2009 Highlights
When Didi Reardon, managing partner of the newly formed Reardon Anderson law firm (whose motto is “When you slip and fall, we’re who they call”) informed one of her new associates, Tommy, that he could not attend Final Fore 2009 until he helped get her new business off the ground, it originally appeared that this last-minute mandate would screw up the pairings and format for the now-famous annual golf tournament. But looking back, Reardon’s absence probably had the second greatest positive impact on Final Fore 2009 … second only to a burly Russian Olympic swimmer we would come to know only as Sergei.
2007 Highlights
The Founders' Cup returned to Arrowhead Golf Club for the annual 4-man scramble. Blustery winds provided competitors with arguably the most difficult conditions in the event's history, with all teams struggling to stay at or below par. As teams made the turn, Team Heaney (Heaney, Reimels, Brenneman and Heltebran) held a slim lead over Team Palumberi (Palumberi, DeRosa and Williams), while Team Yakich (Yakich, Kushner, Lewis and Reardon) was a distant third and fighting to avoid the worst score in Founders' Cup history. Team Palumberi's birdie on #17 brought them to within one stroke of the lead as they teed of on #18, with Team Heaney in the clubhouse at 2-under. Despite three good looks from under 12 feet, no one could drop the birdie putt and Team Heaney was crowned Founders Cup Champion.
2006 Highlights
Final Fore abandoned the comforts of Myrtle Beach for the first time in its history and descended upon Orlando in search of new courses, new restaurants, and more predictable and warmer weather. The first to arrive, Gordo secured the high-tech electronic keys for the lavish Windsor Hills mansions that would house Final Fore participants and quickly learned that the only way to open the door was to stand on one foot, hold the key in your less dominant hand, whistle a show tune while holding a beer can with less than 7 ounces remaining in it while facing due north. If only Poolio and the others had known this...
2005 Highlights
Arrowhead Country Club hosted the 2nd annual Founders' Cup, a modest upgrade from last year's MyrtleWood Ranch at DoubleWide Shores. Sitting comfortably at the turn at -3, the team of Palumberi, Shust and Brenneman had their names all but etched on the Founder's Cup with the other two teams (Reardon, Champion, Williams, Kushner and DeRosa, Yakich, Heaney and Kolinski) approaching the #10 tee box four shots back at +1. Little did they know they would be a part of history in the biggest collapse in Founders' Cup history. With his teammates' tee shots in deep trouble on #10, Andy Van de Velde hit his drive into the water, but thankfully he had an extra tee shot, which he also promptly dumped into the water. Five shots later...on the same hole...the four-shot lead was gone, leaving the other two teams with renewed spirit for a back-nine charge, and charge they did.
2004 Highlights
Fame is fleeting in today's world...just ask Andy Smith. One day, you're the toast of Myrtle Beach, the self-appointed Mayor, your name and image associated with the kickoff event of the most prestigious golf tournament on the Grand Strand. But in one very brief moment, all of that was gone...what started out as a minor scheduling issue complicated by a girlfriend-induced relocation transformed the once famous Mayor's Cup at King's North into the newest event of the Final Fore, the Founders' Cup at Myrtlewood.
2003 Highlights
Final Fore 2003 picked up where Final Fore 2002 left off, with a dispute over a parlor game. The Virginia contingent had not been on the ground 20 minutes when Goudie and Wabschall (adversaries in the "2s in baseball" incident) were once again embroiled in controversy, this time joining forces in a dispute with rookie Alan "Stirred, not Shaken" Kittson over house rules for eight-ball on the Mayor's pool table. Mr. Martini cautioned that the Goudie/Wabschall rules were the kind that "guys got their asses kicked over in bars." Wabschall, however, was quick to point out that in fewer than 33% of the cases, his eight-ball rules had not resulted in his getting his ass kicked in bars (and he presented a Powerpoint with accompanying backup data to prove it, updated to include this most recently averted ass-kicking). With that, cooler tempers prevailed ... but only for the first night.
2002 Highlights
The teams showed up bright and early for the AM Callaway at Grande Dunes fresh off the Third Annual Mayor's Cup (details on the Mayor's Cup page). After polishing off 50 or 60 breakfast sandwiches, the competition began. The captains' foursome started the event, and Tom Reardon rallied his troops with a blistering 102 in windy conditions. Greg DeRosa (said to be planting the seeds for a bloody coup) posted an 84 and ended up posting the low Callaway score of 73. This inspired Team Reardon to an overwhelming 83-53 margin of victory in the team scoring. Only the unselfish play of Mark 'Griswald' Wabschall and Paul Mooney could save Team Palumberi from a whitewash as they tied for high Callaway at 79.5 and brought home a point. As we headed to Barefoot for the afternoon Team Skins, the match was knotted at 11.