to play in the Callaway Cup, received the Callaway Cup Award for Sportsmanship.
As all the participants remarked, it was a wonderful tournament and should only get better. But as Bob Callaway said with a big smile during the reception:
It was a great event but I hope it’s a long time before it becomes the Callaway Memorial Cup!”
Other winners/finalists were:
- Men’s Championship Reprieve: Brennan/Swift def Garinger/Lee
- Men’s Consolation: Bradford/Burley def Bass/Staniar
- Men’s Consolation Reprieve: Ballentine/Ball def Caccam/McCready
- Women’s Championship Reprieve: Brown/Hapgood def Bennett/Whiting
- Women’s Consolation: Lancaster/Nedder def Gallagher/Orr
